Volunteer Application Requirements
The wonderful professionals in our volunteer community support our students to succeed in college and dream bigger for their careers and lives.
Volunteer Commitment
The opportunity to make an impact on a student’s life comes with important responsibilities. When working with or on behalf of youth, one of the key components to building trust is showing up. Commitment is key to our program—your presence, proactive communication, and conscientiousness are what makes Minds Matter Bay Area work. Volunteers with Minds Matter make a minimum in-person commitment of 2–3 hours/week.
Saturday Session Roles (Mentoring Leads, Pod Leaders, Mentors, Instruction Leads, Instructors)
Saturday Sessions take place every Saturday during the school year (August through May, with breaks that coincide with standard school holidays).
Instruction is 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and often requires some additional time for team meetings or calls during the week to prep for lessons.
Mentoring is 12:30 PM–2:30 PM and often requires some additional time during the week for lesson preparation and communicating with your mentee.
We require a minimum attendance of 80% of Saturday sessions (approx. 20 of 25 weeks from August through May) and advanced notice of any absences.
Building strong relationships with a student is vital for their success, at the very minimum, we require one full year of commitment from the beginning of August through the end of May. We prefer three years, but understand that sometimes you can't see that far out in your future.
Other Leadership Roles (Community, Impact, Programming, and Finance Teams)
These teams have open leadership roles that are essential to the running and operating of Minds Matter Bay Area but are not bound by our weekly Saturday session commitment.
Opportunities for flexible commitment roles are only extended by members of the leadership team; all new volunteers must also interview for a mentor/instructor position, unless a candidate has relevant experience that they feel makes them exceptionally qualified for one of the roles described.
To learn more about these more flexible commitment opportunities, please review the team descriptions below and send an email join@mindsmatterbay.org describing what you are hoping to contribute.
“At MMBay, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of building an impactful organization.”
Adam F.
MMBay Volunteer Leader 2019–Present
Volunteer Roles
Volunteers at Minds Matter often start off in one of two roles: instructors or mentors.
Instructors
The instructional component of our programs is designed to equip students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary for achieving academic success at school and in their standardized tests. Our instructors serve as guides and role models for our students, encouraging them to deepen their knowledge base and to enjoy the process of learning. Instructors take on a variety of different roles in our organization: leading a class of 3–4 students (on average) on a subject area, teaching the SAT/ACT, and developing and delivering workshops on close reading, critical thinking, and statement writing skills for our students and their mentors. We will work with you to find a role that best fits your skills and experience.
What we look for:
The ability to commit to at least one year with MMSF (two preferred), show up prepared for session, and be accessible during the week for lesson preparation.
Presentation and facilitation skills appropriate to a small group and/or classroom setting.
Depth of knowledge and passion for a particular academic subject.
Ability to take a complex concept and simplify it, so that anyone can learn it.
Curiosity for how things work—especially when it comes to academics and tests.
Passion for setting goals and gaining concrete results.
Ability to work in a team and navigate ambiguity.
Prior experience designing a curriculum and instructional materials is a plus but not required.
Mentors
Beginning their sophomore year of high school, each of our incredible students is matched with two mentors who work with them to discover, plan, and ready themselves for college. This includes building a strong, trusting, empathetic relationship with their mentors. Our mentors serve as positive role models and catalysts for the students, encouraging them to fulfill their full potential.
What we look for:
The ability to commit to at least one year with MMBay (3 years preferred), show up prepared for session, and be accessible during the week for your mentee.
While there are no required meetings outside of Saturday sessions, mentors should be responsive to short texts/emails from their students during the week and actively check in from time to time.
The ability to build rapport and trust with people of all different backgrounds, experiences and ages.
A willingness to learn, listen, and collaborate.
The ability to set stretch goals and standards that mentees can achieve.
Conscientious and communicative practices.
Prior experience mentoring or coaching at-risk, first generation, or low-income youth a plus but not required.
“Minds Matter helped me fine-tune my leadership skills and capacity to develop others.”
Niharika R.
MMBay Staff Member 2019–Present
MMBay Volunteer Leader 2017–22
MMBay Instructor 2016–19
Leadership
Though most new MMBay volunteers begin as a mentor or instructor, we also have leadership roles available for those who have the experience and desire to work with larger groups of mentees and volunteers. In addition, we have a few roles and teams that are not bound to a fixed weekly Saturday attendance requirement like our other roles. Those interested in Saturday Session Leadership Roles should submit our regular application linked above. To learn more about the flexible commitment opportunities, please reach out to join@mindsmatterbay.org and describe what you are hoping to contribute.
Saturday Session Leadership Roles
Pod Leaders Each mentee class is divided into Pods of about 8 students and their mentors. Two Pod Leaders work together to manage each Pod, guiding mentoring session activities, facilitating discussions, and supporting the work of each mentor-mentee quad. Mentoring session curriculum is provided to Pod Leaders by the Mentoring Leads. Pod leaders are expected to be able to commit at least two years with MMBay.
Mentoring/Instruction Leads Mentoring Leads create, manage, and lead the mentoring curriculum for their respective class. The Instruction Leads manage their team of Instructors and lead the Instructional curriculum for their respective grade level. We have collected lesson plans that are aligned to our three-year curriculum and both Leads curate these resources for the Pod Leaders and Instructors to implement each session. Both Mentoring and Instruction Leads are expected to be able to commit at least two years with MMBay.
Hybrid roles are those that don’t require volunteers to be in session every Saturday (though some of the roles do require some Saturday session commitments). Opportunities for hybrid roles are only extended by members of the leadership team; all new volunteers must also interview for a mentor/instructor position, unless a candidate has relevant experience that they feel makes them exceptionally qualified for one of the roles described.
Community Team Volunteer Training & Development, Volunteer/Mentee Recruiting, Volunteer/Mentee/Parent-Guardian/Alumni Engagement
Programming Team Summer Learning Program Directors , College Admissions & Financial Aid Program Managers, Personal Statement readers, Instruction Curriculum Writers
Summer Learning Program Directors (variable commitment, up to ~8 hrs/week)—Responsible for managing the Summer Learning application process for both Sophomores and Juniors, including Q&A email response and occasional presentations during Saturday session
College Admissions & Financial Aid Program Managers (variable commitment, up to ~4 hrs/week)—Responsible for helping to manage college applications/lists for Senior mentees and aiding in presentations on topics regarding college/financial aid to all mentees; occasional attendance required on Saturdays
Personal Statement Readers (variable commitment, up to 3–4 hours/ week in the late fall)—Responsible for reading and providing feedback on personal statement essays for college and scholarship applications; occasional attendance required on Saturdays
Impact Team Mentee impact reporting/story-telling and Engagement/Fundraising/On-boarding operations
Finance Team Quickbooks, Audit, Expense tracking, Budgeting
Hybrid Roles
“I gave many years of my life to this organization, because I saw firsthand what it meant for every student. I’m thrilled to see MMBay continue to grow its impact.”
Mary K.
MMBay Volunteer Leader 2016–20
MMBay Mentor 2015–18