Volunteering For World Peace
"If we were to give millions of dollars to others they would receive only temporary benefits, but by offering them the opportunity for spiritual development we are providing them with a real method for solving their daily problems and gaining true, everlasting happiness."
--Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Volunteering at the Temple
Come and find out about volunteering at the Kadampa Buddhist Temple - a non-profit charity working for world peace. It's fun and incredibly meaningful! If you would like more information, please fill out our Volunteer Contact Form.
There are many different volunteer tasks available, depending on your ability, schedule and interest. You are welcome to volunteer as much or as little as you wish with no long-term commitment required. Any amount of help would be greatly appreciated. Since our organization is dedicated to the happiness and welfare of all living beings, the benefits of this program are limitless. You can choose to volunteer in any of the areas described at the bottom of this page.
Volunteer Opportunities
Administrative Tasks
Fundraising
Office Tasks
Soliciting Donations
Technical and Computer Support
Education Program Tasks
Buddhism For Inmates
Coordinating Special Events
Distributing Publicity
Graphic Design
Street Fair Assistance
Maintenance Tasks
Construction Work
Gardening
Painting and Graffiti Removal
Weekly and Monthly Clean-up
Student Volunteer Program
Volunteer opportunities are available to students for extra credit in their classes. This is a great chance for students taking classes or majoring in Comparative and Eastern Relgions, Cultural and Asian Studies, Philosophy, Alternative Medicine and more! Our volunteer program is open to students of all interests and walks of life.
Community Service/Project 20
Work off your tickets and fines while working for world peace! Project 20 - San Francisco's pre-trial diversion program - has agreed to let people work off their fines by volunteering at the Kadampa Buddhist Temple.
Clearing your San Francisco parking and traffic tickets is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
1. For parking tickets: Go to 1380 Howard St., 1st Floor, Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm. Phone: (415) 626-4995
For moving violations or traffic tickets: Go to 850 Bryant Street, Room 101, 1st Floor.
2. After signing a contract that outlines the terms and the amount of hours to be worked, you will be sent to the Project 20 office at 567 7th Street between Bryant and Brannan. Tell them you would like to volunteer at the Kadampa Buddhist Temple.
3. Contact Michael Rollins, (415) 336-5865 or RJ, (415) 515-8453, to schedule your community work hours. Or fill out the Volunteer Contact Form with the dates and times that you are available.
Project 20 will charge you a small administrative fee. Community Service is not an option if your vehicle has been booted or towed and you are trying to reclaim it. Civil assessments cannot be worked off through Project 20 either; the fines must be paid in full.
Volunteer Contact Form
If you are interested in volunteering and would like someone to contact you by phone or email, please fill out the form below.
Contact Information
Volunteer Coordinator: Michael Rollins
Volunteer Hotline:
(415) 336-5865
Michael Rollins setting up our booth |
Technical and Computer Support:
We constantly need help with computer and technical issues at our Temple. Generally, this is the perfect volunteer opportunity for people who love computers, who have some experience with diagnosing technical issues, who are familiar with Internet
programming, or who enjoy computer programming.
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Soliciting Donations:
Due to the fact that we are a non-profit organization that relies entirely on the kind contributions of others, we never turn down donations. We need help soliciting donations of office supplies, furniture, construction materials, food for special events and more. Let us know if you have ideas about organizations that may like to donate to our Temple.
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Fundraising:
We have several major fundraising events each year, including an Annual Dinner and a Sponsored Walk. Considering these events require so much planning and organizing, we always welcome people who would like to contribute their time. All of the money that we raise for our Temple goes to the construction of international Buddhist Temples, the establishment of new meditations classes, etc. As a result, it is completely accurate to say that the funds that are raised through these events go directly to the development of world peace.
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Distributing Publicity:
This is a very meaningful volunteer opportunity because it is one of the main ways that the public receives information about our meditation classes. Due to the kindness of many volunteers, thousands of pieces of publicity are distributed monthly in hundreds of locations all over the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Marin County, Palo Alto and San Jose. We are constantly trying to expand the scope of our publicity distribution and can always use more help doing so!
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Graphic Design:
This volunteer opportunity is very rewarding because thousands of people see the publicity that our Temple distributes. Each month new publicity is produced for our ongoing meditation classes, special events, day courses and retreats, and good
designers can be hard to find. If you are interested in helping us produce our flyers, your kindness would be greatly appreciated.
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Coordinating Special Events:
Every month our Temple has a different special event which needs careful planning and organizing. Some of these have drawn more than a hundred people. If you enjoy coordinating events, this is the perfect opportunity for you. We need help with set-up and break-down, seating arrangements, sound and recording, food planning and much more.
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Office Tasks:
Office tasks include printing posters, flyers and letters; organizing documents; labeling and storing files; helping to create official documents; and several other minor tasks. This volunteer area is very low-key and relaxed, requiring minimal physical activity. Also, it offers the chance to work closely with senior practicioners who manage the Temple.
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Street Fair Assistance:
Have you ever gone to a street fair and wished that you were involved? Do you like being outdoors with thousands of happy people? Do you like having a great time while doing something meaningful? If so, you will love helping us staff our booths! Each month between April and October we set up a booth at one or more street fairs in the Bay Area to give out information about our meditation classes, sell Geshe Kelsang's books, and answer people's questions about Buddhism. Participants have a great time and enjoy meeting many wonderful people.
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Construction Work:
As our Temple and Center grow, we are constantly making improvements to our properties. This is a great opportunity for people who have experience with dry-walling, window installation, caulking, etc. It is also perfect for certified electricians and plumbers. Let us know what your area of expertise is and we can guarantee that we will find a job to match it!
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Painting and Graffiti Removal:
We are constantly touching up our Temple and residential Center and we actively take part in neighborhood graffiti removal on a weekly basis. There is always painting to be done!
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Gardening:
If you enjoy working with flowers and plants then we can use your help in our gardens. We have a small garden at our
Temple and a larger garden at our residential Center.
Maintaining our properties requires constant care.
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Weekly and Monthly Clean-up :
Once a month, we thoroughly clean the Temple to keep everything as beautiful as possible for our visitors. This task includes cleaning the Gompa (meditation room) and shrine, dusting, organizing the bookstore, sweeping and mopping. Generally, this is a big task and it takes several people to do it well. Cleaning also offers an opportunity to work closely with many senior practitioners.
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Buddhism For Inmates:
This program makes Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche's books available to prison inmates across North America. It is constantly growing, so many new volunteer opportunities arise each month. At present, it is based in Kelsang Tekchog’s apartment, so most of the volunteer opportunities listed below would take place there. Exceptions might include certain computer-related tasks. The following are a few of the many tasks available: Sorting/opening/reading inmate correspondence; data entry into MS-Excel; creating address and file labels by mail merge into MS-Word, etc!
SPECIAL PROJECT: Create a data base in MS-Access.
See the Buddhism For Inmates page for more information.
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