Help us better serve you -  Take the New York Cares Volunteers Survey and tell us what matters to you most.  Up for grabs, two tickets to the Earth Day premiere of the documentary Climate of Change at the Tribeca Film Festival!

Tickets compliments of our friends at the Members Project from American Express and Take Part.

Do you have unused clothing that you’ve been meaning to give away? This Saturday, February 6, a group of volunteers will be going door-to-door in Manhattan and Brooklyn to pick up your clothing donations as a part of the NYClothingDrive.

All you need to do to schedule a pick-up is visit www.NYClothingDrive.org and make a donation. All financial proceeds will benefit New York Cares.

We’re partnering with the NYC Department of Transportation to liven up jersey barriers on NYC streets this spring.

The NYCDOT Urban Art Program is looking for artists to submit colorful mural designs to turn these ordinary traffic dividers into creative street art installations, which will be painted by Hands On New York Day 2010 volunteers.

Submit your design by March 1, and you could have your work seen by millions of New Yorkers!

The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday has affected an estimated 3 million people that desperately need your help.

Emergency relief organizations are already on site providing water, shelter, medical care, sanitation facilities, and other supplies. Help them aid survivors by making a donation today to one of these organizations or the nonprofit of your choice.

We’re always looking for ways to better our educational programs, and sometimes basic resources can make a huge difference in what volunteers and the students with which they work are able to accomplish. Help us improve the quality of activities on our projects – purchase a book, a game, lab equipment, or other supplies on our Amazon wishlist.

The strategy and word games on this list will help students in our Homework Help and Math Games programs practice critical thinking and literacy skills, and the labcoats, microscopes, and thermometers will enhance our Mad Scientists programs.

Share this list with your friends and help us get the word out to more people who can support our programs.

We’re participating in America’s Giving Challenge, a virtual contest that rewards nonprofits who get the greatest number of people to donate to their Facebook Cause. They’re giving away $1,000 to the nonprofit who gets the most donations in a 24-hour period or a $50,000 donation to the nonprofit who get the most donations overall by November 6.

We want to win the daily challenge (and $1,000 to create more life-changing volunteer projects) that starts this Wednesday. Past winners have only had a few hundred donors, so with 48,000 volunteers and countless supporters, we know you can help us beat that.

Visit our Cause and make a donation of any amount between 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, until Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Remember, this contest is not about the amount of money we raise, but the number of people who donate. Tell your friends and help us win!

The time you spend volunteering is invaluable to the people you help and to New York City. Did you know that you can help us fund the important work you do through workplace giving programs? Here are a few ways you can increase your impact:

• Check with your Human Resources department to see if your company has an employee volunteer incentive program, which means they’ll donate money to New York Cares based on the amount of time you volunteer with us.
• Search this database to see if your company has a matching gift program and double your donations to New York Cares.
• Select New York Cares (#11487) as your donor option through United Way’s Donor Choice Program at your workplace.
• If you’re a CUNY employee, designate payroll deductions to New York Cares (#1233).
• If you’re a state or municipal employee, support New York Cares via the State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA #50-3095) or via the Combined Municipal Campaigns (CMC #1233).

Honorary New York Cares staff member Asbury Corry needs your help to win the most votes in the Cutest Dog Competition!  Asbury has pledged to donate $100,000 each to New York Cares and Animal Care and Control if he wins the grand prize.

But to make it to the semi-finals, Asbury needs as many votes as possible in one week. Vote now, and share this with your dog-loving friends.

On Tuesday, April 21st, we will hold our largest ever orientation for new volunteers in honor of National Volunteer Week.  250 caring New Yorkers will become volunteers, and guest speakers will help celebrate their commitment to service.

If you’re thinking of volunteering, this is a great way to get started. Register today.

• DATE: Tuesday, April 21st
• TIME: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
• LOCATION:  City Hall
• REGISTER HERE

Already a New York Cares volunteer? We need your help to spread the word.  Please tell 5 friends about this special opp to get involved.

Thank you!

We’re looking for 100+ NYC public schools that could use our help.

Each year, we bring 8,000 caring volunteers to over 100 New York City public schools for New York Cares Day, the city’s largest day of volunteer service.  Volunteers paint colorful murals, paint classrooms and hallways, brighten up playgrounds, reorganize libraries and storage rooms, and more. This year, the event will take place Saturday, October 17th.

Schools can apply until May 8th to receive this free service.  Please spread the word to help us reach every school who can use our help this year.

Thank you!