NSS Volunteer Opportunities
The NSS is a volunteer organization. Cavers who give their time and talents to the NSS are what make our Society tick. Some jobs can represent a long term commitment, others may be for a specific event or task that we need special expertise or a willing pair of hands to accomplish.
Is there an NSS program you'd like to become involved with? Not every committee position is listed on this web page! Committees nearly always need help and new blood, and often have projects on a list awaiting a volunteer. Contact an appropriate committee chairman or NSS Officer about taking on a project or joining a committee now. This is often how new NSS projects and programs develop and new committees are formed. It is also a part of how the Society remains a dynamic organization.
Click here for the list of Permanent Committees.
Click here to visit the Executive
Search Committee
Click here to visit the Nominating Committee
Listed below are current leadership opportunities that you can apply your time and talents to. Just click the job title for a complete description and contact. Please use the contact information provided in each job description to let us know that you can help!
The NSS Board of Governors is comprised of the 5 officers and 12 directors. Directors serve 3-year terms, and for continuity, four are elected each year. It is desirable for all areas of the country to be represented. The membership elects directors in May, and nominations (volunteers) must be received by February 1. If you would like to help guide the Society, please contact Nathan Farrar, chair of the Nominating Commitee, at nominating@caves.org.
NSS Board of Governors Recording Secretary
After many years of service, Jean Devries has asked to step down as the NSS Board of Governors Recording Secretary to concentrate on her position as an NSS Director. We are seeking a replacement for Jean. The Recording Secretary's role is to keep the minutes of the Board of Governors meeting, assist in preparation of the board agenda, and read board motions during meetings. This is a volunteer position with no pay or remuneration. Attendance at the board meetings is required and not reimbursed. This position reports to the President of the Society.
Please send inquiries to President Geary Schindel at president@caves.org. (7/3/2017)
Webmaster for the Conservation Committee Web Pages
The Conservation Committee is seeking a new webmaster for their pages on the NSS server. The site is available at:
http://caves.org/committee/conservation/.
Please send inquiries to Val Hildreth at werks@zianet.com. (3/16/2016)
Social Media Committee Members
The social media committee seeks volunteers to assist with creating and posting content across our social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and others. Volunteers with social media and/or graphic design experience are especially encouraged to join the team! Please contact the Social Media Chair at socialmedia@caves.org for details. (9/12/2013)
This committee works to develop an educational program on caves, to be taught in schools (kindergarten through high school), based on Project Underground. This committee is responsible for external NSS environmental education activities, including developing material and coordinating resources of the NSS for this purpose. The committee assists Project Underground, Inc., a national karst environmental education program. This committee can assist the Television Video Production Committee in the development of such educational activities, workshops, and teaching aids as may be required for film or video production projects.
If you are interested in chairing or joining this committee, or would like more information, please contact Jean DeVries, Chief of Education Division. (9/10/2013)
The Information Technology (IT) Committee is seeking an experienced administrator for the Society's web server, as well as a backup server in a physically isolated location. The server is Linux-based, running Apache. In the near future, a second server may be added. The Admin is responsible for server configuration, maintenance, and upgrades, with a goal of 99.5% uptime. The Admin also provides advice and assistance to the IT Committee Chair and Webmaster, and must be available on no notice in the event of a server malfunction. For additional technical information, contact Charles Goldsmith; For information about the position, and to apply, contact the Operations Vice President, Dave Haun. (7/21/2015)
Regional Youth Group Coordinators
The Youth Group Liaison Committee is looking for Regional Coordinators for NCA, ARA and MVOR. These are volunteer positions, basically coordinating information and recommendations between youth organizations and responsible cavers and grottos in your region. For more information please feel free to contact Allen Maddox at nssyouth@caves.org. (9/10/2013)
Volunteer Value Database Manager
The NSS Conservation Division would like to add a Volunteer Value Database Manager to its team. If you have database skills and are interested in an contributing time and expertise to the NSS, please read on.
Cavers give more time, labor, and expertise, spend more of their own money, and are recognized, particularly by Federal Agencies, for having more project persistence than any other land-using group in America. A name has been coined all this donated effort: Volunteer Value.
Volunteer Value represents huge contributions to caves on private, state, and federal lands. Cavers give significantly to the protection, exploration, scientific investigation, conservation, and preservation of cave and karst resources, and through the Volunteer Value program this important work is quantified, recorded and recognized.
By assigning dollar values to the time and expertise volunteered, we can assess the value of the work cavers provide to public land managers and private landowners. This documentation can be used for grant application processes, cave management proposals, and karst protection efforts.
Three simple forms have been created for recording caver contributions to cave-related projects, and calculating Volunteer Value. Copies of the forms can accessed electronically through the NSS Web site, www.caves.org . Click on Conservation and then on Volunteer Value.
Now we would like to create a national database to handle volunteer information for inclusion in NSS Biennial Reports, funding applications, and cave protection and management efforts.
If you have expertise and interest in database projects, and would like to play a major role in expanding this program, please contact Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker, NSS Conservation Division Co-Chairs, werks@zianet.com
The Secretary-Treasurer is currently seeking volunteers for the Finance Committee. Board Act 16-045, "The Finance Committee is charged with helping to prepare the budget and other things so designated." A well-appreciated volunteer would be requested to assist with the budget, overhaul the accounting system, and assist the Audit Committee with regards to the auditor questions. Accounting knowledge would be an asset to the Committee. The Secretary-Treasurer would love to have several volunteers to spread the volunteer time around to keep from a burn out. The society could use volunteers with accounting knowledge to help the society achieve their mission. For more information please feel free to contact Gaylene Speaect at S-T@caves.org. (6/11/2017)
Email your volunteer opportunities (with contact information) to asstwebmaster@caves.org
