Become a tutor or mentor in your local community.

We have partnered with 11 of Marin’s most trusted and successful Nonprofit Partners, giving you options with who and how you want to get involved. They make their programs easy to navigate, streamlining the process to connect you with the right child in need. 

How to use Marin VTMI to find the right nonprofit for you
  • 10,000 Degrees

    10,000 Degrees® is the leading, equity-focused scholarship provider and college success nonprofit in California.

    Our mission is to achieve educational equity and to support students from low-income backgrounds to and through college—and beyond—to realize their full potential and positively impact their communities and the world.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area

    The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. 

  • Bridge the Gap

    The mission of Bridge the Gap is to provide comprehensive educational, social and emotional resources to underserved students in Marin County. Our goal is to ensure that all students graduate high school and achieve their greatest potential through college completion or other pathways to economic sustainability and independence.

  • Canal Alliance, University Prep (UP!) Program

    Canal Alliance exists to break the generational cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families by lifting barriers to their success.

    University Prep eliminates barriers to higher education and promotes equity in support of long-term career opportunity for first-generation Latinx students through structured academic and holistic support programming.

  • Empowering Children Bay Area (ECBA)

    ECBA recruits trains and places older adults (50+) in elementary school classes to build relationships and foster literacy fluency.

  • Enriching Lives through Music (ELM)

    ELM provides youth with an immersive music education and resources that inspire and empower them to pursue their dreams.

    ELM’s Reading Buddies program offers 1-1 reading to students in grades 3-5. Reading takes place once a week for 50 minute sessions. ELM also has a need for volunteer math and science tutors.

  • Karma Club Teen

    Karma Club offers free tutoring for middle and high school students through our Peer-to-Peer Tutoring program in collaboration with private high schools in Marin, as well as volunteer tutors and from staff and interns. Demand is high and we are always looking for more help. When a tutoring request comes in, we make a direct one-on-one match with a tutor.

  • Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates

    Our goal is to see every child live in a safe, permanent, and supportive home.

    To reach our goal, the Marin CASA program recruits, screens, trains, and supervises volunteers who play a critical role in providing a voice for children in the courtroom. Our highly trained, court-appointed volunteers are responsible for making recommendations to the court for the safety, well-being, and a permanent home for every child assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).

  • Next Generation Scholars

    Next Generation Scholars equips and empowers first generation, under-resourced Marin County middle and high school students to succeed in college and beyond through socially-conscious leadership development.

    Grounded in individualized academic and social support for them and their families, our students are emboldened to address the inequities in the world, both for themselves and for their communities.

  • Parent Services Project

    Parent Services Project engages and strengthens families to take leadership for the well-being of their children, families, and communities.

    Raising a Reader Ambassador program, reading to young children in home daycares and playgroups throughout Marin County. The volunteer would be trained on how to choose an age appropriate book, how to share it in an engaging manner and then how to expand the idea of the story through an activity.

  • RISE Scholars, Inc,

    Our mission at RISE Scholars is to empower Hamilton School students to realize their full personal and academic potential by providing them with an array of targeted and thoughtful curricular and co-curricular opportunities that support the development of a growth mindset, a positive attitude, and high achievement. 

Ready to get started?

Contact the nonprofit of your choice directly. They’re waiting and happy to hear from you.

Frequently asked questions

Our mission revolves around connecting tutors and mentors with the right local nonprofit. Here are a few FAQs we get at Marin VTMI. For more information around a specific nonprofit, check out their profile page on our website or visit their site.

Still have questions? Reach out to us.

  • The Marin Volunteer Tutor and Mentor Initiative acts as a facilitator. By developing this one-stop shop for volunteer engagement, we enable people to find and connect with the volunteer opportunity that is right for them.

  • No. Never.

  • Almost all of the programs require these types of security checks. It's the law. The ones that do not are those where either parents or others are involved in the delivery of the volunteer service.

  • It might.  Becoming a mentor requires meeting with your mentee on a regular basis. If you're gone for long lengths of time, you may want to consider becoming a tutor instead. Tutoring programs can usually accommodate these types of issues.

  • No, although it can certainly help.

  • You can be a tutor for as little as one hour per week or make a two year commitment as a mentor.

  • All of our Nonprofit Partners want their volunteers to be happy with their assignments. If things are not working out, by speaking with them they may be able to offer a position better suited to your needs. If this does not work out or if there are no other opportunities within an organization, don’t worry. There is bound to be one right for you. Take another look at the offerings on the website and start over.

  • After looking at the website and finding an opportunity that looks right, contact them and tell them about your concerns. They want you to be comfortable. What we've found is that most concerns seem to vanish once volunteers begin working with students. It's the magic of being a volunteer tutor or mentor.

We’ve compiled a spreadsheet and PDF compendium of all 11 nonprofits to help you find the right fit faster.

Nonprofit Volunteer Opportunities Overview

OrganizationTutoring or MentoringTraining ProvidedSpecial Requirements i.e. AgeVolunteer LocationEpisodic or ContinuousTime CommitmentStart DateEnd DateDuring or After SchoolsAges Served
10000DegreesTutoringYESOver 16Many Marin Public SchoolsBoth2-4 hours/weekFallJuneMostly in ClassroomsK-12
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay AreaMentoringYES21+Arranged between Mentor and MenteeContinousMinimum 1 year, meet with Mentee 2-4X/monthYear-roundYear AroundOutside of School timeAges 8-17
Bridge the Gap College PrepTutoringOrientation for Elementary School VolunteersReasonable level of healthTam High, Tomales High, MLK AcademyContinuousOnce a weekFallJuneAfter School 4-6TK-12
Canal Alliance University Prep (UPI Program)TutoringYES18+711 Grand Ave, San RafaelContinuous 2hrs/week At least 1 semesterFallJuneAfter School 4:45-5:45Grades 6-12
Empowering Children Bay Area (ECBA)TutoringYESAdults 50+Many Marin Elementary SchoolsContinuous2X/week for 1 hour or moreFallJuneDuring SchoolGrades 1-3
Enriching Lives Through Music (ELM)TutoringEd consultant 1X/semesterNoELM Building, Kerner BlvdContinuous1hr/weekFallJuneAfter SchoolGrades 3-5
Karma Club TeenTutoringGeneral OnboardingNoKarma Club Afterschool Center Northgate MallBoth, Mostly ContinuousVariableFallJuneAfter SchoolGrades 6-12
Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)MentoringYES21+ Volunteer must document interactions in the databaseAt the Mentee's residence and in the communityContinuous2 year time frame. 8-10 hours per monthCan begin in the fallCan begin in the springOutsde of school time0-21
Next Generation ScholarsTutoringYESNo1018 E Street, San Rafael 94901Continuous1 hr/weekSeptemberMayAfter SchoolGrades 6-12
Parent Services ProjectTutoringYESNoHome Daycares, Playgroups, Multiple Marin locationsContinuousVariableFallJuneMostly morningsAges 0-8
RISE Scholars, IncBoth, Summer School TutorYESNoHamilton SchoolContinuousVariable depending on the programFall, JulyJuneBothGrades 1-8

Nonprofit Contact Information & Vetting

ORGANIZATIONCONTACTPHONEEMAILVETTING
FingerprintsTB TestBackground CheckInterviewOnboarding
10,000DegreesAcademic Success Teamacademicsuccess@10000degrees.orgYesYesYesYes2 hour virtual session
Bridge the Gap College PrepCat Tong703-966-0582 cattong@btgcollegeprep.orgYesYesYesYesComplete onboarding paperwork and sign Volunteer Handbook and Waiver
Empowering Children Bay Area (ECBA)Paul Chilvers415-912-6025pchilvers@sequoialiving.orgYesYesYesYes3 hour zoom training
Karma Teen ClubSally Newson415-847-2534sally@karma-club.orgYesYes
Enriching Lives Through Music (ELM)Claudia Lang415-760-5201claudia@elmprogram.orgYesYesYesYes
RISE Scholars Inc.Madi CavanaghMadi@riseforthekids.orgYesYesYesYes
Parent Services ProjectKerry Bacho415-246-4048kbacho@parentservices.orgNoNoNoNo1-2 hours training
Canal Alliance University Prep (UPI Program)Ivonne Molina415-454-2640ivonnem@canalalliance.orgYes1 hour in-person orientation
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay AreaKarlynn Lee510-575-0173klee@bbbsba.orgYesYesYesReference checks, Virtrual trainings
Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)Sherene Chen415-846-2436sherene@marincasa.orgYesNoYesYesTraining
Next Generation ScholarsLlesica Diaz415-233-1267llesica@nextgenerationscholars.orgNoNoYesA phone call to see if availability and expertise align with their student's needs
Access Spreadsheet
Download PDF Compendium