Become a Volunteer

NAMI Multnomah is a peer-based, grassroots organization, and volunteers play a vital role. Volunteers are peers and must be able to manage their mental health conditions, be comfortable speaking about their own experiences with mental health conditions, complete free training, and follow the structure of NAMI programs. Our volunteers:

• Facilitate peer support groups

• Teach NAMI signature classes

• Share their stories

• Lead community events

• Give educational presentations

• Table events and more!

To volunteer with us:

1. Review the open positions below.

2. Then, complete our Volunteer Form.

3. We will be in touch within two business days to invite you to our next monthly volunteer orientation.

Open Positions

NAMIWalks donation dashers

We are looking for volunteers to procure donated items as prizes for Friends of NAMI Multnomah walk teams that raise the most money or have the most members. We'll provide an email address, name tag, and letter templates to approach local businesses. If you are interested, contact us at info@namimultnomah.org.

First Step Presentation

We are seeking volunteers to give the First Step Presentation in local hospital psychiatric units.

First Step Presentations are specifically designed to assist inpatient psychiatric patients on their journey to recovery. The program provides hope and recovery information to psychiatric patients to help prepare them for leaving the hospital setting.

Volunteers are peers who have been trained to share their personal stories and discuss ideas about relapse prevention and recovery. We believe the program is successful in helping patients speed up their transition from the hospital to the community and their recovery.

First Step volunteers share the history of NAMI and why they volunteer. They also share information about our free support resources, such as support groups, mental health classes, and community events.

support group Facilitators and Teachers

We are seeking support group facilitators and teachers for our NAMI signature programs. These roles require participation in the program.

Family Support Group Facilitators
We are looking for family members or loved ones of people experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition to share their wisdom and experience in support of others with similar experiences by co-facilitating our Family Support Group or Partners & Spouses Support Group.

Peer Support Group Facilitators
We are looking for peers to co-facilitate our:

• BIPOC Support Group,

• Spanish Parent Support Group

• Military Family Support Group.

• We are also looking for a female Veteran/Service Member to co-facilitate our Military Support Group.

NAMI Peer-to-Peer
We need additional teachers for our demographic-specific Peer-to-Peer classes for LGBTQ+ people, Veterans/Military Service Members, and BIPOC folks.

COMMUNITY Events

We are looking for peers to lead our community events!

Self-Care Group
Share self-care practices with others who are interested in learning new strategies for maintaining their mental health and sense of well-being.

Walking Group
Get involved as a walking group leader to co-lead our weekly neighborhood walks.

Hiking Group
Plan and lead hikes in local areas in and around Portland.