Volunteer Opportunities with DC Sail
DC Sail would not be possible without the contributions of many, many people. If community sailing in DC is important to you, consider how you can help. There are many committees you can get involved with and share your expertise. These include finance, marketing, fundraising, membership/volunteers, fleet, charters, kids programs, adult sailing, racing, technology and evaluation. If you have other ideas about how you can help that don't fall into one of these categories, send us an email at volunteers@dcsail.org and let us know how you can contribute!
Register online as a volunteer.
Instruct for DC Sail's Beginner Courses!
DC Sail is always looking for volunteer instructors! We have free training sessions throughout the season. Instructors should be prepared to instruct the lessons they signed up for. You will need a Shiftboard account as a volunteer instructor. All relevant documentation regarding curriculum and teaching details will be handed out during instructor training.
All instructor training material is available on Shiftboard for reference.
Sign up via email at volunteers@dcsail.org
Contact DC Sail if you have any questions about Adult Sailing's Learn-to-Sail curriculum.
American Spirit Crew
Help raise the sails aboard our Schooner American Spirit on a mixture of private charters, boating and baseball cruises, Friday Sunset cruises and educational charter. In order to become a crew member you must either attend a training which occurs at the beginning of the season or observe at least two cruises. In return for crewing at least two cruises a month, you will receive discounted lessons or free rentals.
Contact DC Sail if you have any questions or are interested in crewing on the American Spirit.
Give Time!
There are many other ways you can help DC Sail and the National Maritime Heritage Foundation.
Put up a DC Sail Flier!
Outreach
DC Sail and KSS need all the free press we can get. If you are a writer or know people in the journalism field we need articles put into local papers, radio and TV. We’ve already had some coverage and need to continue our media presence.
Advertising
We run an advertising campaign from March through October, most of the groundwork has been done but you should have some PR, design, advertising or marketing experience. Our advertising is pretty low budget but creativity has gotten us pretty far!
Web Design
We are looking for a volunteer who has had extensive web design experience in an effort to make our web pages span wider without disrupting current graphics. Let us know if you're interested!
Fundraiser / Membership
Membership numbers are the backbone of any community organization. We need to keep the members who are signed up, and increase our membership at the same time. You will be involved in contacting members to ask them to renew as well as starting membership campaigns to bring in some fresh blood. The fundraisers will coordinate with the membership volunteers to host events and come up with cost efficient methods of fundraising for DC Sail and KSS.
Maintenance/Work Days
Boats always need work. We have volunteer days on the weekends about once a month. Send us an email if you're interested, and we'll get in touch when the time comes. Tools and supplies provided, time and skill is what we need. If you want to learn about boat repair that's great too. If you're willing to help out, we're willing to teach you.
Dock Coordinators
DC Sail is organizing itself to be self-managing. We need volunteers to keep the doors open and check that people have paid, been checked off on basic skills, and volunteer instructors have signed up and shown up.
Benefits for Volunteers
Basic Members that donate time teaching Learn-to-Sail lessons and skipper Group Sail charter boats receive awards that can be used for free rentals or any other program that DC Sail offers.
Contact volunteers@dcsail.org or
(202) 547-1250 if you have questions.