For information about volunteer opportunities, sign up for our mailing list or contact our Volunteer Coordinator David Tseng.
Volunteering for PILF
Starting in Fall 2011, we implemented a new system for signing up for hours and viewing hours completed. In each volunteer-related PILF email, there will be a number of links in the signature portion of the email. Using these links, you can sign up for volunteer opportunities, view whether or not you “won” the opportunity, and view your current assignments and cumulative hours earned. The links and descriptions are listed here for your convenience.
Sign up for the listserv here: https://lists.duke.edu/sympa/info/pilf
Go to this link to sign up for opportunities: www.tinyurl.com/pilfsignup
Access this document to see if you were among the first to sign up: www.tinyurl.com/pilfvolunteerform
Go here to view all assignments that have been assigned for the 2011-2012 year and to view the cumulative hours of volunteers: www.tinyurl.com/pilfhours
How do I sign up to volunteer?
Click on the sign-up link in the email you received regarding the volunteer opportunity. Then when you fill out the form to sign up for opportunities, it is important that you use the information posted in the volunteer opportunities exactly as it appears in the opportunity when you sign up on the form.
Example:
Ticket Sales
Estimated hours: 2
Coordinator: David T.
Description: We seek one volunteer to sell tickets to our annual auction and gala on Thursday and Friday at 12pm – 1:30pm.
Notes: Please specify whether you want the friday time or the thursday time
You would type in the name of the activity exactly as it appears (ex: “Ticket Sales”) and make sure you make notes if needed, otherwise we will not know if you are signing up for one shift over another and you may not receive the assignment.
Did I receive the assignment?
One link takes you to the response sheet, where you can see, based on the timestamp of your submission, if you were one of the first ones to sign up for a certain project.
The response sheet alone is not confirmation that you “won” an assignment. If you are officially the winner, you will receive an email from the Volunteer Coordinator and/or the Coordinator in charge of the project confirming if you have received the assignment. Otherwise, the coordinator should email you. If you believe that you won something but received no emails regarding “winning” the opportunity by 24 hours later, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator.
How many hours do I have?
The link to the assignment listing and hours has two tabs. One keeps track of individual opportunities that have occurred, who got them, and how many hours they’ve earned. The second tab keeps track of cumulative hours earned.
Can I email to sign up for assignments?
No, unless it is specifically allowed.
To sign up, use the forms linked to in each email signature/listed in this document. This is the ONLY WAY we will be accepting responses. We believe this will make the process easier so that PILF volunteers will not be emailing back not knowing if they receive the assignment or not. Now you simply sign up, and then go to the response page to see if you were the first one, or first 3, or whatever to sign up.
Backing out of Volunteer Commitments
We strongly urge you to make sure you are free from conflicts before signing up for an activity. Repeated cancellations could impact your ability to receive future assignments. In all cases, cancellations must be made at least 48 hours prior to a scheduled volunteer activity unless you were notified less than 48 hours before the start of the activity. Excuses for cancellations less than 48 hours prior to an activity will be reviewed and adjudicated by the Volunteer Coordinator. If necessary, an appeal can be made to the entire PILF Board, which will deal with issues on a case-by-case basis. Final decisions are entirely within the discretion of the Board.
Special Rules may be put into place for certain activities, such as the Auction.
Please feel free to email with questions or concerns about this new process. It is still in a bit of a beta mode.
*These guidelines are subject to change without notice.
(updated January 29, 2012)