Focus Area
Economic Development Volunteering in Central Oregon
Matching organizations, in a different order on every visit
Deschutes Women in Business
also known as DWB
A woman+ community founded in 2024 to connect and empower local women to reach their full potential in business. Industry and stage agnostic, it welcomes founders, operators, and leaders through workshops, networking, and large quarterly gatherings like its sold-out 2026 event at Tetherow. Listed as a Central Oregon business resource by EDCO.
Members connect through quarterly gatherings, Learn & Connect workshops, and Move & Connect meetups, and can give back by sharing their expertise as speakers and panelists, mentoring newer founders, hosting events, and helping welcome new members. Open to women founders, operators, and leaders in any industry and at any stage.
The Oregon Brewers Guild is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and protect the state’s brewing industry and the common interests of its members through advocacy, education, and events. Founded in 1992, the Oregon Brewers Guild is one of the nation’s oldest craft brewers associations.
Event volunteering at OBG's major craft beer festivals, such as the Fresh Hops Festival and seasonal beer celebrations: checking in attendees, scanning tickets, and pouring or serving beer during festival hours. Volunteers must be 21 or older; an OLCC server permit is preferred but not always required. Sign-up opens a few weeks ahead of each event.
The Warm Springs Community Action Team works to build economic self-sufficiency on the Warm Springs Reservation, supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses, homeownership and home repair, financial education, and community development.
Volunteers share professional skills as business mentors and coaches, help with community events and markets, and support home-repair and financial education programs.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide (Central Oregon)
also known as Tax-Aide, AARP Tax Aide
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free, in-person tax preparation for older adults and low- to moderate-income taxpayers, with no AARP membership or age requirement. In Central Oregon, its all-volunteer team, hosted by the Council on Aging of Central Oregon, served more than 2,000 people across Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties in 2024, bringing nearly $2 million in refunds back to local households.
Tax-Aide is all-volunteer. Volunteers are trained and IRS-certified as tax preparers, or serve as greeters, schedulers, and site coordinators, at sites in Bend (Council on Aging and the Downtown Library), Redmond, La Pine, and Warm Springs from February to April. You don't need to be an AARP member or have tax experience; training is provided. Contact the district coordinator, Rebecca Von Stein, at rebvonstein@gmail.com.
BendNEXT Foundation
also known as Leadership Bend Foundation
The BendNEXT Foundation is the 501(c)(3) arm of the Bend Chamber of Commerce. Originally the Leadership Bend Foundation (1997), it was renamed in 2019 and runs the Chamber's leadership and workforce programs, including Leadership Bend, Bend Emerging Talent, NEXTUp Leaders, and the Bend 101 community orientation series, along with Chamber-led initiatives on workforce housing and childcare.
Community members support BendNEXT programs by serving on the Bend Emerging Talent Ambassador and Advisory Council, mentoring in its mentorship circles, speaking to Leadership Bend and Bend 101 cohorts, helping at program events, and joining working groups on workforce housing and childcare. Employers can sponsor participants and scholarships.
SCORE Central Oregon is the local chapter of SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer business mentors and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Its nearly 50 local mentors offer free, confidential one-on-one mentoring and low-cost workshops to people starting or growing a business, fielding 60 to 70 requests a month and helping launch dozens of Central Oregon businesses and create hundreds of jobs each year.
SCORE is always recruiting mentors: people who have owned a business or held a management role in sales, finance, operations, or other fields. With 60 to 70 mentoring requests a month, the chapter especially welcomes new mentors, including more women. Mentors meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs, help at free workshops and Meet a Mentor events, and some are retired while others are still working. The application is simple; call 541-316-0662 or apply online.
Long-running women's business networking group for Central Oregon, welcoming entrepreneurs, professionals, and women simply looking to expand their lives. ConnectW offers monthly dinner meetings, casual lunches in Bend and Redmond, and evening mixers, providing marketing opportunities, friendship, and support for women in business.
Members help host monthly dinner meetings, Munch & Mingle lunches in Bend and Redmond, and Cocktail Connection events, and can serve on the board, sponsor gatherings, and welcome newcomers. Open to entrepreneurs, professionals, and any woman looking to grow her network.
The Sisters Farmers Market, managed by Seed to Table, brings local farmers, food producers, and makers together with the community each week during the growing season, making fresh, locally grown food accessible in Sisters and supporting the region's small farms.
Market volunteers help set up and take down, staff the information booth, support vendors and food-access programs, and help with market-day events and activities, working alongside Seed to Table staff.
Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington
also known as JA, Junior Achievement of Central Oregon
Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington, founded locally in 1950 and an affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, inspires and prepares young people to succeed through hands-on programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Working in partnership with K-12 schools, including in Central Oregon, it prioritizes students from low-income families and rural communities, with programs delivered by trained volunteers from local businesses.
JA programs are taught by volunteers from the business community. Volunteers visit K-12 classrooms using ready-made lesson kits on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, sharing their own career stories, or help facilitate simulation days where students run a mini-city (JA BizTown) or budget for adult life (JA Finance Park). Training and materials are provided; commitments range from one day to a few weekly sessions, and companies often volunteer as teams.
Tax-Aide AARP Free tax returns for Low Income /Elderly
also known as AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides free tax preparation and filing help, with a focus on older adults and taxpayers with low to moderate income. IRS-certified volunteers prepare returns at sites across Central Oregon each tax season, and no AARP membership is required to get help or to volunteer.
Volunteers help provide free tax preparation for seniors and low/middle-income taxpayers, in roles ranging from Counselors (who prepare returns directly, after IRS certification training) to Client Facilitators (who welcome and assist clients) and Technology Coordinators. No tax background is required — training and IRS certification are provided each December/January, and volunteers serve during tax season, roughly February through mid-April. No AARP membership needed.
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