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Ways To Volunteer

SBIAA is a volunteer-run organization- the entirety of your membership dues goes towards putting on events for our community. Our 11-person board is all volunteers, as well as our event leads and event committees. We need everyone's help to make SBIAA a great forum for our families.

That is why we have a mandatory requirement of 1 volunteering engagement per family over the course of the year. Volunteering is a great way to meet other SBIAA families and bring your own perspective to our events.

Purchase supplies in advance of an event

We always need help purchasing drinks, decor, craft items, or paperwork in advance of an event. We also need help bringing food from our chosen caterer to the venue if they don't deliver. Usually this is just a quick trip to Costco or a food vendor in the area prior to the event!

Help on the day of an event

There are several options to help on the day of an event- in setup, cleanup, or running activities (e.g. teaching dance at our Garba event or managing kids' crafts). For Culture Show, we need ushers and volunteers to help backstage. At Holi, we need volunteers to distribute color to all our members for our color throwing! There are many ways to help.

Host your own event

This year we are adding a new "Host your own event" option to enable member-led smaller group events in addition to our signature events. If you would like to host your own event or lead a group of members to an existing event, sign up here with the type of event and month you would like to host. The board will have to approve the event but then we will include your event in SBIAA emails and on the website. Events must be open to ALL SBIAA members, although you can cap attendees at a certain level. Limited SBIAA funding will be provided for member-led events- but it will be a great way for us to build stronger relationships in our community!

Lead a Culture Show item / group

If you love getting a group together and grooving to the music, this is the volunteer role for you! We have a Culture Show in the spring where we will celebrate our culture and our kids together through dance, music and other performing arts. Our choreographers / item leads are so important in this process, because they connect our kids with culture, friends, and the arts in such an important way. Many of our members say that participating in a culture show act is the #1 way their kids found friends within SBIAA. Leading an item is a significant give-back to our organization and our kids.

Serve in a leadership role

We have 11 people on our board- in the following roles: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Social (2), Culture, Communications, Website (2), and JR SBIAA, and Secretary. We are always looking for people passionate about SBIAA and its mission to push the organization forward. As a board member, you would attend 1 board meeting a month and be closely involved in decision-making and planning for the year. Another great way to meet other members and give back to our community!

Volunteer Testimonial

Ankur Batheja, member of SBIAA since 2015 and member of the SBIAA Board (Website Co-Chair) since 2016 , 6th from left in photo below (Lohri Committee)

"The very first SBIAA event that my family attended was Diwali Gala 2015 and it was no doubt an amazing experience for us! One of my friends asked if I wanted to help with next big event which was going to be Lohri 2016. I had no clue what it would entail to organize an event on that scale, as I had never done one before. But since I had some friends on the committee, I agreed to pitch in. Eight of us brainstormed our ideas and put together a program that reflected what Lohri meant to us. We learnt, planned and even danced together at the day of the event. It was indeed a very fulfilling experience as it helped my family connect with the community in a safe and fun-filled environment. I was also impressed by the fact that I could introduce my children to Indian culture and traditions an make new friends.

I enjoyed being part of the team so much that I signed up again to be on the Annual Picnic 2016 committee. Volunteering gave me an opportunity to contribute to the Indian American community by helping put together cultural events where everyone - adults, kids and grandparents - could come together and make sweet memories and build strong friendships".