Volunteer
From AFSWiki
Thousands of individuals throughout the United States are engaged in the delivery of AFS programs. Volunteering for AFS means that you are willingly giving your time, skills, labor or ideas without seeking any remuneration to promote the AFS mission and programs. In order to be an AFS-USA volunteer, you must complete a formal Volunteer Registration process (including a criminal background check and acceptance of the AFS-USA Volunteer Agreement), abide by all AFS-USA program policies and procedures as well as the AFS-USA Volunteer Policy and respect the mission, vision and values in performing your duties. Volunteers will be trained, organized, managed and supported by assigned staff and/or fellow volunteers.
Volunteers are connected to the AFS-USA volunteer structure in the following ways:
- Volunteers: Individuals who register to volunteer for AFS-USA.
- Chapter Volunteers: Individuals who wish to volunteer their time with AFS as part of a local volunteer chapter.
- Area Team Volunteers: Those individuals who are part of a chapter within an area team, or individuals who wish to volunteer for the area team but who are not necessarily connected to a chapter.
Volunteers may choose to register without or without a chapter or area team affiliation. However, volunteers who register without a chapter or area team affiliation will have some limitations on the roles they can fulfill. Volunteers not affiliated with a chapter or area team will not be able to recruit host families, make host family placements or provide support to individual AFS participants. There are however many roles that individual volunteers can take on. Volunteer roles which do not require a chapter or area team affiliation include, but are not limited to:
- Sending recruitment and sending interviews
- Sending mentors
- Web Development Volunteers
- Blog monitors
- Logistics volunteers - assist at arrival and departure events
- Travel volunteers - assist with participant travel (e.g., airport meet & greet)
- Newsletter volunteers
- AFS Wiki Volunteers
- Marketing/PR Volunteers
- Hosting & Sending orientation volunteers
- Fundraising Volunteers (e.g., assisting AFS-USA event planning or logistics, calling or mail campaigns)
- School Representatives- introduce AFS to schools
- Chapter building
- Volunteer Trainer
- Governance body membership, such as the National Council and the Board of Directors
Volunteer Leadership Positions
Volunteers will only be allowed to serve in one “leadership” position (defined as chapter chair, area team chair, or national council representative) at a time, in order to ensure a diversity of volunteers and perspectives in the various leadership roles of the organization.
Volunteers can take advantage of tax benefits for eligible, AFS-related expenses.
