General Questions

Why volunteer?
People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons, one of the most important being to help others. But it’s also OK to want some personal benefit from a volunteering experience.
Every person is on a journey of finding themselves in their lives. Today you may be the person with the ability to help, but tomorrow you may be the beneficent of someone else’s volunteer effort. Making a difference with your effort really makes everyone’s live better.

What kind of projects does HandsOn Shanghai offer?

HandsOn Shanghai works with over 20 nonprofits. View our partners.  We currently offer volunteer opportunities under five main themes: Children’s Health, Migrant Children’s Education, Differently Abled Care, Elderly Care, and Environment Protection. Ranging from one-time projects to those requiring a more significant commitment, we provide several volunteer options to make volunteering accessible to everyone, regardless of how busy they are.

How can Corporate partner with HandsOn Shanghai?

We design programs that arrange volunteer activities for corporate by taking into consideration the interests and capacity of the firm itself, and build programs that engage employee volunteers over long term projects to benefit the partners. Click here for more information.

How do I become a Project Leader?

Registration Question

I’ve forgotten my username and password.

Just click here to get a username and password reminder. Enter your email address, and your username and password will be sent to you automatically.

Please note, if the email address you originally registered is no longer active, please send an email to volunteer @ handsonshanghai.org with your user id and email address and we will help you.

I’m on your mailing list, why don’t I receive emails?

The spam filter on your email account may automatically route emails sent from HandsOn Shanghai to your junk or bulk mail folder or even delete them. Please configure your email account to allow you to receive messages from HandsOnShanghai.org

How do I update my contact information or password?

Log in, select ‘My account’ at the top of the page, choose the appropriate field, and make the necessary changes.  Be sure to click “Update All Information” to save your changes.

Volunteer Account Questions

How do I sign up for projects?

Once you have registered as our volunteer, visit our calender page to search for a project that interests you, find an event that fits your time and interests, and then select “sign up” for the event.

Who should I contact if I have questions about a project?

Each project page shows a contact number and email address for project managers.

Can I bring other people to a project with me?

Because our partners ask for us to limit the numbers of volunteers, and to only allow for registered volunteers to attend, we ask that you ask your friends and family to register in our system and RSVP for the events under their own account.

If no openings exist, then please ask them to register for the next time.

How do I cancel myself from a project I can no longer attend?

It’s OK, we won’t hold it against you. By dropping out in our system as soon as you know, you’ll leave space for another volunteer to step in.

Go to the event that you wish to cancel, click “Your Signup Information”, and then select “cancel signup”.  If unable to cancel, please send an email to volunteer @ handsonshanghai.org with your name, your ID, and the event you wish to remove yourself from.

How do I know if a project is still available?
The red ones on the calendar are the projects which you can still sign up for. The grey ones are already full. Limited by space, each project has number limit. Please do sign up and avoid affecting the projects. Thanks for your understanding.
How to check my volunteer record and volunteer hours?
You can see your record and volunteer hours on our website. Click your username in the top right-hand corner, then click the ⚙ button (the hidden ⚙ is right underneath the language-switching flag, it will show up when the mouse pointer is nearby)， and then click “Registrations”.

Other Questions

How can I know the exact time and location of the project, and the team leader’s phone number?

The Team Leader of each project will contact you and tell you these information one day before the project.

Are there any projects that I can choose if I’m under 16?

Most of our projects have age limit and it is noted on the calendar. The projects available for volunteers under 16 are Elderly Care Center projects. Although there’s no minimum age limit, children who are too young are not recommended to attend, because the volunteers should be able to communicate with the elderly and to perform for them. If you want to bring your children to the project, please note while signing up.

How to get a volunteer certification?
When you sign up to the HandsOn Shanghai event on website, your volunteer hours will be recorded in our system.
If you require a certification of your volunteer hours (a minimum length of service of 20h is required), please refer below:
The certification would be issued in the last week of each month. Please apply in advance.
We will provide PDF format. If you need printed certification, please let us know, and we will arrange express service with freight collect.
Please send your name, HandsOn Shanghai website user name, register email address, your volunteer event list, contact information, your address to volunteer@handsonshanghai.org, please mark “volunteer certification” on subject. You can also send all the information to WeChat: hosvolunteer.
If you require our signature on school or company forms verifying your volunteer hours, please E-mail us the above or inform WeChat: hosvolunteer. If you do not have a specific certification form, we will issue the form of HandsOn Shanghai.
We will not issue a certification for a possible future use.
We will check your attendance and your behavior after receiving your application, if there’s any inappropriate behavior during the activities, we reserve the right to issue certification.

I am a foreigner， and I can’t speak Chinese, can I also participate in the projects?
Usually there’s no nationality limit, if there is, the requirement would be listed on the calendar. You’re welcome to participate in our projects even though you can’t speak Chinese. You can choose some projects that you’re interested in and have a try, and then decide whether they suit you. Our Orientations are all in Chinese at the moment.

Does HandsOn Shanghai need interns?
If you’d like to become an intern for HOS and can assure an internship over 6 months, please send your CV (both in Chinese and in English) and your Cover Letter (both in Chinese and in English) to volunteer@handsonshanghai.org

If you have any further questions, please contact:
WeChat: hosvolunteer, volunteer@handsonshanghai.org