Ways to volunteer

NASW is an organization that relies on the energy and enthusiasm of volunteers. As volunteers, members can help shape programming as part of a committee or working group, lead or contribute to projects and programs, or run for the board. NASW member volunteers are recognized each year in our ScienceWriters member magazine, as well as via our annual Diane McGurgan Volunteer Service Awards. Thank you to all who contribute and help NASW reflect the needs and interests of members.

Below is a list of currently open calls for volunteers.

Awards Committee

The NASW Awards Committee is always excited to welcome member volunteers. The committee organizes the annual Science in Society (SIS) Journalism Awards and the Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards (EIWA).

Project Volunteers for the Science in Society (SiS) Journalism Awards: We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers for two separate roles.

Screeners: This opportunity takes place from mid-February to March 31, 2025. This is a critical role in the awards process. You will be a part of the group that does the first review of entries, assessing eligibility and evaluating whether entries should move forward to the judging round.

The overall time commitment is expected to be about 20-25 hours and takes place from mid-February to the end of March. We encourage science writers of all levels of experience, including early-career, to volunteer.

Screeners will get training and support from Aparna Vidyasagar and Kate Travis, who coordinate the SIS awards.

Please sign up at this Screening Volunteer link by Friday, January 31 to be considered for SIS awards screeners.

Category Judges: This opportunity takes place from April to June 2025.

The category judges select three top entries to advance to the final judging committee. You will be a part of a team of 3-6 judges assigned to a single award category. Judges typically work asynchronously to evaluate screened entries and conduct final deliberations via conference call (~1 hour). The selected entries must be submitted to the committee by June 16, 2025.

Category judges will receive $25 coupons that can be applied to your 2026 membership renewal or registration for ScienceWriters2025.

Please sign up at this Judging Volunteer link by Friday, January 31 to be considered.

Contact NASW Awards Committee co-chair Aparna Vidyasagar and SIS program coordinator Kate Travis at awards@nasw.org for any questions. Visit this year’s awards call for SIS entries for more context and background.

Project Volunteers for the Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards (EIWA): We are currently looking for volunteer judges of all levels of institutional and/or science writing experience, including early career. This opportunity takes place from April to August. Selected volunteers will receive an email with instructions in early April.

You will be part of a team of 3-5 judges that will review screened entries in a single awards category. After reading and scoring your assigned entries, your team will work together to select a winner and honorable mentions. Entries are accessed and scored using an online platform. Judges may correspond via email and will typically deliberate via conference call (~1 hour) to make their final selections. These selections and a quote about the winning piece must be submitted to the EIWA program coordinator by August 15.

Judges will receive $25 coupons that can be applied to your 2026 membership renewal or registration for ScienceWriters2025.

Please sign up at this Judging Volunteer link by Friday, January 31 to be considered.

Contact Awards Committee Co-chair Charna Albert at awards@nasw.org for any questions.

Judging and Screening opportunities are open to NASW Professional and Student Members.

Info Access Committee

The NASW Info Access Committee is looking for enthusiastic member volunteers to join the committee! NASW members interested in facilitating open communication among journalists, PIOs, and government agencies are encouraged to join.

One or two volunteers are needed to serve as Project Coordinators to manage the NASW Information Access Standards best-practices document. Developed after a summit of journalists and PIOs in October 2018, the guide has somewhat fallen out of memory — so we have a goal to revive this resource, continue engaging professional users within NASW and beyond, and to update the resource or convene future summits as needed. Learn more about the standards and download the poster at: https://www.nasw.org/infoaccessstandards

We are also interested in adding new Committee Members and a Committee Co-Chair who could strengthen the committee’s subject area expertise in policy issues, such as media access and press freedoms. The goal here is to position the committee to be more alert to U.S. federal, state, and local policies and current events that affect the NASW professional community — and to advise the NASW Board of Directors on potential areas needing attention or action. If you already love tracking these developments, then inquire with your interest to join the Info Access Committee!

The time commitment will depend on the eventual rhythm of regular committee meetings, the Info Access Standards project effort, and the policy tracking and alerts efforts. At minimum, expect 2-4 hours per month to prepare for and participate in committee meetings online. The Committee Co-Chair is expected to incur more hours, managing volunteers, leading meetings, and communicating with the NASW Board.

For more details, please contact Info Committee chair Teresa Carey at infoaccess@nasw.org.

This opportunity is open to all NASW member categories.

Journalism Committee

The NASW Journalism Committee is looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to serve as Project Coordinator for a new investigative journalism grant. The manager's role will be to compile applications, coordinate a small group of volunteers to screen or judge entries, and report on the group’s consensus on grant recipients.

Recruiting of volunteer judges and setup of judging workflow will need to take place in October/November, but the bulk of work will be done between November 18, when applications are due, and early December 2024, when the selected awardees list is delivered to NASW staff for processing. The time commitment will depend on how many applications are submitted, but we estimate the commitment will be 36~40 hours across three months, with the option to continue coordinating future rounds of the grant.

Additionally, the Journalism committee seeks four to six volunteers as Screeners or Judges for the investigative journalism grant. Responsibilities will include reading and evaluating applications, and meeting with other volunteers and the project manager once or twice to discuss decisions. The bulk of work will be done between November 18, when applications are due, and early December 2024, when the finalist list must be delivered to NASW staff for processing. The time commitment will depend on how many applications are submitted, but we estimate the commitment will be no more than 8 hours for the screeners, and 12~18 hours for judges.

For more details, please contact Journalism Committee co-chairs Emily Sohn and Betsy Mason at journalism@nasw.org

This opportunity is open to NASW Professional Members; those with experience and familiarity as practicing journalists will be preferred.

Annual Volunteer Calls

Some volunteer needs follow a rough annual pattern. Watch the website for volunteer calls during these times:

Questions? Contact director@nasw.org.

Committee chairs: Are you in need of volunteers for your committee or help with a special project? Write up a call and send it to director@nasw.org. for posting here.

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