Volunteer Toolkit

Help us spread the word about volunteering with Code Nation!

As a volunteer, you know best what makes volunteering with Code Nation fun and fulfilling. We’re growing to reach more young people, expanding our volunteer community of web developers and software engineers to teach our students. We need your help to spread the word!

Do you know someone who would enjoy using their technical skills to advance equity in the industry? A coworker or friend who is looking to give back to their community? Someone who loves working with young people? Tell them about your experience at Code Nation! We’d love for you to post on social media (see images below), Slack, and/or send an email to your network! You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram and like and share our posts!

Share via:

Hi there,

I’m reaching out because I wanted to tell you about an organization where I’ve been volunteering this year. Code Nation teaches web development to students in under-resourced high schools across the city. We’re looking for more volunteers and I thought you’d be a great fit!

How it works:

  • Volunteers teach two 60-90 minute classes a week throughout the school year, either first thing in the morning or towards the end of the day
  • Each volunteer is part of a 4-person team, supported by a Code Nation staff member
  • You get lots of support and get to meet other civically-minded folks in the industry

Volunteering is so much fun and a great way to give back to the community while helping prepare the next generation of leaders in tech! [I really like x aspect…]

What do you think? For more info, visit codenation.org. You can apply here. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks!

Hi there! I’ve had a great time volunteering with this nonprofit called Code Nation this year and we’re looking for more volunteer mentors!

You get to teach front-end web development in under-resourced high schools around the city, create change in the tech industry, and join a community of equity-minded engineers. I love doing it because X. Learn more and apply to be a volunteer at codenation.org/volunteer.

I volunteer with Code Nation because ________. Join me so we can create pathways into tech careers for Chicago youth from underserved high schools! Learn more and apply at https://codenation.org/volunteers/ to inspire the next generation of tech leaders

Code Nation needs your help to teach front-end web development in under-resourced high schools. Learn more and apply at https://codenation.org/volunteer/ to join a community of over 300 professionals dedicated to inspiring the next generation of technologists!

Code Nation equips students with coding skills, connections, and experiences they need to access careers in technology! Join the Code Nation volunteer community team and teach front-end web development in a local high school. Learn more and apply at https://codenation.org/volunteer/ to inspire the next generation of technologists!

Wish you had a mentor as a young programmer? You could be that for a young person in your city. Volunteer with @itscodenation today! https://codenation.org/volunteer/

Join me in teaching front-end web development in under-resourced high schools with @itscodenation! Sign up at https://codenation.org/volunteer/.

@itscodenation is looking for volunteers to mentor the next generation of tech leaders! Join us to make a tech career accessible for everyone https://codenation.org/volunteer/

Mentor to create a more equitable tech industry. Sign up to volunteer with @itscodenation! https://codenation.org/volunteer/.

Add your volunteer experience to LinkedIn!

You spend a lot of time teaching coding to students. Why not include it on your LinkedIn profile? It shows your network that you care about equity in tech, you can clearly communicate about coding languages, and you can work on a team. Plus, it might encourage someone else to join our community!

Code Nation is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to equip historically marginalized students with the skills, experiences, and connections that together create access to careers in technology.

I work with a team of other volunteer software and app engineers to teach front-end web development to high school students. We cover HTML, CSS, jQuery, JavaScript, and professional development skills.

Host an info session at your company!

A great way to spread the word within your company is by hosting an info session. We have all the materials ready to go, so all you have to do is coordinate a time and recruit folks to join! Send your program manager an email to get started.

Hi [Name],

I’m reaching out because I wanted to tell you about this organization where I’ve been volunteering this year and I think it would be a great opportunity for more folks from [X company] to get involved.

Code Nation’s mission is to equip students in under-resourced high schools with the skills, experiences, and connections that together create access to careers in technology. I volunteer in a classroom twice a week to teach young people how to code and [I really like x aspect…].

We recently launched classroom volunteer recruitment for the upcoming school year and will be growing our community to over 100 web and software engineers supporting Code Nation programs in schools. There’s so much need across the city for access to high quality CS programming and we’re thrilled to be growing our reach yet again.

Volunteering with Code Nation is such a powerful way for employees to give back in our community, using our unique skill set. It’s also a tremendous learning and development opportunity and one that increases employee satisfaction and retention. Supporting Code Nation volunteering is a great way for [X company] ****to directly invest in their DEI commitments by helping to create greater access to the tech industry for people of color and women.

We’d love to do a 30 minute info session—standalone or embedded into an all-hands meeting—that’s open to all employees with a technical background. We can do it virtually or use it as a meaningful opportunity to bring folks into the office.

What do you think?

Thanks, Name