Front Desk Volunteer

Based in Portland, Maine, with a satellite office in Lewiston, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) is Maine’s only state-wide immigration legal aid organization. ILAP’s mission is to help low-income immigrants improve their legal status and to work for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. ILAP’s work includes direct legal services for over 3,000 clients each year; education and outreach to immigrant communities and service providers; and systemic advocacy on local, state, and federal immigration law issues.

ILAP is committed to having a respectful, collaborative, and equitable work environment, with equal opportunity for all employees. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe in building an organization that is reflective of the communities that we serve and is diverse in work background, experience, education, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental, and physical abilities. We believe that having a diverse and equitable organization strengthens our programming and services and advances our organizational values.

ILAP is looking for volunteers to help at the Front Desk in our Portland Office!

Responsibilities include:

• Greeting clients at our front door
• Helping clients locate bathrooms and offering beverages/snacks while they wait for appointments
• Communicating with clients directly or through translation applications or phone interpreters
• Verifying appointments on our shared Outlook calendars
• Communicating with ILAP staff on our instant messaging system
• Being present at the front desk while there are clients in the reception area
• Keeping the reception area tidy
• Providing limited administrative support as needed

The ideal volunteer candidate would be:

• Willing to make a six-month commitment
• Available for a minimum of four to six hours per week during our office hours:

Monday – Thursday 9 am - 5 pm and Friday 9 am – 3 pm

• Fluent or highly proficient in Portuguese or French (preferred)
• Passionate about advancing immigrants’ rights and possessing an ability to work well with individuals from different cultures and with varying levels of English proficiency
• Compassionate, patient, and flexible
• Comfortable with technology, including Microsoft Outlook, messaging applications, and translation applications
• Comfortable interacting with clients directly or through translation applications/phone interpreters

ILAP conducts background checks to maintain a safe and secure work environment, protecting staff, volunteers, clients, resources, and assets, while safeguarding the integrity and confidentiality of the information collected.

If you are interested in this volunteer position, please e-mail hr@ilapmaine.org a brief statement of interest. Please include a description of your weekly availability, as well as your language skills.

Come volunteer with our amazing team and help immigrants in Maine!