Join us as a Best Day a Volunteer

To register to volunteer, all you have to do is CREATE AN ACCOUNT in our NEW registration system. This is required for both volunteers and participants and should be completed in advance of our events. (You only need to do this once) Please go to https://bestdayfoundation.org/registration/#get-started/

Our recommended minimum age to volunteer without parental supervision is sixteen. That said, we also welcome younger children to volunteer alongside their parents, so long as those younger children are mature enough to contribute to the creating an awesome experience for our participants without detracting from their parents’ ability to focus on their own volunteer roles.

At Best Day Foundation, we can always use more help! The special skills we’re searching for vary from time to time, but we always seem to be in need of more tandem surfers, experienced kayakers, photographers, fundraisers, grant writers, webmasters, marketing experts, and communication specialists. If you have any other skills that you think might help Best Day Foundation, please contact info@bestdayfoundation.org to let us know!

Of course you can! Although many fellow volunteers will also be working with this population for the first time, you’ll benefit from the support of many experienced volunteers and administrators who will be more than happy to help answer any of your questions.

Absolutely–we have plenty of extra roles we can assign to our volunteers! If you’d rather not be a Beach Buddy, you might end up handling volunteer or participant registration; keeping order at an activity venue; interviewing volunteers, participants, and parents; assembling goodie bags; preparing or serving lunch; or another task that strikes your fancy!

We’re always looking for capable surfers to join our water team! If you feel you have both the skills and fitness level required to not only catch and ride waves, but also help participants pop up and surf while standing on a tandem board, then please contact your Best Day Foundation chapter’s Water Team Leader. He or she will evaluate your readiness and then teach you all about our system to assure you’re always staying safe and having fun.

Believe it or not, escort surfing is probably one of the most challenging roles at our events. Escort surfers need to be prepared to paddle for a few hours straight, catch and knee-ride any wave the tandem surfer chooses, and then be present help if the tandem surfer wipes out, all while riding a ~10-foot rescue board. Although this role is fun, it’s definitely also taxing–but if you’re interested, please contact your Best Day Foundation chapter’s Water Team Leader, who will again evaluate your readiness and then teach you all about our system to assure you’re always staying safe and having fun.

We love having large groups join us–what a great way to enjoy each other’s company while also giving back! It would help for you to inform us in advance if you plan on bringing over fifteen people–and please make sure that each and every volunteer has signed up in advance using our online registration form.

Even if you’re not sure if you can come, we’d prefer that you CREATE AN ACCOUNT in our NEW registration system in advance. (You only need to do this once) When volunteers complete the registration on the beach, it is difficult and slows down our volunteer check-in process. One you have registered, you are welcome to come to any and all events that fit your schedule–and your registration will apply to all of our chapters in your state.

In most cases, we wait until the absolute last minute when deciding whether to cancel an event. Once we determine that we need to cancel, we’ll send an email and write a post on our social media pages to let you know.

Volunteers should stay for the entirety of the event to maximize their ability to contribute to the success of the event.

Check the weather before the event, and wear whatever you think will be most comfortable! Don’t forget that you’ll be given a Best Day Team Surfer t-shirt to change into at check-in. Ideally, we recommend that you wear layers, as the temperature might change from chilly to warm during the morning. On the beach, footwear will range from sneakers to sandals to nothing!

You should bring sunscreen, a towel, and a change of clothes, considering that you might get wet, sweaty, and/or sandy. Coffee, water, snacks, and lunch will be provided for you, but feel free to bring anything else you’d like to drink or eat.

Because we always want to put our participants first, for the most part, you’ll be participating vicariously through your buddy! While he or she kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, or catches waves, it’ll be your job to cheer him or her on from the shoreline. That said, whenever your buddy’s playing on the beach, you’ll be right there playing with him or her.

Unfortunately, because our lunches are often donated, we don’t have the luxury of gearing them to meet various dietary needs. If you have dietary restrictions, please pack yourself a lunch. Typical lunches include pizza, burritos, and hamburgers or hot dogs.

Once you have registered in our new system we will send you emails in advance about up coming events in your area. You can also log in at anytime and see a list of upcoming events in your area, as well as the events you attended in the past. We also keep track of your volunteer service hours and you can download a report at your convenience.

We would love to have more help behind the scenes! Please let us know how you’d like to get more involved by sending us an email at info@bestdayfoudation.org.

Click the link “view or edit” next to your name under Contact Details page and then at the bottom of that page under Attendance History click the appropriate link to the left of the event.

Check out our “How To” videos at https://bestdayfoundation.org/registration/#your-information/how-to-videos for details.