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Volunteer

Bring Braille Literacy to Children and Adults!

JOIN US! Weekly, monthly, or just for a day and help us fulfill our mission by assembling braille books.

Volunteering at National Braille Press is a fun way to meet others or socialize with colleagues, all while making an impact! NBP provides a number of volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals.

National Braille Press offers monthly volunteer projects for corporate groups, volunteer corps, and groups of individuals in our Boston-based braille publishing facility located near Symphony Hall. Groups help us assemble print/braille books so that blind and sighted parents and children can read together!

Join groups like John Hancock's Signature Volunteer Corps, Delta Gamma, People Making a Difference, Tufts Health Plan Volunteers, Spirit of State Street, Boston Consulting Group Cares, Eversource, Gay for Good, KPMG Volunteer Team, Serve with Liberty, local Lions clubs, EY Connect, and so many more who have made a difference in the lives of blind children.

National Braille Press has many different opportunities for individual volunteers!

  • Group Projects: Join an existing group project or gather a group of your own to volunteer at one of our monthly book projects here at NBP.
  • Front Desk Volunteers: If you are interested in volunteering at NBP on a regular basis, we have spots available to assist with administrative tasks in our Front Desk area (especially during the holiday season!)
  • Production Team: Join our production team and assist in collating braille materials for a variety of NBP publications.
  • Events: Whether it's working guest registration at our annual Million Laughs for Literacy Gala, forming a cheering section and making signs for our Boston Marathon and Blindfold Challenge teams, or serving food and drinks at one of our tasting events, we always need extra help at our events throughout the year!
  • Phone-A-Thons: Participate in NBP's fundraising efforts by serving as a caller for our Phone-A-Thons.

Join our *Volunteer Email List* to sign-up for our monthly volunteer updates and upcoming opportunities!

Get involved by fundraising for NBP! We have several opportunities for interested volunteers to raise money for a great cause while having fun.

  • Marathon/BFC/BikeBus
  • Boston Marathon
  • Run the most famous race in the world while raising money for National Braille Press! NBP is honored to be part of the John Hancock Non-Profit Program, and we look for individuals who are willing to take on the double challenge of training for a marathon while raising $10,000 for National Braille Press!

  • Blindfold Challenge
  • Want to cross the Marathon finish line without running 26.2 miles? The Blindfold Challenge at the B.A.A. 5k can give you that opportunity! Runners commit to completing the race blindfolded with the help of a sighted guide - a way to prove that anything is possible with the proper support.

To find out more, email Volunteer@nbp.org.

GROUPS

Projects are held during weekdays from 9:00 am-12:30 pm and 1:00-4:30pm, on Saturdays between 10:00am - 2:00pm, and in the evenings between 5:30 - 9:00 pm. You choose what time works best for your group!

We can handle groups of 12-20 people. The group size can vary depending on the project.

Children 12 years and older are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Group volunteer projects consist of either collating (assembling) plastic sheet books in the print/braille format or placing braille stickers in print board books. Sticker projects are performed while sitting, while collation projects involve standing and light amount of walking.

Upon arrival, groups receive a short orientation, an introduction to the history of braille, and the importance of our mission. Apart from participating in the volunteer project, groups also receive a tour of our facilities and learn about the braille production process from beginning to end.

The best times for tours are during the day on weekdays when the presses are running and our employees are working!

Yes! We love having groups serve with us in other areas at NBP, like at events or during our phone-a-thons!

You can schedule a project by contacting Joe Quintanilla at jquintanilla@nbp.org. We only have a few group project days available each month, so be sure to schedule your project a couple of months in advance!

General FAQs

We're located between Symphony Hall and Northeastern University in Boston - our address is 88 St. Stephen Street.

We unfortunately do not have parking spaces at our facility available for volunteers during the day. Evening volunteers can request a limited number of parking passes beforehand.

Metered parking is available right around the corner from us on Gainsborough and on Huntington Ave. Westland Avenue Parking Garage is also a short walk from our offices.

Dress is casual. Bring comfy shoes and enthusiasm! We encourage you to wear your Corporate or Volunteer Group shirts. Looks great for picture taking!

You can sign-up for our monthly Volunteer Update or email Joe Quintanilla at jquintanilla@nbp.org.

Join our *Volunteer Email List* to sign-up for our monthly volunteer updates and upcoming opportunities!