Volunteer

How you can help


We need volunteers for all aspects of running birthday parties. It is important for our volunteers to understand that everything they do for us makes an equally important impact and that the needs of the children we serve come before anything else.

Regardless of how you choose to participate, your help will ensure that a homeless child experiences a joyful birthday. Here are the ways you can help:

  • Volunteering through our website: Starting on the 1st of every month we list all birthday parties for that month under the Party Schedule page.  Find a shelter that is convenient for you and sign up online to donate a gift or party supply, bake a cake, or volunteer at a party. Please note that not all parties need volunteers.  In order to attend a party you must sign up for a "volunteer" slot.  If you are over 18 years of age you must submit a Birthday Wishes CORI check. Check out our party schedule and sign up now!
  • Create a Birthday Box: Birthday boxes are created for children who live in our ‘safe’ shelters, scattered sites, and other programs which cannot accommodate Birthday Wishes volunteers.  This allows the parents to have a party for their child in the safety and comfort of their shelter. Visit our Birthday Box Guidelines page to find out more.
  • Become a Party Coordinator: Volunteer to run one party a month at a shelter in your area.  This position requires approximately 5 hours a month and responsibilities include emailing and coordinating with your shelter and party donors, coming into one of our offices to pick up party supplies, and running the 60 minute party.  This is a great opportunity for families, scout troops, church groups, etc.
  • Host a Goody Bag Stuffing Party: Host a fun, team-building event with your friends, colleagues or family. We will provide you with easy guidelines to hold a goody bag stuffing party in the comfort of your school, home or office. Visit our Goody Bag Guidelines page for more information.

  • Fundraising and Supply Drives: Host a toy/party supply drive, car wash, or bake sale.  Items we are always in need of include: toys for babies under 2 years old, solid color tablecloths, juice boxes, sports equipment (footballs, basketballs, soccer balls), popular teenage gifts, gifts cards to Target, GameStop, and Old Navy.
  • Volunteer Driver: We are always looking for volunteer drivers to help deliver birthday boxes and make various pickups in and around Boston and the North Shore. This is an easy way to gain volunteer hours in your spare time!
  • In-office Volunteer: Help us wrap gifts, organize shelves, put away donations, etc.  Please note that the Newton office is only open from 9-3 Monday through Friday. We are not open on weekends.
  • Throw a Birthday Wishes Birthday Party! An impressively growing number of young people are choosing to support Birthday Wishes as the "theme" of their birthday parties. We provide a template invitation, which invites all attendees to bring an item for Birthday Wishes to the party (this is done either in lieu of or in addition to gifts for the birthday child – it's up to you). When you bring in your items from the party we'll take a picture of the birthday child with their donations for our newsletter. This is an activity which our future philanthropists can really relate to!
    Download an invitation
    Download a Thank You card
  • Become a Volunteer Representative: We participate in many volunteer fairs, events, fundraisers and drives, and are in need of individuals who can volunteer at these events to discuss who we are and what we do. This is a great way to generate awareness of the Birthday Wishes mission and attract more volunteers and donors.
  • To learn more about Birthday Wishes volunteer opportunities, please contact Courtney Vernadakis.

Bring Birthday Wishes to your Community

We are excited and grateful that so many individuals and organizations share our enthusiasm for bringing the joy of a birthday party celebration to homeless children.

We are currently serving more than 10,000 children living in 165 homeless facilities primarily throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Additionally, this past year we entered into a licensing agreement with Volunteers of America. As a direct result of this partnership, we are now also providing Birthday Wishes parties to children living in VOA-managed shelters in California, Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Virginia.

Our goal is to provide birthday parties to all homeless children in Massachusetts and to make our model available to homeless family programs nationwide. If you represent an existing 501c3 nonprofit organization and would like to consider a partnership with Birthday Wishes, please contact Susan Haviland.

Corporate Volunteer Opportunities


  • Sponsor a Shelter
    Your company can provide a birthday party to every child in a shelter of your choice for a whole year! With a $5,000 tax-deductible donation you'll not only put a smile on many children's faces, but you'll also be featured as a corporate partner in Candle Lights, the Birthday Wishes e-Newsletter, as well as on our website and in all other promotional material we produce. You'll also receive regular party updates and pictures so you can see first-hand the children whose lives you've made an impact on.
  • Adopt a Shelter
    This program pairs local shelters with companies willing to make a volunteer commitment and act as a Party Coordinator for a specific shelter. Participating companies commit to throwing one birthday party per month at "their" shelter. Anywhere from 4-6 volunteers are needed for each party and individual employees can volunteer as their schedule allows. Since the program is so flexible, they can even get their families involved. Parties take place on weeknight evenings – right after work. Party supplies can either be donated by the participating company, or picked up at the Birthday Wishes warehouse. Training and ongoing support is provided by Birthday Wishes. This is a great way for your employees to contribute to the community in a very tangible way while simultaneously bonding and team building.

    Beyond sponsoring a shelter there a number of other ways your company can support homeless children in Massachusetts.

    • Contribute professional services; Birthday Wishes welcomes PR, Financial, Printing, or any other service than can help us help grow
    • Donate Party Supplies; we go through a lot of juice, goody-bags, cakes & snacks, helium & balloons, Polaroid film, and piñatas, etc.

    Companies who donate or participate in any of our corporate sponsorship programs are featured on the Birthday Wishes website and in our e-Newsletter, Candle Lights. Please contact Lisa Vasiloff for information on becoming a corporate partner.