Volunteer Coordinator – Cross-Functional Volunteer Role - Unpaid Position

Volunteer Coordinator – Cross-Functional Volunteer Role - Unpaid Position

Organization: Smiles Foundation

Position Type: Unpaid Volunteer Position

Priority: High – Immediate Need

Commitment: Approximately 8–15 hours per week

Minimum Commitment: 1 year

Location: Remote/Hybrid, with occasional participation in meetings, events, or organizational activities as required

About the Role

Smiles Foundation is seeking a proactive, highly organized, and people-focused Volunteer Coordinator to help strengthen and coordinate our organization-wide volunteer program.

This is a cross-functional role supporting volunteers across all Smiles Foundation departments. The Volunteer Coordinator will oversee the overall volunteer lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding through engagement, recognition, retention, transitions, and offboarding—while working closely with organizational leadership and Department Team Leads/Coordinators.

Smiles Foundation is currently continuing to develop its departmental leadership structure, and not all departments have a dedicated Team Lead or Coordinator in place yet.

As a result, the selected Volunteer Coordinator should be comfortable providing more direct coordination and administrative support to volunteers within certain departments on an interim basis, helping maintain communication, follow-up, organization, and continuity until appropriate departmental leadership is recruited or appointed.

Where Department Team Leads are already in place, they remain responsible for functional supervision, assignments, performance expectations, deliverables, and day-to-day management. The Volunteer Coordinator focuses on ensuring that the overall volunteer experience is organized, consistent, well-supported, and aligned with Smiles Foundation’s priorities.

As additional Team Leads are recruited, the role will increasingly focus on cross-functional coordination, volunteer engagement, program oversight, and supporting departmental leaders in managing their volunteer teams effectively.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with people, building systems, coordinating multiple priorities, improving processes, and helping an organization grow.

Key Responsibilities

Volunteer Recruitment & Onboarding

• Coordinate volunteer recruitment based on organizational priorities, departmental needs, and vacancies identified by leadership.
• Maintain and publish current volunteer opportunities using approved role descriptions, qualification requirements, expected commitments, and minimum terms.
• Review incoming volunteer applications and conduct or coordinate initial screening.
• Assess applicants’ general suitability, availability, interests, relevant experience, and ability to meet the expected commitment.
• Coordinate interviews with the appropriate Department Team Lead/Coordinator when one is in place and functional, or technical assessment is required.
• Where no Department Team Lead is currently assigned, coordinate recruitment and interviews with the Administrative Director/Operations Coordinator or other designated leadership.
• Ensure required volunteer documentation is collected and completed, including agreements, confidentiality requirements, policies, screening documentation, and other applicable records.
• Coordinate Police Vulnerable Sector Checks (PVSC) or other screening requirements where applicable.
• Conduct or coordinate general Smiles Foundation volunteer orientation.
• Ensure new volunteers understand Smiles Foundation’s mission, structure, policies, communication expectations, and volunteer responsibilities.
• Coordinate with Department Team Leads to ensure volunteers receive appropriate role-specific onboarding, training, access, assignments, and supervision.

Interim Department Support

Because some departments are still developing their leadership structure, the Volunteer Coordinator may also be required to:

• Provide interim coordination and administrative support to volunteers in departments without a dedicated Team Lead/Coordinator.
• Help maintain communication, follow-up, task visibility, and continuity within those teams.
• Support volunteers in understanding responsibilities, priorities, and next steps.
• Help identify departments requiring additional leadership capacity.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of future Department Team Leads/Coordinators.
• Maintain volunteer engagement and continuity during periods when a department does not yet have permanent leadership.
• Escalate functional decisions, performance matters, strategic priorities, conflicts, or issues outside the Volunteer Coordinator’s authority to the Administrative Director/Operations Coordinator.
• Support the transition of day-to-day volunteer supervision to the appropriate Team Lead once that role is filled.

Volunteer Administration

• Maintain an accurate and up-to-date central volunteer roster.
• Track volunteer contact information, assigned department and role, Team Lead where applicable, start date, expected commitment, documentation status, screening requirements, and current participation status.
• Maintain visibility over volunteers who are active, onboarding, inactive, temporarily paused, transitioning roles, or departing.
• Maintain an up-to-date recruitment and onboarding tracker.
• Keep volunteer forms, onboarding materials, orientation resources, templates, policies, and administrative procedures current and organized.
• Maintain organized volunteer records within Smiles Foundation-controlled systems and in accordance with privacy and confidentiality requirements.
• Administer volunteer WhatsApp groups and other approved volunteer communication channels.
• Add newly onboarded volunteers to the appropriate groups and remove volunteers who leave or no longer require access.

Volunteer Engagement, Retention & Recognition

• Conduct or coordinate periodic volunteer check-ins focused on engagement, workload, satisfaction, barriers, communication, and intention to continue.
• Identify volunteers who may be disengaged, inactive, overloaded, unclear about expectations, or at risk of leaving.
• Coordinate appropriate follow-up with the relevant Team Lead and/or Administrative Director/Operations Coordinator.
• Identify recurring issues affecting volunteer retention, communication, workload, expectations, or overall volunteer experience.
• Support volunteer retention by helping address administrative or coordination-related barriers.
• Coordinate volunteer recognition initiatives, including appreciation messages, certificates, milestones, volunteer highlights, and other approved recognition activities.
• Maintain an appropriate volunteer birthday list where information has been voluntarily provided.
• Coordinate approved birthday acknowledgements and other volunteer-recognition activities.

Meetings & Internal Communication

• Coordinate recurring volunteer team meetings, generally once per month or according to the schedule established by Smiles Foundation.
• Support meeting scheduling, invitations, agenda coordination, attendance tracking, and follow-up on relevant action items.
• Communicate organization-wide volunteer opportunities, including:

○ warehouse or shipment preparation activities;

○ fundraising or community events;

○ campaigns;

○ special projects; and

○ short-term volunteer needs.

• Coordinate with Communications & Storytelling and Social Media teams when volunteer recognition, volunteer stories, or related content is approved for external publication.
• Help ensure important organizational updates reach the appropriate volunteers and teams.

Volunteer Transitions & Offboarding

• Coordinate volunteer role changes, transfers, temporary pauses, and departures.
• Conduct or coordinate volunteer offboarding.
• Ensure appropriate handover requirements are completed.
• Follow up regarding organizational property, files, systems, or access where applicable.
• Notify the appropriate Department Team Lead, Administrative Director/Operations Coordinator, and IT when access should be modified or removed.
• Collect structured feedback from departing volunteers.
• Identify recurring themes or issues that may help Smiles Foundation improve the volunteer experience.

Key Deliverables

The Volunteer Coordinator will be expected to:

• Maintain an accurate and current central volunteer roster.
• Maintain a recruitment and onboarding tracker covering:

○ applicants;

○ screening;

○ interviews;

○ documentation; ○ orientation;

○ placement; and

○ outstanding requirements.

• Ensure new volunteer opportunities are published using approved and current role descriptions.
• Ensure applicants progressing through recruitment receive timely communication and clear next steps.
• Ensure required documentation and applicable screening requirements are appropriately tracked.
• Ensure new volunteers complete general Smiles Foundation orientation.
• Ensure volunteers are appropriately connected with their Department Team Lead or interim organizational contact.
• Maintain current volunteer forms, onboarding materials, orientation resources, policies, and templates.
• Conduct or coordinate regular volunteer engagement check-ins.
• Maintain visibility over inactive, disengaged, or at-risk volunteers.
• Coordinate follow-up when volunteer retention, workload, or communication concerns arise.
• Coordinate agreed volunteer recognition activities.
• Maintain current volunteer communication groups.
• Coordinate regular volunteer team meetings.
• Support organization-wide calls for volunteers for special projects, events, campaigns, and operational activities.
• Ensure departing volunteers complete an appropriate offboarding and handover process.
• Support departments without Team Leads until appropriate leadership is recruited.
• Help support the recruitment and onboarding of future Department Team Leads/Coordinators.

The Volunteer Coordinator will also provide a monthly volunteer-program update to the Administrative Director/Operations Coordinator covering:

• total active volunteers;
• new applicants and recruitment activity;
• volunteers onboarded;
• vacancies and priority recruitment needs;
• departments currently requiring additional leadership support;
• outstanding documentation or screening requirements;
• volunteer engagement and retention concerns;
• inactive or departing volunteers;
• recognition activities;
• birthday acknowledgements;
• volunteer meetings held or scheduled;
• relevant follow-up items;
• communication-group updates or administrative issues;
• upcoming volunteer needs; and
• matters requiring organizational leadership support.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who is:

• Highly organized, proactive, dependable, and comfortable working independently.
• People-focused and comfortable communicating with volunteers from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds.
• Comfortable coordinating multiple volunteers, applicants, departments, deadlines, and administrative processes simultaneously.
• Confident following up with people and helping ensure agreed actions are completed.
• Comfortable working in an organizational structure that is still developing.
• Willing to provide interim coordination support where departmental leadership is not yet in place.
• Able to create structure and maintain continuity in teams that may still be developing. ● Able to recognize when a matter should be escalated to organizational leadership.
• Comfortable helping build teams and transition responsibilities as new Department Team Leads are recruited.
• Strong in written and verbal communication.
• Able to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive volunteer information appropriately.
• Collaborative and comfortable working closely with leadership and volunteers across different functional areas.
• Interested in volunteer engagement, nonprofit operations, human resources, community development, recruitment, or people coordination.
• Willing and able to provide these services on an unpaid volunteer basis.

Experience in any of the following would be considered an asset:

• volunteer management;
• human resources;
• recruitment;
• nonprofit administration;
• community engagement;
• project coordination;
• operations;
• team leadership;
• onboarding;
• employee or volunteer engagement; or ● organizational development.

Experience with tools such as Google Workspace, Google Drive, spreadsheets, shared documents, WhatsApp, Canva, or volunteer-management systems would also be helpful.

What Makes This Opportunity Different

This is more than an administrative volunteer position.

Smiles Foundation is currently strengthening both its volunteer-management program and departmental leadership structure.

The selected Volunteer Coordinator will have the opportunity to help shape how volunteers are:

• recruited;
• screened;
• onboarded;
• organized;
• supported;
• engaged;
• recognized;
• retained; and
• transitioned across the organization.

Initially, the role may involve more direct coordination of certain volunteers where a Department Team Lead is not yet in place.

As the organizational structure develops and additional Team Leads are recruited, the role will progressively transition toward cross-functional volunteer coordination, engagement, program oversight, and support for departmental leadership.

This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys building systems and teams from the ground up and wants to see the direct impact of their work on an organization’s ability to grow.

Commitment

We are seeking someone who can commit approximately 8–15 hours per week for a minimum of one year.

The schedule offers flexibility, but regular availability is important to support applicants, onboarding, volunteer communications, meetings, follow-up, and ongoing coordination.

Some weeks may require greater involvement depending on recruitment activity, onboarding cycles, events, organizational projects, or volunteer needs.

About Smiles Foundation

Smiles Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Canada, the USA, and the Dominican Republic, focused on improving the health and well-being of disadvantaged children in the Dominican Republic. The organization provides free preventive health education and restorative dental treatments and has treated and educated over 7 million people since 1987. The Canadian office coordinates and ships donations to 10 permanent clinics and 1 mobile clinic and runs the ‘Smiles in Action’ program for active living and health education, which has positively impacted thousands of Canadians. Smiles Foundation is committed to continuing its mission of spreading health, education, and compassion to communities in need.

How to Apply

If you are passionate about working with people and would like to help strengthen and grow Smiles Foundation’s volunteer community, we would love to hear from you.

Please submit:

• your resume; and
• a brief introduction outlining:

○ why you are interested in the role;

○ your relevant experience;

○ your availability; and

○ any experience you may have in volunteer coordination, recruitment, HR, nonprofit administration, community engagement, operations, project coordination, or team leadership.

Please ensure that you are comfortable with the expected 8–15 hour weekly commitment, the minimum one-year term, and the fact that this is an unpaid volunteer position.