Now Open: ECCS' Volunteer Application

Good luck to the applicants!

The Admins have spent quite a while perfecting the application process and these new forms so set some time aside to answer them thoroughly.

If you want to join the team, but you are not sure what you have to offer send in an application! I hardly knew anything about the Advisor position before I applied; it wasn't even the position that I checked on my application. The staff will dedicate the time to ensure that the position that you are considering will be a perfect fit. We will also recommend alternative positions if there is any uncertainty on either side. Not to mention, there are quite a few new additions, so if you aren't certain what to apply for, then apply for the position that you are giving the most thought to and make your flexibility to accept another role known within the application.

Younger Members: There are no age or education requirements to apply. While there are some positions where education and expertise is expected, there are plenty of positions that largely require maturity, dedication, and consistency. You are perfectly capable of displaying those characteristics. The largest number of new staff will likely come from those roles, so don't feel intimidated or inadequate.

Older Members: The biggest concern that I have heard from older members is whether they will be able to dedicate the time. Virtually all members of staff are full-time students or average working citizens. These are not positions where we expect you to clock in for several hours of day. Staff can also take hiatuses in cases where they have greater personal responsibilities to tend to. If you already post regularly, then you most likely have the time. We are taking on more people to ensure that the work that we do remains pleasant and doesn't feel laborious.

Overall, it will be exciting to see who gives these applications a try and takes these spots!

 

Can regular members volunteer? Or this is just strictly for full members only?

 

Hmmm, you've piqued my interest. I'm pretty shit hot at marketing (it used to be my job ), but I'm having a hard time seeing how it would be carried out purely over the internet and I have a feeling it will be more US based?

I can see a Facebook and Twitter presence working (I'm involved with youth work in my area) but how would the likes of Youtube work seen as we are an online community? I do a fair bit of graphic designing (mostly posters and the odd logo) would that be combined with a different role as I can't imagine it being particularly busy?

 

I missed something out of my application, who's the best to PM this about.

Also I put it off until this afternoon as I saw the progress bar was only at 10% so I thought it was going to be 10 pages of questions, it was only 3!

 

I want to help out, but I'm not comfortable with sharing photo ID. Oh well, it's great that you're doing background checks, and I hope you find some awesome volunteers!

 

Any idea how long the process will take?

 

A lot of the positions strike me as being a means to get professional services pro bono, which is a bit irksome. It's one thing to ask people to moderate the forums and provide advice to people in a more formal capacity, or even work to promote the community outside of EC, but it's another to ask people to provide professional services that they would, under ordinary circumstances, be well compensated for.

It also seems like a bloated amd complex structure befitting a much larger organization, but I digress.

Best of luck to all the candidates.

 

That is exactly how non-profits typically operate. Generally, the only paid positions are when they are so large that they NEED some full time staff, and then, only that full time staff is paid, and the pay is not the same as a similar for-profit. For several years, I've volunteered with a few non-profits, and currently manage the IT side of a couple sites for a local amateur radio club. By the club's bylaws, (and, as an extension of some federal laws) I can't be paid for that work. I can be (and usually am) reimbursed for materials, but, my labor is free.

 

It may be like that, but what's wrong with it? I've done and do a lot of volunteering work, my skills are invaluable to those organisations and they could never afford to pay for. I enjoy doing it and I love seeing the difference I make and that's all I need to know it's worth my time.

If I wanted to I could make £2000 a weekend as a powerboat instructor with my own school, but I chose instead to spend that time with Sea Scouts - training them and making money for the group by tutoring other people who hired out boats.

 

The majority of those who "work" at my LGBT center do so on a volunteer basis. They even will have those assigned volunteer work as dictated by the courts clean the buildings, provided they are not violent offenders. My counselor there was a student and on an unpaid internship. The county health department donates their time to have people there twice a month for full STD training and there are people there from other AIDS organizations. I think it is great for this site to have professionals available. Having nurses, doctors, and mental health professionals here is so valuable.

 

i have applied for the chat room moderator and the form moderator, do you have any idea if that requires any id, because if so i dont know if i can provide that, i have a school id but is that enough? also the application asked for my ocupation so i put in high school student, does that count or do i have to resubmit the fourm?