Welcome to America’s Natural and Cultural Resources Volunteer Portal built and maintained by the Federal Interagency Team on Volunteerism (FITV) that is comprised of volunteer program coordinators from three Cabinet level departments. The Portal was launched July 30, 2002 at a White House ceremony, when President Bush announced the deployment of the USA Freedom Corps site found at both www.usafreedomcorps.gov as well as www.volunteer.gov. In addition to being a partner with the President’s site, the Portal is also partnered with the Take Pride in America® site found at www.TakePride.gov. The Portal interfaces with both of these sites the through a shared XML data sharing arrangement.

Since its initial deployment in 2002, the Portal has grown into a strategic alliance of governmental partners from all levels - local, State, and Federal Government dedicated to serving the volunteer community by populating this e-Government site with volunteer positions and events for citizens interested in volunteer service benefitting our Nation’s resources.

The Portal is a first-of-its-kind service that provides applicants with all that they need to find a volunteer opportunity, and serves to help them make the best match possible between their personal requirements and their choice of volunteer work throughout America’s vast land base and expansive resources. The Portal is a free, fast, and efficient way to connect volunteers with natural and cultural resources agencies.

Volunteer member agencies’ logos are depicted on the homepage accompanied with a short synopsis of each agency’s programs and a hot link to their sites as well. Each of the agencies’ contacts may be found on the Contact US page. In addition, the Portal has a hot link to both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) to their volunteer programs sites.

A volunteer events calendar features episodic volunteer opportunities and a U.S. map also opens to each of the 50 state government seals behind which are hot links to volunteer opportunities for state natural and cultural resource agencies. Cities and counties are encouraged to post their natural and cultural resources volunteer opportunities on the Portal.

For the last six years the Portal has had a banner entitled "Building America’s Community of Service." Now, although the Portal is being branded as "America’s Natural and Cultural Volunteer Resource Portal," it will continue to host the Veterans’ opportunities of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - VISN 2, Upstate NY and the State of New York Division of Veterans Affairs that were original partners of the site. Additionally, the Portal will display the national Veterans’ Administration’s logo and provide a hot link to its volunteer site as a tribute to those who have served the Nation so valiantly.

How to Use the Portal
Information on finding the right volunteer opportunity and making the most out of your service is important for all concerned. The whole process begins with the agency volunteer coordinator or resource professional determining what work needs to be conducted and if it is an activity or task that is suitable for a volunteer to perform. After this needs analysis is completed, a position description can be posted on the Portal. Individuals can begin to search for public sector volunteer opportunities, first by searching by Opportunity Types located on the pull down center of the home page. The list of volunteer categories is exactly like the printed interest announcement that the federal agencies use to recruit – it is digitized here and interactive to expedite handling. Once you have picked a category or activity (i.e.; from archaeology to weed/invasive species control), the page will return all the opportunities for this category for every single state. However, if you only want to see an activity in your state; you may click it on the map for opportunities specific to that state.

Alternatively, you can search by Key Word Search, Partner Agency and/or Zip Code Search. The Zip Code Search will search all opportunities within 30 miles of your search zip code. After you have explored the various opportunities and made a decision on which position(s) suits your needs, you can register on-line. Notifications are sent immediately to applicants and to the coordinator who originally posted the position(s). After reviewing the applications, the volunteer coordinator will notify you of the next steps.

In some instances, state and local agencies are linked to their respective sites where the public will have to contact the coordinators by phone, e-mail, or mail in downloadable registrations. As a service, the Portal provides hot links to state government’s internet sites for their official state homepages, parks, tourism, environmental quality, departments of fish and game, state events, state history/geography, and volunteer sites for states’ parks and fish and game agencies nationwide. To locate these sites, chick on the map and the state seal will appear at the top of the page.