Volunteer
Healthy communities start with you
Have you been deeply inspired by a whole food, plant-based lifestyle and just can’t keep it to yourself? We’d love to hear from you!
When you join PPMNY as a volunteer, you’ll become part of our network of change agents. This network meets online monthly to stay connected and informed, to share resources for volunteering, and to encourage each other to create or support community projects.
Find the Role that Fits
Ambassadors
If you love meeting new people and sharing your story of transformation, here are a few ways you can help spread the word:
- Represent our movement by doing outreach at fairs and festivals — you’ll often be stationed at a PPMNY table.
- Build relationships with local influencers and organizations.
- Speak at meetings, conferences, or political forums where plant-based nutrition is relevant to the agenda.
- Recruit restaurants to offer healthier plant-based options. (Have you heard of our Plant Powered Plates program?)
Educators
We’re looking for knowledgeable, mission-aligned nutrition and culinary experts to inspire new audiences:
- If you’re a dynamic presenter, you could deliver educational programs or demos through PPMNY, as many organizations approach us throughout the year about teaching their constituents.
- If you’ve got the book smarts but want to stay behind the scenes, you can support PPMNY through planning and project development.
PPMNY also maintains a network of individuals who have been trained to deliver certain programs, such as Food for Life. If you’d like to be equipped to serve in these kinds of roles, reach out to Lynn Diamond, PPMNY’s Director of Community Partnerships, at lynn.diamond@ppmny.org.
Organizers
If you’re the kind of person who can get stuff done, consider being an organizer!
Organizers plan educational or social events, develop projects, build or steward relationships with partner organizations, facilitate an Action Group (with like-minded volunteers), or lead our local movement in some other way.
As an organizer, you can serve a specific geographic area, demographic group, chronic disease population, or institution like a faith-based community or workplace. You can also work across many areas. This is the most open-ended (and potentially meaningful!) way of volunteering, and we’ll help you set goals to make a difference.
Lifestyle Mentors
If you’ve already made a successful transition to a plant-powered lifestyle and want to compassionately support others in making the change, then mentorship may be the role for you!
Our Lifestyle Mentors can be matched with a mentee for 1-3 months of one-on-one support; mentor small groups of Plant Powered Jumpstart participants; or facilitate Lifestyle Support Circles to help people maintain WFPB living long term.
While you may not personally choose to follow a whole food, plant-based diet to the letter at all times, mentors must have sufficient personal experience before assisting someone else. To be eligible, you’ll need:
- At least one year of experience with a WFPB lifestyle.
- Experience eating mostly unprocessed plant foods, as we teach about oil-free nutrition and minimizing added salt and sweeteners. It is not enough to identify as vegan. Please determine for yourself if you can fully represent this way of eating as a mentor.
- To complete a 5-hour mentor training program that we run a few times each year.
Fill out our mentor intake form, or reach out to our Lifestyle Mentorship Coordinator at mentorship@ppmny.org for more details.
Looking to be mentored yourself? Learn more about our Peer Mentorship and Support Circles.
Project-Based Volunteers
If you’re looking for simple and short-term volunteer opportunities, you can join our roster as a project-based volunteer. Assist our organizers with events; help with marketing or distribute materials; work on a writing, translation, or research project; or support administrative tasks. There are many ways to contribute!
Design Your Own Role
Do you have professional skills that could be an asset to our movement? Are you a retiree with time, wisdom, and talents to offer? There’s no need to fit into a specific role — let’s talk!
We’re also looking for people with nonprofit board experience to join our Board of Directors. In addition to the usual fiduciary oversight provided by a board, prospective board members should be prepared to either donate or raise funds, build high-profile connections and partnerships, or otherwise bring exposure to PPMNY’s work.
Get Started Today
Let us know what excites you about community work! Set up a time to discuss volunteerism by contacting Lianna Levine Reisner, our Network Director, at lianna@ppmny.org.
