Meet Jen Gerstein, Volunteer Onboarding Specialist!
How long have you been working at JFCS? My official start date was June 15, 2026.
Tell us about your role. As the Volunteer Onboarding Specialist, I manage all volunteer inquiries and help determine who is appropriate and should be vetted for open positions. I communicate with new volunteers throughout the entire vetting process and walk them through it step by step, ensuring that all documentation is uploaded in our volunteer management database, Galaxy Digital. On a day-to-day basis, I verify that all required qualifications have been signed, uploaded, or completed, and follow up on any missing qualifications. I help new volunteers obtain appointments and letters regarding fingerprinting and drug testing where applicable. I keep a record of the status of all inquiries and new volunteers who are being vetted in our appropriate spreadsheets in Teams. Finally, I assist with training our new volunteers.
What brings you joy in your role at JFCS? What brings me the most joy in my role as Volunteer Onboarding Specialist is being able to connect my longtime passion for JFCS with the incredible people in our community who want to make a difference. Long before joining the staff, I spent many years as a volunteer, Board Member, and most recently, a member of the Executive Board. Through those experiences, I saw firsthand just how important volunteers are to the heart of our agency and the work we do.
What might the community be surprised to learn about you? Something the community may be surprised to learn is that one of the most meaningful experiences from my own time as a volunteer was serving as a Patient Partner advocate for a 100-year-old Holocaust Survivor. What began as a volunteer role grew into an incredibly special relationship, and she truly has become like family to me.
