How to Get Involved With MADD

Donating to MADD

Become a member of your state or local MADD organization. If you want to get involved with MADD, find the chapter of the organization nearest you. Visit the MADD website at http://www.madd.org/local-offices/ to get contact information. Select the name of your state from the drop-down menu and submit your search. You'll get a list of local offices in your state as well as links you can use to donate to them directly. As a member, you'll get the local office's monthly newsletter, as well as notifications and invitations to local events. Membership typically is free, but there will be a suggested donation.

Schedule monthly donations. MADD provides multiple options for you to donate money to the organization. You can work a larger donation into your budget by setting it up as a recurring donation of a small amount each month. Your donations are tax deductible, so keep your receipts. You can donate to the national organization online, or you can give directly to your local office.

Give MADD your old car. By donating your old car, you can directly impact the lives of people who are victims of drunk drivers. MADD will pick up your car within 24 hours, and you may be able to deduct the fair market value of your car on your taxes. Your car doesn't have to be in perfect condition – MADD will take your car even if it's seen better days. They'll even take your car if it's not running at all.

Donate your tickets. If you have tickets to an entertainment or sports event that you won't be using, you can donate them to MADD. To donate your tickets, go to the tix4cause website at https://www.tix4cause.com. You will receive a receipt and may be eligible to deduct the full face value of the ticket from your taxes as a donation. In addition to donating tickets, you also can purchase tickets through the same website to support MADD.

Walk or run in a "Walk Like MADD" 5k. MADD organizes 5k events in more than 90 cities around the United States each year. When you register for one of these events, you can solicit donations and pledges from friends and family members to help raise money for MADD. Check MADD's website or contact your local office to find out when there's a 5k taking place near you.

Volunteering with MADD

Complete a volunteer application. Get a volunteer form through the MADD website or by visiting your local office. Depending on where you live or the type of work you want to do, you may have to go through a background check. If you have any special skills or training, be sure to highlight them on your application. You also want to include any experience you have that is related to MADD's activities and mission. You typically don't have to pay any fees to go through the volunteer application process, but in some cases it may be your responsibility to cover the cost of a background check or other expenses in processing your application.

Perform office duties. One of the easiest ways to help a MADD local office as a volunteer is to complete data-entry or filing tasks, stuff envelopes, or man the phones. Talk to someone in the local office to find out what kind of help they need. MADD also sends sympathy cards to the families of victims of drunk drivers. Your office may want you to research local drunk driving fatalities and gather information about the victims' families so you can send out cards and offer them support.

Work on candlelight vigils and other special events. Local offices frequently organize vigils for drunk driving victims and other events designed to raise awareness in your community. They always need volunteers to help at these events. Once you've been working with MADD for awhile, you may be called on to man a MADD booth at a health fair or other event. However, even as a new volunteer you also can help with clean-up and crowd control at an event, or hand out fliers.

Attend court hearings as a court monitor. MADD volunteers often attend trials and other hearings involving drunk-driving arrests. Your purpose as a court monitor is to make sure drunk-driving cases are being handled appropriately in the courts. As a court monitor, you also may provide limited moral support for any victims present during court proceedings.

Serve on MADD's advisory counsel or as a board member. Once you've been involved with your local office for awhile, an opportunity may open up for you to take on more of a leadership role in the organization. These positions typically are offered to the most active volunteers, or to people who already have strong professional connections and community ties.

Advocating for MADD

Show your support. If you donate regularly to MADD, you can advertise your support of the organization to others. For example, you might want to sign the MADD pledge or tie a red ribbon on your car. Not only can you tie a ribbon on your car as part of MADD's "Tie One On" program, you also can distribute red ribbons to your friends and neighbors to advocate support for the organization. The ribbons remind drivers to stay sober. Signing the MADD pledge also demonstrates your support for MADD's mission.

Train to become a victim advocate. A victim advocate provides emotional support and resources for victims in person, over the phone and via mail. You also can work in one of MADD's call centers as a helpline volunteer. Before you can work as a volunteer victim advocate, you must undergo extensive training. Any education or experience you have in counseling or victim advocacy may be helpful.

Visit or write your legislators. From the MADD website, you can find contact information for your state and national representatives. Talk to staff in your local office about what issues to raise with your legislators. If there is a law pending that is related to drunk driving, your local office may have a script you can follow to call or write your legislator.

Sign petitions. If there is a law pending in state, local, or national government that would impact drunk-driving enforcement or punishment, MADD may draft a petition expressing the organization's position on the law. Your local office will have information on any petitions that are currently circulating. You also may be able to find information about online petitions from the MADD website.

Go to rallies and other public events. Every year, the MADD national organization as well as local offices hold a number of rallies all over the country to raise awareness about drunk driving and gain support for their cause. You can work at these events behind the scenes. You also may be called upon to introduce speakers or help recruit volunteers.

Share your story. If you are someone who has been personally affected by a drunk driver, you can speak out on victim impact panels or as a featured speaker at a community event sponsored by MADD. Talking about your loss may inspire others and help prevent drunk driving. Even if you haven't experienced any personal loss as the result of a drunk driver, you still may be able to get involved with victim impact panels or community events as an organizer or coordinator. For example, if you have a connection with a local high school where a student was recently arrested for drunk driving after a collision, you might work with the school principal and your local MADD office to bring a speaker to the school to talk to the students.