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Ongoing Volunteers

Coaching & long-term volunteer opportunities

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 What is an Ongoing Volunteer?

Work directly with athletes by volunteering on an ongoing basis with Special Olympics Northern California. Contribute to the various programs available to our athletes in Sports, Health & Wellness, Athlete Leadership and more. Opportunities below require a volunteer application and background check for those 18+ years of age.

Coaching is our most popular ongoing volunteer role, but we offer a variety of other ongoing volunteer opportunities to match different interests, skills, and availability.

Volunteer Roles

Coaches

The backbone of Special Olympics, Coaches are responsible for providing athletes with sports training and preparation for competitions. This role is a hands-on commitment of a minimum of 6-8 weeks per sports season. If you love sports, are enthusiastic about helping athletes reach their potential, coaching could be for you!

Unified Partner

Special Olympics is all about inclusion – and that means bringing individuals with and without disabilities to together to compete as equals. Volunteers compete alongside Special Olympics athletes as teammates. Unified Sports opportunities are currently available for Tennis, Golf, Soccer and Flag Football.

Games Management Team

If you love sports but prefer to play a supporting role, there are a variety of volunteer opportunities for you! Join us as a part of the Games Management Team (GMT) to set up the competition venues and provide logistics.

Medical For Events

Volunteers with current EMT, paramedic, nurse or MD license clear of violations, suspensions or infractions. Certain events may require current BLS certification. Aquatics events require current lifeguard certification. Assignments are managed by event and/or medical director.

Official

Volunteers who have experience and/or requisite training for the particular sport of interest and can enforce the rules of the sport to ensure safe and fair play. Assignments are managed by head official and/or games director.

Contact for more info.

Health & Wellness

Special Olympics offers fitness programming as well as health screenings in 9 health disciplines. Volunteers with backgrounds in fitness, clinical care, and public health, as well as those without clinical or health experience, are needed for our Health and Wellness Programs.

Explore Health & Wellness roles

Non Sports

Students, professionals and retirees can provide in-office support at one of four regional offices. Duties include office support (preparation of event/competition materials, data entry, pre-and post-event tasks), photography/videography and internship opportunities.

 Requirements & Eligibility

  • Ages 14+ (volunteers 18+ must complete a background check).
  • Complete the volunteer application and online orientation (approximately 30–40 minutes).
  • Commit to a consistent schedule, based on the selected role.

Applications are valid for three years or until a minor’s 18th birthday.

Complete Volunteer Application
Quotes

“Coaching at Special Olympics is incredibly awesome and rewarding. I love walking into practice and being greeted by smiles and hugs, and watching athletes blossom as they learn new skills and sports.”

Suzy A.

Special Olympics Coach

Accordion Background

FAQ’s

Ongoing volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. Volunteers who are minors will assist and be supervised by adult volunteers. Please note that certain events require volunteer coaches to be at least 18 years old, due to supervision and overnight requirements.

No. New coaches assist a Head Coach and learn as they go. You’ll help athletes build skills and gain confidence while learning sport-specific rules and Special Olympics modifications.

Unified Partners compete alongside athletes as teammates, attend practices, and support the team. Opportunities exist for sports like Tennis, Golf, Soccer and Flag Football.

GMT Members help organize and run events, supervise volunteers, and support competitions. They usually assist with 2–4 events per year. 

A Team Manager is an ongoing volunteer who takes on the oversight of an entire team or program, including managing rosters of athletes, coaches and unified partners, overseeing team logistics for communication, travel and practices, and typically are involved in these activities year-round or for the majority of the sports SONorCal offers. 

An Area Director performs these same duties, as well as fundraising responsibilities, in areas solely run by volunteers, with SONorCal staff support. 

Yes! Many volunteers choose multiple sports depending on their interests and availability. View our current sports.

Yes! We welcome volunteers with limited availability. Your role may be adjusted based on your schedule, and your team or event director will work with you to make it effective for the athletes.

The volunteer application for our ongoing volunteer roles includes an online application, a criminal background check (if 18+) and the completion of an orientation/training module (around 30-40 minutes). You will also be asked to provide a copy of current CA driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification; minors may use a Student ID. See list of approved identification here.  

Please note: background checks may take several days to weeks to process. 

New volunteers can create an account and will need to complete an online application, a criminal background check (if 18+), a 30-40 minute orientation/training module, and provide a government-issued photo ID (minors may use a Student ID). 

Returning volunteers should log in. Please use the “Forgot Password” option if needed. Do not create a new account; staff will help recover your existing account if you used a different email or username. Contact for support. 

Important: Volunteers must create an individual volunteer profile with a unique email address. Applications submitted for different individuals under the same user profiles will not be approved.

Volunteer applications remain current for three years, at which time you will be prompted to renew your application. Applicants under 18 require renewal on or after their 18th birthday. 

Renewing applications can be done through the same process and portal. The renewal process will be quicker and involves less input of information.  

Acceptable forms of identification include a state ID, driver’s license, passport, tribal card, or military ID. If you are a minor, an official school ID is also acceptable.  

Please make sure it is clear photo of your identification, ensuring that both the photo and identification details are fully visible. Applications with missing or unclear identification details will not be approved. 

To ensure the safety and well-being of our athletes, all adult volunteers working directly with athletes or athlete information are screened every three years. This is a requirement set by Special Olympics Northern California, under the guidelines of Special Olympics International.

Background checks are ordered for our 18+ volunteers during the application process. We utilize a third-party company called Sterling Volunteers. Volunteers are expected to cover a portion of the background charge $11 and SONorCal will over the remaining amount.

Each volunteer must create an individual volunteer profile with a unique email address. Applications submitted for different individuals under the same user profiles will not be approved. 

Parents or guardians who intend on attending practice regularly to help or supervise their children who are participating, are required to complete the application process. Please note: completing a volunteer application does not guarantee a volunteer role, as opportunities are dependent on the needs of the team.

Returning applicants should use the “Forgot Password” option on the Volunteer Portal login page to reset their password. After submitting the request, please check your inbox and your spam or junk folder for the reset email. 

Please do not create a new volunteer profile if you are unable to access your existing account. You may have previously registered using a different email address. If you are unsure which email was used, staff can help locate and retrieve your account information. 

The password reset email will be titled “Your new SONC password.” The link included in the email will allow you to set a new password and access the Volunteer Community portal. The reset link expires after 24 hours, so please use it as soon as possible, even if you plan to submit an application at a later time. 

If you continue to experience issues, please contact and staff can assist by triggering a password reset or helping recover your existing account. 

All applications must be submitted online because both the Background Check and Training/Orientation are only available on online platforms. However, we are happy to support you through the application process when necessary. Please contact Volunteer Services at or 925-944-8801.

Complete Volunteer Application

Questions? Contact us at