Volunteer

Volunteer with YWCA Columbus

Since the opening of the YWCA Family Center in October 2005, YWCA Columbus has maintained a close partnership with the community. Over the years, tens of thousands of people have volunteered at the Family Center — providing kindness, warmth, and compassion to families experiencing a housing crisis.

Our volunteers provide essential support to our families by hosting donation drives, assisting in gardening and maintenance work, and — most importantly — providing meals to our residents 365 days a year. We rely 100% on the community to provide dinner for our families each evening. This saves the organization over $200,000 annually. Even better, the meals provide structure and stability to our residents at the end of the day, while giving them the opportunity to spend much-needed quality time together with their families.

Beyond the immediate impact on our families, volunteering with classmates and coworkers creates a shared experience that brings people closer together.

Meal Service

Sponsor, provide, or serve a meal to our families at the YWCA Family Center

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Volunteer Outside of the Kitchen

Providing meals at the YWCA Family Center is our biggest need – but not our only need! We have several opportunities throughout the year to organize donated items, assist in maintenance projects, and more.

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Mobilize Your Community

Volunteer in your own home or community to help programs across YWCA Columbus. Host a donation drive, assemble care packages, or make blankets for residents!

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How To Serve with YWCA Columbus

VOLUNTEER WITH US

Give Material Items

Donate Now

Looking for our most-needed items across YWCA Columbus’s service areas? Mindful Giving makes it easier than ever to donate the items that make the biggest impact. Quickly browse, select, and give—making a real difference has never been simpler.

Have questions? Our FAQ has the answers so you can give with confidence and ease.

Mindful Giving is a donation platform where YWCA Columbus lists our most urgently needed items. Donors can purchase these items, which are shipped directly to us - usually within 1–2 days. You’ll receive an email receipt automatically after checkout.
With Amazon Wish Lists, donors use their personal Amazon accounts and pay taxes and shipping fees. Mindful Giving processes donations through YWCA Columbus’ Amazon Business account, so donors benefit from discounts and pay no taxes or shipping. Plus, we can identify donors and properly thank them - something we often can't do with Amazon Wish List donations.
Mindful Giving is provided by One Each Technologies, a third-party service. It’s fully integrated with YWCA Columbus’ branding and donation systems.
Yes. Payments are securely processed through Stripe. YWCA Columbus and Mindful Giving do not store your payment details. Your personal information is handled with the same care as all donor data.
When you arrive at checkout, the Mindful Giving site will double check the current prices of items on Amazon. Because all items are fulfilled through Amazon, it’s important that we do not over or under charge a donor for the item being purchased. If the item is no longer available, it will disappear from the cart. In future versions of the Mindful Giving site, this process will happen more frequently and we will be able to reflect these changes in the catalog faster.
Every purchase that is made through the Mindful Giving site is processed through Stripe. For each transaction, YWCA Columbus is charged 2.2% + $0.30. The 3% charge on each Mindful Giving transaction is meant to cover this fee in addition to the annual cost of the Mindful Giving platform. This charge represents less than half of what a donor would pay in taxes when purchasing the same item for donation outside of the Mindful Giving platform.
Items are purchased through our Amazon Business account and shipped directly to us. While we don’t notify donors upon delivery, you’re welcome to contact us to confirm receipt.
Yes. You’ll get an email receipt from noreply@mindfulgiving.org immediately after you make your donation. Please save this email, as we won’t automatically issue duplicate receipts during tax season. If you are unable to find your receipt and need a copy, please reach out to development@ywcacolumbus.org.
Absolutely. Your donation is recorded as a cash gift to YWCA Columbus equal to your total checkout amount.
Our Volunteer & Donations team works closely with program staff every day to identify current needs. The catalog is updated regularly to reflect what’s most urgently needed.
Yes! You can drop off material donations at:
- Family Center: 900 Harvey Court, Columbus, OH 43219
- Downtown Office: 65 South 4th Street, Columbus, OH 43215
  Visit our website for guidelines on acceptable items.
No account is needed. The “Log In” button is for administrative use only. Just click the cart to check out when you're ready.
Please email us at development@ywcacolumbus.org, and we’ll help resolve the issue as quickly as possible.