How to Get Involved with Welcoming America

You can get involved with Welcoming America in three main ways: join the Welcoming Network as a member, take part in Welcoming Week, or donate to support the mission. If you want practical guidance first, the site also offers toolkits and resources you can use before committing to membership or an event.

Join the Welcoming Network

Welcoming America describes itself as a nonprofit leading a movement of inclusive communities that become more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, including immigrants. It connects a broad network of nonprofits and local governments and supports them in becoming truly welcoming places.

Joining the Welcoming Network is the main route for organizations and local governments that want that support. The site lists "Join the Welcoming Network" under Ways to Get Involved, with a separate "Learn about membership" link for details.

• Best for: nonprofits and local governments that want to connect with a national network and work toward becoming welcoming places.
• What to do first: read the membership information linked from the homepage before applying, since the site does not publish membership terms, fees, or eligibility on the homepage itself.

Participate in Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is the site's public-facing event participation option, listed under Ways to Get Involved with a "Learn more" link. The site's blog also references #WelcomingWeek2026, showing the event runs under a yearly banner.

• Best for: communities, organizations, and individuals who want to take part in a time-bound event rather than ongoing membership.
• What to do first: open the Welcoming Week page to see current dates and participation options. The homepage does not list dates or registration steps, so confirm them there.

Donate to Support the Mission

If you want to support the work without joining or organizing, the site lists "Support Our Mission — Donate today" as a direct option.

• Best for: individuals who want to contribute financially.
• What to know: the homepage does not state payment methods, donation amounts, or tax details. Check the donation page for those specifics before giving.

Use the Resources and Toolkits

The site publishes resources you can use regardless of membership status. One example is Narrative in Action: A Toolkit for Framing, Messaging, and Storytelling in Welcoming Communities, described as sharing step-by-step guidance to build narratives of local belonging — how communities welcome, include, and grow together. It is tagged under Connected Communities, Equitable Access, and Government and Community Leadership.

The site also points to the Welcoming Standard for how it defines welcoming places, which is useful if you want to understand the criteria behind the network and certification.

See What Participation Looks Like

The site's Stories of Impact show how communities put this work into practice. One featured story, "Welcome to Gunnison: A community modeling rural belonging," describes Gunnison, Colorado — a county of about 16,000 residents — where local organizations and leaders are growing efforts for connection and belonging. Reading these stories is a low-commitment way to see what joining the network or running Welcoming Week activities can look like in a real community.

The news section also tracks certification milestones, such as Worcester becoming Welcoming America's 50th Certified Welcoming Community and Durham and Durham County achieving a Certified Welcoming designation. These updates help you judge whether certification is a goal worth pursuing for your own community.

Which Option Fits You

A practical sequence for most organizations: read the Welcoming Standard and a toolkit, review a Story of Impact close to your community type, then decide between network membership and Welcoming Week participation. The homepage does not publish costs or eligibility rules for any of these, so confirm details on each linked page before you act.