About Hands On Birmingham

Hands On Birmingham (HOB) is a valuable resource to nonprofit agencies, schools, and neighborhood associations as well as ANYONE looking for a place to serve.  HOB is a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization that makes it easy for busy people to volunteer. The majority of Hands On Birmingham’s service opportunities are held after traditional business hours or on the weekends. Established in 1998, Hands On Birmingham is a member of Hands On Network.   Hands On Network is currently made up of 58 national and international volunteer organizations.

Our Story

Hands On Birmingham, Inc. is an Alabama not-for-profit corporation  committed to providing flexible, hands-on volunteer opportunities for individuals whose work and life challenges prohibit their active involvement in traditional volunteer programs. HOB is a tax-exempt organization founded in August 1998 by a group of young professionals who believe that the keys to strengthening the Birmingham community are:

·         Serving others

·         Meeting the needs of the less fortunate

·         Creating a large, diverse force of volunteers

·         Developing citizen leaders to assume a more prominent role in the volunteer community 

·         Solving existing problems rather than merely complaining about them

Hands On Birmingham has a three-prong strategy for encouraging volunteerism in Birmingham: (1) emailing a volunteer calendar containing a description of worthwhile, hands-on projects for working adults, families, and corporations that mostly occur after conventional work hours and on weekends; (2) involve corporations in employer-sponsored, team-building group volunteer projects; and (3) sponsor an annual Hands On Birmingham Days to bring together thousands of volunteers from all over Birmingham in a day of service to others.

HOB is unique in the freedom it gives to the individual participant. Although many of the volunteers become "regulars" at one particular project, each is encouraged to work with a variety of different activities and agencies to find one that suits his/her particular interest. This model of volunteerism eases the volunteer into community involvement, providing exposure to a community service partner without the upfront commitment of traditional volunteer programs.

 Our Accomplishments

Since its inception in August 1998, HOB has experienced remarkable growth. Within its first year, HOB provided over 435 individuals with volunteer opportunities at a number of non-profit organizations, including the Birmingham Zoo, Habitat For Humanity, Food Source, Glen Iris Community School, CHAMP (Caring Helps Another Make Progress), and the YWCA. In turn, those volunteers provided over 1,400 hours of community service.

To date, almost 4200 HOB volunteers have provided over 20,000 hours of service to our community.