Work directly with nonprofits and community members to provide preliminary design services. Volunteers are Philadelphia area architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, interior designers, preservationists, sustainability consultants, development consultants, artists, graphic designers, community engagement specialists, cost estimators, and others, and range from industry veterans to those new to their field. If you're a firm, you can put together a team drawn from your staff. If you're an individual, we'll place you on a team with other professionals.
After completing a volunteer application, you'll receive quarterly emails with upcoming volunteer opportunities and you may respond to express your interest in a specific opportunity. Once on a Core Grant team, a Collaborative staff member will introduce you to the project. Then you will visit the site and meet with the nonprofit client. While the process varies based on the unique needs of each nonprofit, you’ll likely be participating in team meetings, facilitating community meetings, presenting at peer review meetings, and developing drawings to communicate conceptual designs.
Core Grant Team volunteering includes:
All Core Grant projects have a peer review component, where an in-progress Core Grant team informally presents its work to Collaborative volunteer peer reviewers. As a reviewer, you'll have the opportunity to provide feedback, learn about current projects, and meet other volunteers. We host these meetings twice a month – every first and third Tuesday at noon. Once you complete a volunteer application, you’ll receive information about all of our volunteer opportunities, including Core Grant review meetings. Being a reviewer does not require an official or minimum commitment; participate whenever you're available.
Core Grant Review volunteering includes:
Engage directly with nonprofits, individually or with one other volunteer, to provide a limited scope of services in a short timeframe. Volunteers typically include experienced architects, landscape architects, and engineers, but may also include other design, development and community engagement professionals. After completing a volunteer application, you’ll receive information about all volunteer opportunities including calls for technical assistance.
Technical Assistance volunteering includes:
Learn more about Technical Assistance
The Collaborative offers other opportunities to volunteer such as serving on a committee, being a Collaborative Ambassador, or assisting us with special events.
Committee Members
Help us make strategic decisions by serving on one of the following committees:
Event Volunteers
Help us plan and implement one (or more) of the following events:
Collaborative Ambassadors
Help us get the word out about the Collaborative by representing us at any one (or more) of the following:
Other Opportunities
Help us achieve our mission and goals by providing:
If you’d like to find out more about ways to get involved, contact Tya Winn, at tya@cdesignc.org or 215-587-9290.
Nonprofit partnership and community engagement are hallmarks of our design process.