Thank you for your interest in the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF)! CEF is a local nonprofit with offices in Durham and Carrboro that creates a community of support to address issues related to economic justice, housing insecurity, and homelessness. CEF connects volunteer Advocates with community Members to work towards Members' goals, such as gaining and sustaining employment, housing, and savings. Members and Advocates work together to navigate the barriers to reaching those goals, while also working toward systems-level changes, guided by Members' lived experiences of the complex social services landscapes of Durham and Orange County.

CEF also strives to combat the exclusion of marginalized groups from mainstream financial services by providing accurate financial information and access to quality financial services via our Safe Savings Account and partnerships with local financial institutions.

We are seeking volunteer Advocates who can commit to working with Members over the long haul – before, during and well beyond their transitions out of housing insecurity. This generally looks like committing to 2 hours worth of weekly meetings for two or more years. A great Advocate is someone who is committed to lifelong learning, passionate about building and maintaining relationships, and centers racial equity in their everyday lives. Background knowledge is not a requirement because CEF provides initial and ongoing learning opportunities. You can find a full description of the Advocate role here.

All Advocates are required to:

1. Hold at least two consistent in-person Advocate hours each week (same day and time)

2. Attend all required New Advocate Training sessions

3. Attend CEF Ongoing Learning sessions  (continuing skills and equity trainings, offered on a variety of dates)

4. Commit to being a CEF Advocate for a minimum of two years

Through this application, we hope to get a better understanding of your experiences and learn more about why you want to be involved with CEF!  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Advocate Program Coordinator below:

EMAIL UPDATE

Applications are due by January 12th, 2026 at 11:59 PM