There are tons of ways you can help out at HIKE for Mental Health. Check them out.
- Mt. Washington Trip Coordinator – organize our annual Summit Mt. Washington hike in New Hampshire
- Hike Publicist – help us spread the word
- Business Sponsor Coordinator – help us keep 100% of hike donations going to the mission
- Mental Health News Compiler – keep our followers on top of the latest news in mental health
- Participate in a hike
- Turn your own hike into a HIKE for Mental Health
- Sponsor a hiker
- Organize a hike for us
- Provide hiking and wilderness photos for our photo gallery
- Help maintain our website
- Scout our hiking routes and provide updates on trail conditions
- Support logistics for our hikes
- Serve as trail director for a hike
- Provide administrative support
Mt. Washington Trip Coordinator
Purpose of the role: Our annual summit hike on Mt. Washington is our biggest one-day hike of the year. Every year, it gains in popularity, and we want to keep it going that way. This person will help plan the logistics of the hike and promote the hike locally in the Northeast.
Location: Anywhere with internet access, but someone local to NH/ME/VT/MA would be ideal.
Schedule: You choose your own schedule.
Time requirement: Approximately 1 hour a month from January to May, and 2 hours a month in June and July.
Length of commitment: For continuity sake,we require a January-July commitment on this role.
Main responsibilities:
- Become an expert on the attractions, benefits and logistics of our Mt. Washington hike.
- Coordinate the logistics of the hike, including cabin reservations, shuttling to/from the trailhead, and hike leader/sweep roles.
- Identify target groups or individuals in the Northeast that are likely to have interest in the hike.
- Develop ways to engage these groups via email, phone or even in-person, to generate excitement for the hike and for the causes HIKE for Mental Health supports.
- Actively recruit individuals to sign up for the hike.
- Follow up with registered hikers to ensure that they understand deadlines and submit cabin fees on schedule.
Skills and abilities required:
- experienced and passionate about hiking
- able to articulate the mission and vision of HIKE for Mental Health
- good written and verbal communication skills
- a positive attitude
- reliable access to the internet and email
- good organizational skills
- dependable to follow-through on commitments
- knowledge of local hiking and outdoor groups a plus. We will also provide direction and leads.
Training and support provided:
We will provide 1:1 training to help you get set-up in this role. Together, we will create an understandable, one-page reference manual that covers the basic tasks of the role. We will work with you closely in the first month to develop a good plan together and will be available for questions and support through the season.
Return to list of opportunities
Hike Publicist
Purpose of the role: Volunteer hike organizers are creating hikes all over the country, and we need help getting the word out. While the organizers are doing a great job getting the news out to their friends and connections, we want to tap into a broader audience by alerting the local media near each hike. This person will do internet research to find local newspapers or media outlets then prepare and email information from our website about our hikes.
Location: Anywhere with internet access.
Schedule: You choose your own schedule.
Time requirement: Approximately 30-60 minutes per week.
Length of commitment: We request a full-season commitment on this role, through the end of the calendar year.
Main responsibilities:
- Check our hike schedule weekly for new hike listings.
- When a new listing is found, conduct internet research to identify 1-3 local new papers, TV or radio stations or local news sites.
- Identify event posting opportunities on local calendars and/or email addresses of local reporters.
- Copy the hike listing from our website, add a compelling opening cover paragraph that highlights to local connect of the hike, and email the listing to the local media as a media announcement.
- Add the hike to local event calendars maintained by the local media.
- Keep track of and report back weekly on all media outlets contacted and all event calendars on which the hike is posted.
Skills and abilities required:
- desire to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness and willingness to help spread the word about HIKE for Mental Health
- access to Microsoft Office or a similar program
- good understanding of how to write, copy, paste and format a document
- reliable access to the internet
- good understanding of how to use internet search engines such as Google to conduct searches for information
- good organizational skills
- dependable to follow-through on commitments
Training and support provided:
We will provide 1:1 training to help you get set-up in this role. Together, we will create an understandable, one-page reference manual that covers the basic tasks of the role. We will work with you closely on the first 2-3 hikes to make sure have the process down and are comfortable working independently.
Return to list of opportunities
Business Sponsor Coordinator
Purpose of the role: All the money we raise from our hikes goes to research and trail maintenance. That means we have to find other ways to pay for website hosting, software licenses, credit card processing fees, printing and copying, and other operating costs. Our founders cover most of those costs themselves but as we grow, that gets harder and harder. We would love to find some businesses that want to sponsor or underwrite our operating costs in exchange for the positive publicity we can give them. This person will write 1-2 letters a week to the owners of small businesses located near one of our hikes explaining our mission and asking for their support.
Location: Anywhere with internet access.
Schedule: You choose your own schedule.
Time requirement: Approximately 45 minutes per week.
Length of commitment: We request a minimum three month commitment for this role.
Main responsibilities:
- Review our hike schedule and note the locations of our hikes.
- Use the internet to search for health- or recreation-oriented businesses in towns near our hikes.
- Write personal letters to the presidents or owners of 2-3 companies a week explaining our mission and how we can publicize our business sponsors at our events and on our website.
- Maintain copies of the letters and records of the contacts.
- Monitor responses and coordinate follow-up by the HIKE for Mental Health board.
Skills and abilities required:
- a passion for HIKE for Mental Health, with an excellent understanding of our mission and programs
- solid business writing and written communication skills
- access to Microsoft Office or a similar program
- reliable access to the internet
- good understanding of how to use internet search engines such as Google to conduct searches for information
- good organizational skills
- dependable to follow-through on commitments
Training and support provided:
We will provide 1:1 training to help you get set-up in this role. Together, we will create an understandable, one-page reference manual that covers the basic tasks of the role. We will work with you closely to define search criteria and to create sample letters. We will sure you have the process down and are comfortable working independently.
Return to list of opportunities
Mental Health News Compiler
Purpose of the role: As part of our mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness, we publicize news about the latest research and discoveries on our website and Facebook page. Through our partnership with the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, we have access to break-through findings and the latest studies. This person will publish 1-2 articles a week on our website using the information provided by the BBRF.
Location: Anywhere with internet access.
Schedule: You choose your own schedule.
Time requirement: Approximately 20 minutes per week.
Length of commitment: We request a minimum three month commitment for this role.
Main responsibilities:
- Subscribe to the weekly BBRF e-newsletter.
- Choose 1 or 2 articles a week from the newsletter to re-publish on our website, properly crediting the source.
- Optionally, search for and publish mental health news from others sources as well.
Skills and abilities required:
- an interest in mental health research and discoveries regarding depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and other mental illnesses
- solid written communication skills
- reliable access to the internet
- good computer skills and ability to learn basic steps in new software
- good organizational skills
- dependable to follow-through on commitments
Training and support provided:
We will provide 1:1 training to help you get set-up in this role. Together, we will create an understandable, one-page reference manual that covers the basic tasks of the role. We will work with you closely to publish articles for a few weeks until you feel comfortable with the steps and can perform it independently.
Return to list of opportunities
Hi, I would like to donate 100$ in the name of Dr.
Sacha Greer of Windermere, Florida. How?
Hi Abbey, I saw your donation come through and have credited it to Sacha’s Appalachian Trail fundraising page. Thank you for your generosity.