Welcome Volunteers!

We love having new volunteers join our team!

We are committed to being an open and inclusive team and we particularly love having people join us who are often under-represented in the running community. 

This year we’re excited to be growing our team! We’ve added brand new roles and we’re excited to have new people joining us! There are many ways to get involved and use your experience and skills to help our growing organization. If you don’t see a role that’s a good fit but still want to be involved, please reach out to us directly at info@secret3k.com to chat further.

Why Join Our Team?

  • Make a difference: Help us make a difference in creating more safe and inclusive spaces for ALL people to move. Our volunteers have a sense of purpose and meaning in the work they do to make a change both locally and globally. 

  • Make new friends: Meet other volunteers from your community, across Canada and around the world. Our team attracts people who are hard working, fun loving and solution minded - aka they are awesome! 

  • Learn new skills: We aim to help our volunteers grow their skills and develop new abilities while also nurturing their talents. We want to help you grow your leadership skills and increase your career opportunities. 

How do I become a volunteer? 

Step 1

Interested in being a volunteer with the Secret 3K? Scroll down to see our current open volunteer positions. Let us know a bit more about yourself and why you're interested so we can help you find the best fit. Please fill out our volunteer registration form by clicking the button below.

Step 2

We will review your registration and you will be contacted by someone on our team to do an initial interview. Please be ready to talk about your connection to our mission values. (Learn more here) Depending on your role, you may also be asked to complete a Police Security check. 

Step 3

Upon successful completion of an interview we will invite you to join us for our next upcoming volunteer onboarding session. These sessions are generally held once every two months. Please note that volunteers must complete onboarding before beginning duties with the Secret 3K. 

Step 4

You will be invited to attend meetings particular to your role and to join us for our quarterly Town Hall meetings that include all of our volunteers from across Canada and around the world! 

Marquee Live Events

We host live events in select cities across Canada each year. These events generally attract 200+ people and are a great way to start a discussion about gender equality in your community. If you love being part of organizing events, enjoy feeling the energy of a crowd coming together to celebrate and want to make a difference locally we would love to have you join us a Race Director or general volunteer at one of our sites.

*Please note general volunteer opportunities (race kit pick up, marshalls, registration, etc) will be opening Fall 2022. Please scroll down to add your name to our mailing list to learn about these opportunities as soon as they are available.

  • Do you care about promoting equality and active living? Do you want to make a positive difference in your community? Are you an optimistic problem-solver with a positive outlook? You might just be exactly who we’re looking for then to lead the Secret 3K in your city. We’re currently looking for Race Directors in the following cities:

    • Toronto

    • Fredericton

    • Halifax

    • Red Deer

    Race Directors are responsible for coordinating with our Running Room Store Managers and Event Managers to create an event in their city. This includes selecting a route, recruiting volunteers (inside crew lead, outside crew lead and communications lead), organizing and planning the event itself.

    Time Commitment:

    • Bi-weekly meetings with National Race Director (September - March) 1 hour

    • Weekly meetings and/or communication with local team (Jan - March)

    • General Event Planning - 1 hour per week (Sept - March)

    *Interested but not in one of the cities listed above? Let us know when you complete your volunteer registration form.

 

Board Member

Volunteers on our Board help to provide leadership and shape the vision of our event as a whole. We meet every month throughout the year and often weekly during January and February in preparation for race day. Each role is responsible for taking ownership of their area and helping us to build out new ideas while remaining true to our values. If you love building, creating, strategic design we would love to have your help in growing this movement for equality. Please note that all Board roles are remote and meetings take place via video conference.

  • Monthly Board Meetings (1 hour)

  • Video Conference Hosting (1 hour biweekly December - March)

  • Email Communication (20 minutes bi weekly October - March)

 

Communications Committee

Please note that all roles are remote and meetings take place via video-conference or conference call.

  • Responsible for creating copy for all social media posts. This position will report directly to the Communications Director and will receive direction from them. This position is eligible as a paid internship role.

    Time Commitment:

    • 1 hour monthly planning meetings wth Communications Director

    • Social Media Strategy & Planning in advance of monthly meeting - 4 hours monthly

  • Responsible for designing graphics and selecting images to be used for social media posts. This position will report directly to the Communications Director and will receive direction from them. This position is eligible as a paid internship role.

    Time Commitment:

    • 1 hour monthly planning meetings wth Communications Director

    • Social Media Strategy & Planning in advance of monthly meeting - 4 hours monthly

  • Responsible for engaging our community through social media by responding to comments, questions, and following and engaging with particular hashtags with the goal to grow our community. This position will report directly to the Communications Director and will receive direction from them. This position is eligible as a paid internship role.

    Time Commitment:

    • 1 hour monthly planning meetings wth Communications Director

    • 30 minutes Monday - Friday (2.5 hours per week) for engagement activity

  • Responsible for reaching out to press throughout the year and particularly in advance of our yearly event with specific local stories of interest. This role will report directly to our Communications Director.

    Time Commitment

    • Monthly meetings throughout the year and follow up (approx 2 hours per month)

    • Event Promotion January - March (approx 2 hours per week).

  • Photographers based out of our Marquee cities who will capture photos for promotional purposes including photos of Secret 3K ambassadors and capturing race day.

    Time Commitment:

    • Ambassador Photos (2 hours)

    • Race Day Photos (2 hours)

  • Responsible for communication with Ambassadors collecting key information from them throughout the year including photos, bios, blog posts, and providing assets for them to share through their networks.

    Responsible for creating short lists of possible future Ambassadors for National Committee to select from.

    Time Commitment:

    • Monthly Culture Team Meetings ( 1 hour)

    • Communication with Ambassadors (2 hours per month)

  • Responsible for creating volunteer postings and assisting in recruiting for key positions that are open.

    Time Commitment:

    • Monthly Culture Team Meetings ( 1 hour)

    • Creating Postings (1 hour per month)

    • Recruiting Activities (1 hour per month)

  • Responsible for hosting volunteer onboarding sessions throughout the year. Responsible for providing regular communication to all volunteers. Responsible for collecting volunteer lists from marquee Race Directors. Responsible for providing volunteer recognition.

    Time Commitment:

    • Volunteer Onboarding (1.5 hours bi-monthly)

    • Bi-weekly communication to volunteers (1 hour)

    • Updating volunteer lists (4 hours post event)

    • Volunteer Recognition (4 hours post event)

 

Virtual Volunteers

We now have participants joining us from 27 countries around the world! If you would like to bring the Secret 3K to your community, we would love your help. Our virtual volunteer leaders have helped us to bring the Secret 3K to additional locations in cities where we host marquee events (Eg. West End Toronto since our event was in the East End), reach smaller cities and town where we don’t have a marquee event (Eg. Lethbridge), and to expand our event to new countries (Eg. London, UK meetup).

  • Individuals committed to hosting a meetup open to the public in their community for 30+ people.

    The Secret 3K empowers you with resources to host your own mini event. These events can be hosted internationally, in rural areas, or in opposite ends of a city that is hosting a marquee event. (Eg. High Park in Toronto vs Beaches). Two of our most successful Meet Up Leaders have been Jim from Lethbridge and Keith from London, UK.

    Time Commitment
    - Monthly connect with Meetup Coach from October - March.
    - Organizing Meet up 1-2 hours per week January - March
    - Availability day of event

    Want to be a Meet Up Leader? Please complete our volunteer registration form and indicate Meet Up Leader as your preferred role.

  • Group Leaders are individuals committed to recruiting 10 friends, family members or colleagues to join them as a group to participate at a Marquee event or to meet up together at a shared location. To join as a group leader select that you want to create a group at the point of registration.

 Paid Internships

We provide a select number of paid internships each year as funds are available. To be eligible for these internships we are seeking:

  • Women or those identifying as female or non-binary

  • Age 18 - 25

  • Availability of a minimum of 5 hours per week to complete tasks

  • Commitment to attend all team meetings and quarterly Town Halls

*We prioritize candidates with Afghan heritage in honour and recognition of those who first inspired this event.

If you are interested in applying for a paid internship please complete the intake form and indicate that you are eligible for an internship when prompted. 

  • We do our best to provide an estimated time commitment for each role that is open. If a role does not have a time commitment listed please be sure to ask about it during your interview. Our goal is to be a sustainable event and that means we want to ensure our volunteers don’t burn out. We aim to respect your time and to divide our tasks among many people so that no one person feels overwhelmed by their tasks. We want this to be something that brings joy and purpose to your life, not added stress.

  • People who care about promoting gender equality in Canada and around the world

    People who want to make a positive difference in their community

    People who are optimistic problem-solvers with a positive outlook

  • Read about the background of our event and the story that inspired it - here

    Watch the film to see the story that inspired it all. Click here to see the film.

    Read the book

    Check out some of our favourite media coverage

Would you like us to contact you about new volunteer opportunities for 2023?

Please use the button below to add your name to our volunteer mailing list and receive information about new roles.