The City of Elkhart Parks & Recreation Department’s Volunteer Program
When people picture volunteering for a parks department, they usually think of work like trash pickup, planting, or raking. At City of Elkhart Parks & Recreation, grounds work is only part of the story. Volunteers coach youth sports, lead nature walks, teach photography, plant trees, greet guests at community events, and more. The program is called The Root Crew.
Mandi Null, the volunteer coordinator and event assistant for City of Elkhart Parks & Recreation, built it. When she stepped into the volunteer coordinator role three years ago, no formal volunteer program existed. That gave her room to shape something new. She researched other volunteer programs, brought in sign-up software, and asked the buildings & grounds, events, and programs teams a simple question: What do you need, and how can volunteers help?
The growth speaks for itself. In 2023, the program’s first full year, 189 volunteers gave 560 hours. By 2024, that had grown to 227 volunteers. Under Mandi’s leadership, 2025 closed with 373 volunteers and 949 hours of service, a financial impact of $32,000 for the Parks Department. This year is already on pace to top that. At the time of publication, 350 volunteers have logged 929 hours, and the program has surpassed last year’s financial impact.
Building a Volunteer Program From the Ground Up
Mandi credits the growth to a few core principles. Help people connect with what they love. Offer flexible ways to give back. Be transparent about what to expect. Take good care of the people who show up. “The Parks Department is like a one-stop shop for volunteerism,” she explains.
A successful program starts with honest conversations with prospective volunteers about what they enjoy. A volunteer skilled in nature photography can teach a class. If you enjoy nature walks, you can lead a group. Someone who loves talking with people can work an event. “There are more opportunities than people realize,” she says. Flexibility is also important. While some initiatives run on a set schedule, Mandi finds ways to support volunteers who can’t commit to fixed hours.
“There are more opportunities than people realize.” Mandi Null
Transparency helps overcome the anxiety that many people feel about volunteering. Not knowing where to park, what to bring, or who they’ll meet is enough to talk someone out of volunteering before they even start. She tries to answer those questions before they’re asked, so people can arrive ready to enjoy themselves. She provides tents for shade, water on hot days, and understanding when someone can only give less time than they planned. It’s all about preparation,” she says. “You’re not just creating an opportunity for people to show up. You’re creating a whole environment, a whole memory, a whole sense of comfort.”
“Every little thing they are worried about, I want to make it really comfortable, so that when they show up they can just breathe, and be excited, and have a good time.” Mandi Null
For Mandi, the most rewarding moments are the small realizations. A volunteer shows up for an event and says they didn’t even know a certain pond or trail was there, or that the department had people helping out at these events at all. “Until now, they didn’t realize that volunteering is so much more than a bucket, a trash picker, and a neon vest,” she says.
“One of my favorite things is when someone shows up and says, I didn’t even know this was here.” Mandi Null
Mandi doesn’t talk about the Roots Crew as something she finished building. “It’s a process,” she says. “I’m still working at it. I really do think I’ll always be working at it.” Growing alongside her volunteers, hands in the dirt with them, matters to her as much as the coordinating does.
How Acts of Service Supports Volunteer Coordinators
Acts of Service has been part of Mandi’s story from the beginning. Ashley Jordan was her first real-world connection when she started in the role, offering a space to meet other coordinators, trade ideas, and find support. “With Acts of Service, you’re connected to volunteers, groups of people from businesses and schools who want to give back, and match up with what you have to offer,” Mandi says. “She’s a source for networking, learning about other nonprofits with great missions, and most of all, it’s a place you reach out to when you really need someone to support you.”
Acts of Service was there most recently when Mandi needed volunteer help for Trees for the Hart, a new tree-planting initiative. She reached out to Ashley, who jumped in without hesitation. “That kind of support is invigorating,” Mandi says. “It keeps you going when you’ve given it all you’ve got.”
Volunteer coordinators often work in isolation. Few people do exactly what Mandi does, which can make the job feel like its own small world. “When you’re connected to Acts of Service, you’re never on your own, and I appreciate that so much,” she says. “That initial connection meant so much. It gave me a space where I didn’t feel imposter syndrome.”
“When you’re connected to Acts of Service, you’re never on your own.” Mandi Null
Interested in volunteer opportunities at City of Elkhart County Parks? Learn more about the Roots Crew and view current opportunities at Cityofelkhartin.gov/rootcrew or reach out to Mandi at Mandi.Null@cityofelkhartin.gov