The success of a society lies in the willingness of its citizens to give of themselves. To perform or give a service of their own free will. The only "gift" is a portion of thyself. --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Volunteer.Gov/Gov is a partnership among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, State of New York Division of Veterans Affairs, the Corporation for National and Community Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S.A. Freedom Corps aimed at providing a single, easy-to-use web portal with information about volunteer opportunities. The site allows you to search for volunteer opportunities by keyword, state, activity, partner, and/or date range.

Volunteer Online!
This volunteer portal enables you to locate public sector volunteer positions that match your interests, skills, time, and geographic preferences. The site allows you to search and apply on-line for volunteer opportunities by keyword, state, activity, partner agencies, and/or availability date range. Additionally, the site provides links to other opportunities provided by non-profit partners, plus general information and resources about volunteer service/administration listed on the "Links" page.

To begin your search for public sector volunteer opportunities, first click on the FIND window and enter key words or a zip code located on the top right hand side of the home page. Additionally, you may click on the Map Icon on the right side of the page or search by agencies listed under opportunities on the top left of the home page. By following these avenues, you can search for listed opportunities in an interest area or channel; e.g. natural and cultural resources or veterans affairs opportunities.

After you have explored the various opportunities and have made a decision on which position suits your needs, you can register on-line. You will be immediately notified that your application has been sent to the volunteer coordinator who has posted the position. After reviewing the applications, the volunteer coordinator will notify you of the next steps.

Requirements for becoming a Volunteer.
Volunteering with Volunteer.Gov/Gov partnering agencies depends upon each agency's specific requirements, but will always include:

• A sense of solidarity and service, plus commitment to share one's knowledge, skills, time, and effort with others (the volunteering "ethos" or spirit).
• A willingness to serve in a non-salaried, non-stipend volunteer position with no or little remuneration beyond incidental expenses (arranged on a case-by-case basis and subject to the availability of funds).

Guaranteeing Privacy and Security
The information that you provide is governed by strict records management, retention, and disposition rules and/or regulations. Protecting individuals' privacy is a duty of government that will be guaranteed. Regulatory frameworks and security policies are designed to assure that both information and systems are protected from unauthorized use.

Although the natural and cultural resources application asks if you want to have the information that you provide shared with others, we are unable to do so at this time due to current regulations. Volunteer.Gov/Gov is working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to change this restriction which would enable the public to access more opportunities. Presently, the site does not have the ability to notify you of future opportunities via a Volunteer Profiling. We anticipate gaining approval to incorporate this feature onto the site once privacy and security requirements are satisfied.

Positions posted on Volunteer.Gov/Gov are updated on an ongoing basis and are deleted or automatically withdrawn when the end date arrives or the job is filled. At present, the volunteer positions posted on this site contain current listings and descriptions of opportunities of the partner organizations listed below in only the veterans affairs and natural and cultural resources arenas of the Federal Government. When fully operational, the site will enable you to search for other public sector opportunities in a variety of areas, such as housing, social services, etc.

A special welcome and invitation to public sector volunteer organizations to join our growing list of public sector partners.

Volunteer.Gov/Gov's vision is to become a world-class portal that enables citizens to access information and apply on-line for public sector volunteer opportunities in the USA. Volunteer.Gov/Gov will help strengthen our democratic society by helping public agencies nationwide accomplish their mission, get results, and engage the public as integral partners and supplemental workers in the delivery of goods and services.

Volunteer.Gov/Gov seeks to:

• Increase the effectiveness of public sector organizations;
• Enhance relationships among different segments of our society;
• Facilitate new approaches for expanding the foundations for volunteer action; and
• Broaden the base of the American volunteer movement.

Volunteer.Gov/Gov Partners

	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers		Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service
	U.S. Forest Service		USA Freedom Corps
	Bureau of Land Management		U.S. Geological Survey
	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service		U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
	National Park Service		New York Governor's Office for Veterans Affairs
	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation		Corporation for National and Community Service
	Natural Resources Conservation Service

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