Volunteer With Us
Thinking about volunteering with Innisfree Village?
Volunteering at Innisfree is a unique, immersive experience rooted in connection and community. Here you’ll find helpful information about the volunteer role, the application process, and sharing in community life.
Explore the sections below to learn more and decide if this experience is the right fit for you.
Who is a Residential Volunteer?
At Innisfree Village, residential volunteers play a vital role in creating a caring and inclusive environment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their presence, compassion, and commitment help shape a community built on mutual respect, connection, and shared experiences.
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Volunteers live alongside our residents, called coworkers, in one of our village homes. They provide personal care, companionship, emotional support, and guidance in daily life.
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Volunteers also engage in our therapeutic workstations, including the bakery, community kitchen, farm, free school, fitness, herb and vegetable gardens, weavery, woodshop, and art studio. Here, they guide coworkers in developing skills and pursuing creative passions, while also learning new practical and creative skills themselves.
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Active participation in community life is essential. By joining in activities, meetings, and events, volunteers enrich their own experience and help foster the vibrancy and connection that define life at Innisfree.
International Candidates
Innisfree has a long tradition of welcoming volunteers from around the world. International candidates have been an important part of our community for many years, contributing their skills, compassion, and energy to life at Innisfree. If you’re interested in joining us from abroad, please review the full guidelines to learn more about what qualifies as an international candidate, including visa considerations, application criteria, and other important details.
Volunteer Openings
Volunteering at Innisfree is a unique service opportunity, and we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible. Our thoughtful, community-based application process focuses on finding the right fit for both the volunteer and our community, helping create a positive and meaningful experience for everyone involved.
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With our thoughtful community-based decision-making process in place, this allows time for our selection committee to carefully review applications, gather feedback from current community members, and conduct any necessary follow-ups. Because of this approach, candidates should not expect immediate placement.
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Openings for residential volunteers vary throughout the year. New volunteers can only be placed when a spot is available, and most accepted candidates join between 1–3 months after acceptance, unless a later date is agreed upon with the volunteer recruiter.
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Because openings vary throughout the year, it’s important for applicants to be clear about their availability when applying. Flexibility helps us match volunteers with the right timing and ensures a smoother, more meaningful experience for both the volunteer and the community.
A Closer Look at
Volunteering at Innisfree
In Their Own Words
Choosing to spend a year (or more) in community is a big decision, and no one can describe the experience better than the people who have lived it. These reflections come straight from our volunteers and offer a glimpse into daily life, meaningful relationships, challenges, growth, and the moments that stay with you long after your time at Innisfree. We hope their words help you imagine what your own journey here might look like.
“What I love about Innisfree is that there is so much to explore. There are so many people to meet, things to learn, and activities to try. Innisfree is extremely supportive in helping people in this exploration, so that they can enjoy contributing to the community.”
“What I love about being at Innisfree Village is that I constantly get reminded to be more grateful and appreciative of the World around me.”
“I love the grounding effect of being in the village with the routines in place (which the coworkers consistently remind me of!) I also love the excitement of taking them out of the village, even if its just to our favorite restaurant, and seeing those familiar faces and saying hello.
The mixture of both gives a very balanced way of living. At times, pushing them, and me, outside my comfort zone, is always a good thing. And also knowing that they, and myself, can handle it. Adaptation, flexibility. Those are things to always remember and be open to!”