Become an Essential Part of Our Team
Fred Hutch Cancer Center is very fortunate to have more than 130 caring volunteers providing over 1,600 hours of service annually working with our patients and families. Our dedicated volunteers provide vital practical and social support for our patients and their families in a variety of ways. Volunteers are an essential part of our team and their direct service provides support and encouragement to our patients and families at a critical time in their lives.
Volunteer Services
We are happy that you’re taking the first steps to becoming a volunteer with us. For more information or questions about becoming a volunteer, please contact us.
Phone: 206.606.1072
Email: clinicvolunteer@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch Volunteer Services is proud to offer a variety of roles in which volunteers are able to support Fred Hutch patients and caregivers. Volunteers offer airport transportation, peer mentor support, healing music, and retail support at Fred Hutch South Lake Union.
Volunteer opportunities are for adults 18 years and older and vary but generally are available at Fred Hutch South Lake Union between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
Join the Volunteer Team
Applications are currently only open for Retail (Clinic Gift Shop and Shine), Lobby Cart, Driver, and Cosmetology (must be a lincensed Cosmetologist in WA state) roles. Please check back in the upcoming months for additional opportunities.
Eligibility and Time Commitment
Volunteers must be a minimum of 18 years of age (21 years for some roles), commit to 3-6 months of consecutive service and meet our screening and training requirements.
Steps to Becoming a Volunteer
Step 1: Sign Up to Become a Volunteer
Thank you for your interest in the Fred Hutch Volunteer Program. If you are able to complete the online orientation session, online background check, health requirements (including proof of annual Flu vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine and masking policy) and commit to volunteering for at least 3-6 consecutive months, please complete our volunteer application (Step 1).
Once you have submitted the application (Step 1) you will receive an email confirmation outlining the next steps in the application process (Step 2).
Your application will not be considered complete until we receive the completed additional forms. Once these items are received, your application will be reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact the Fred Hutch Volunteer Services at 206.606.1072 or email clinicvolunteer@fredhutch.org.
Step 2: Mandatory Online New Volunteer Orientation and Zoom Session
Once you have successfully completed your online application and the required documents have been received by Volunteer Services, you will be sent an email link to begin your new volunteer online orientation. Orientation includes LMS training modules and quizzes to test your knowledge of the content. All volunteers must also complete an online national background check during the onboarding process. A scheduled Zoom session with the Volunteer Services team is also required to ensure understanding and knowledge of the onboarding process and requirements.
Health requirements: All new volunteers are required to have an Employee Health screening appointment after completing online orientation and before they begin volunteering. The screening appointment includes providing a completed health immunization form (may require additional titers or boosters), TB blood draw, COVID-19 vaccine and annual seasonal flu vaccine.
Step 3: Interview and Placement
After completion of the online volunteer orientation, health requirements and all application paperwork, you will be scheduled to meet with the appropriate department supervisor for a meeting and begin role-specific training.
Cosmetology/Barber Volunteers
Provide compassionate, caring and hygienic head shaves, wig trims and caregiver haircuts to customers of Shine, the retail store at the Behnke Family House (formerly South Lake Union House.. Must possess a valid Washington State Cosmetology license.Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age. Weekday/daytime availability.
Lobby Cart Volunteer
Provide service including drinks, snacks and diversionary activities to the patients and family members in the waiting areas in Building 1 on floors 2-7 of the South Lake Union Clinic. Provide clinic information and social support for oncology patients and families at Fred Hutch. Must be 18 years of age.
Driver Volunteers
Provide transportation to and from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Boeing Field, and King Street Station for Fred Hutch patients and their primary caregivers. Driver volunteers will use their personal vehicle for arrivals and departures. Driver volunteers are expected to fill at least two trips per month and must be must be at least 21 years of age.
Fred Hutch Gift Shop Volunteers
Provide efficient and courteous service to gift shop customers and help maintain the clinic retail operation. The gift shop is located on the first floor of the South Lake Union Clinic. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Weekday/daytime availability.
Healing Music Volunteers
Provide welcoming and calming music to patients, family members and staff at the Fred Hutch clinic. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. To apply for this role, please complete the musician specific application below. Weekday/daytime availability.
Patient and Family Ambassador
Provide wayfinding information and social support for oncology patients and families at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - South Lake Union. Provide a range of services such as escorting patients to floors and appointments as needed to sharing information about Seattle and the Lake Union area, including restaurants, grocery stores, shuttle services and recreational activities. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Weekday/daytime availability.
Physical Therapy Volunteers
Assist the Physical Therapist and the department by supporting patients undergoing treatment at Fred Hutch. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.
Shine Volunteers
Provide efficient and courteous service to Shine customers and help maintain the retail operations. The shop is located at the Behnke Family House (formerly South Lake Union House). Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.
Community Fresh Pantry
Provide service to the patients and family members at the Behnke Family House (formerly South Lake Union House) and/or Pete Gross House. Volunteers will assist with tasks such as filling, sorting and tidying the community fresh refrigerator and pantry with food provided by Volunteer Services. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.
Grab N Go Volunteer
Provide service to the patients and family members at the Behnke Family House (formerly South Lake Union House) and/or Pete Gross House by offering water, juice and snacks provided to patients coming and going form the houses. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.
Patient and Family Resource Center/ Education Volunteers
Provide assistance with special projects that support Patient Education and Patient and Family Resource Center. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Weekday/daytime availability.
Patient/ Family Volunteers
Provide practical assistance, social and emotional support for families of oncology patients who are receiving medical care at Fred Hutch. Enable family members to cope with the challenges of caring for a critically ill person. Typically, volunteers assist families who are from outside of western Washington who have needed to relocate to the Seattle area for treatment. Patient/Family Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age; possess a valid driver's license and automobile insurance; have a good driving record; no criminal history or current substance abuse issues.
Radiation Oncology
Help Radiation Therapists and the Radiation Oncology department assist patients undergoing treatment including customer service, staff support, and patient support at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Volunteers must be 18 years of age.
Volunteer Profiles
Fred Hutch is very fortunate to have caring volunteers working with our patients and families. Please learn about our volunteer program by meeting just a handful of these dedicated volunteers:
Become a fan, share volunteering opportunities with your friends, and keep up-to-date with news, events and articles related to Fred Hutch and volunteering.
FAQs About Our Program
If you are a patient and would like to volunteer with us, thank you for your enthusiasm and willingness to give back! We ask that all General Oncology/Hematology patients wait at least one year after active treatment to become a volunteer. If you have received a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, we ask that you wait at least two years post-transplant to become a volunteer.
We do not have a Summer Volunteer program, but if it works with your school and/or vacation schedule to attend orientation in early May and you can commit to at least three months of volunteering and complete the onboarding process by the deadline, we'd like for you to consider our program. Volunteers that attend the orientation in early May will need to commit to stay with us through the end of August. Volunteers who attend the sessions in July will need to commit through the end of November.
Online orientation is a general overview of the Fred Hutch, our patient population, and our volunteer program. After completing online orientation, you will interview for a specific volunteer role and then complete role-specific training. Included in the orientation is time to complete medical compliance with our Employee Health nurses. A brief description for all volunteer roles are posted on this website for you to become familiar with prior to orientation. Please contact us if you have specific questions about a volunteer role.
Please complete the online application and upload the required documents via our volunteer database called Better Impact and submit it to us prior to the application deadline. Next, we will send you links to complete the online orientation modules with the required trainings and quizzes by the submission deadline. You will also be required to complete medical compliance with Fred Hutch Employee Health. Once you have completed all the steps (application, orientation, quizzes, and health requirements), you will need to complete an online national background check. Once we have verified everything as complete the final step is come in for an Fred Hutch badge.
Yes, we complete online national background checks on all of our volunteers. In addition, Driver Volunteers will have an abstract run on their driving record.
Yes. Please return this, along with any immunization records you have during the onboarding process, prior to the deadline. This will allow our Employee Health nurses the opportunity to review your records and determine what, if any, blood draws (titers) or vaccinations you need to meet our medical requirements. There is no need to visit your medical provider to receive these vaccinations – we will provide any blood draw or vaccination that is required at no cost to you. If you are unable to provide documentation of previous vaccinations, we can easily perform a blood draw to determine proof of immunization. Annual flu vaccination and COVID-19 vaccine is required for all volunteers.
New volunteers are required to complete individual risk assessment and symptom evaluation forms or TB screening. Baseline TB testing is an IGRA-QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus blood draw test administered by a Fred Hutch clinician at our lab during your orientation session.
Prior to each orientation, we assess the needs of all of our volunteer roles, and only recruit for open positions. If it is determined that there aren't any openings in the role that you are most interested in, we invite you to volunteer in another role until availability in your first choice opens up. In the event that there are more prospective volunteers in a particular role than there is space, we base placement in that role according to the date the volunteer's completed application was received. We do keep a wait list for many of our most popular roles.
Once you have completed the online orientation modules and all of your paperwork has been submitted, you will be scheduled to meet (this may be over Zoom) with your role’s supervisor for a meeting. Upon completion of all medical compliance requirements, you will then be schedule for your role-specific training and volunteering.
We require a commitment of at least three months with our program. Due to the time invested into your orientation and training, as well as the screening and medical costs we incur, we ask that you stay with our program for at least three months following the completion of your training. We hope you'll stay longer, though – we have volunteers who have been with us for close to 30 years!
Prospective Healing Music Volunteers have a different application and orientation process. Please refer to the application specific to Healing Music Volunteers for more information.