Get Involved
Thank you for your interest in supporting vulnerable immigrants in your community! IRIS makes a difference with the help of skilled and dedicated volunteers.
Learn more about ways to get involved
Have a fundraiser
Fundraise at your special event. During your birthday party, ask for donations made to IRIS in lieu of gifts. Have a tea party with friends or family.
Guests can donate online, put cash in a jar, or write a check. IRIS can provide you with tips, signage, printed donation links for easy online transactions, and printed materials to distribute. Sharing a fundraiser on your social media page is a great way to spread the word about what IRIS does while raising money. IRIS can provide you with tips and graphics upon request.
Have a baby shower
IRIS is often working with families that include pregnant moms (often single mothers) who need support with baby clothing and supplies. Contact us to be matched with a family in your area. Collect/buy needed items and coordinate delivery to the family. To collaborate, contact Keeley@irisnw.org.
A 13-year-old girl held a fundraiser at her birthday party. In lieu of gifts, her friends collected baby clothing and supplies needed by a family that IRIS was supporting.
Shop for a family
Our families need support with food, hygiene products, and other household supplies. Contact us to be matched with a family in your area. To collaborate, contact Keeley@irisnw.org.
A woman in Whatcom County went shopping for groceries and cleaning supplies that a single mother needed for herself and two kids.
Hold a benefit concert
Do you sing in a choir or play in a band? Can you dance or put on a play performance? Hold a benefit concert to raise funds for IRIS! Ask around to find a local venue that will donate space for your event or simply spruce up your backyard or invite guests into your home! IRIS staff can table at your event to collect donations and distribute information. IRIS is happy to provide printed materials and help publicize.
A local band, Ladies of Lindsey, held a benefit concert for IRIS and raised thousands of dollars.
Provide a service in your community
Is there something that you already love to do that could be turned into a fundraising effort? Some ideas include selling cut flowers on the roadside, mowing lawns, knitting hats, hosting a restaurant-style dinner, and selling handmade jams or crafts.
A yoga instructor in La Conner held Yoga With A Cause, and all class fees were donated to IRIS.
Employer donations
Ask if your employer has a program for matched giving or other incentives to donate. Your friends and family may also have charity giving programs at their workplaces, and many employers are happy to list IRIS as a suggested nonprofit for receiving donations.
A local Edward Jones branch put together bags of hygiene items for IRIS families during a work retreat.
Procure gifts
Ask businesses to support local immigrant families in need. IRIS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and will provide a donation receipt. We need gifts, new socks, laundry detergent, femenine hygiene products, and non-perishable food to distribute to families. These items will be given to the highest need families during our annual Hope for the Holidays program, Coat and Boot distribution event, and Mother’s Day program.
Note that IRIS is not always able to take donated goods without prior notice as we do not have a storage space. Before procuring or collecting items, contact us at Keeley@irisnw.org.
A Bellingham woman was able to procure hundreds of dollars in food, earrings, slippers, sicks, soaps, and more for IRIS’s Mother’s Day program.
Volunteer
At this time, we are not able to utilize new volunteers unless you have related experience and also speak Spanish and/or a relevant Indigenous language. Feel free to contact us at info@irisnw.org to enquire about other organizations that need your help!
Please complete the application form on this page to be considered for IRIS volunteer opportunities. You will also need to download and sign the required PDFs at the end of the form. Please email the signed PDFs to info@irisnw.org. A criminal background check may be required.
Step 1: Contact Information
Step 2: Required Documents
Please download and sign the following PDF files, and email them to info@irisnw.org.
IRIS Confidentiality Agreement
Note: a Washington Police Clearance Certificate (WATCH Report) may be required to complete your application.