Building government capacity through carefully scoped projects, volunteers are USDR’s secret sauce. Often, these individuals are also looking for how they can make a bigger impact with their careers.
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By: Brittany Mascio, Jai Rodgers, Jenny Woo, and Kristen Eberlin
The desire to make a meaningful impact is often a driving force behind career choices. However, the pathway to work that feels like it truly is making a difference, specifically in tech, isn’t always clear. At U.S. Digital Response (USDR) we champion government service as a career trajectory ripe with opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. We also see volunteering as a pathway to empower individuals to explore public service and discover the substantial difference they can make.
The Value of Volunteering: Change and Connection
The motivations behind volunteering with USDR are diverse, but share a common thread: a desire to make a difference. Volunteers are drawn to the opportunity to apply their skills in a meaningful context, directly adding value to the lives of others. This desire to help and utilize individual talents is core to USDR’s ability to work alongside governments at all levels to ensure they have the capacity to meet the public’s needs.
“I can think of nothing more important than making sure the public’s needs are heard by the governments who serve them,” shared Anna Hoffman, UX Researcher (UXR) at Spotify and USDR volunteer. “Making sure constituents have access to services that will help them build better lives is what USDR is all about, and being even a tiny part of that always feels worthwhile.”
Volunteering with USDR is more than just lending a helping hand; it’s a strategic step toward understanding the potential of government service. Volunteers have the opportunity to work alongside government partners, tackling real-world challenges and making tangible contributions to help improve and advance public services.
Volunteer-led projects are carefully scoped, with many placements often requiring up to 10 hours a week for 8–12 weeks. With this framework, volunteers can ‘dip their toes’ in the water of government service while still providing immense value for our partners. These engagements allow volunteers to immerse themselves in projects that align with their honed skills and passions and build capacity within government teams to tackle the diverse needs of their communities. From user research to design to technical implementation, volunteers can leverage their talents to address pressing issues and improve government services, like building state digital teams to helping tenants avoid evictions.
Moreover, volunteering with USDR offers a sense of community and camaraderie. To date, USDR has built a dedicated community of over 9,000 volunteers from diverse backgrounds, driven to serve in a time of need. By collaborating with like-minded individuals, volunteers build connections and support one another on their journey towards public service. From asking questions about resumes and interviews to sharing insights about the hiring process for different government agencies, volunteers have created a network of support for one another online and off. Even more, our community is there to celebrate one another when someone successfully makes the transition into civic tech.
USDR’s Approach: Collaborative Capacity Building
At USDR, we’re committed to dispelling the notion of “tech saviorism.” Our approach is not about swooping in to save the day; it’s about collaborating with government partners to build capacity, upskill their teams, and drive sustainable change.
Rather than imposing solutions from the outside, USDR empowers government partners to lead initiatives and drive long-term impact. We vet our volunteers to ensure they align with our values of collaboration and empathy, emphasizing the importance of working alongside government experts to address real-world challenges and enhance their digital capabilities.
Service as Pathway to Government Careers
Because most people don’t get to see beyond the walls of government, volunteering opens doors to consider government jobs, showing how meaningful a career in public service can be. Through their experiences with USDR, volunteers witness firsthand the transformative power of their contributions, often with their recommendations and toolkits going directly into use rather than languishing in a project folder. This pragmatic use of their expertise helps volunteers unlock opportunities to see if their career path as a technologist aligns with the mission of public service tech. It also inspires others in the field to consider similar paths whether it’s toward fulfilling volunteer projects or viable government career moves.
With nearly five percent of deployed USDR volunteers transitioning into government or public interest tech careers, these volunteer engagements pave the way for broader systemic change. USDR aims to broaden opportunities for technical talent to engage with government projects. Through the Talent initiative, USDR is equipping government agencies with the necessary resources to establish best practices and toolkits for attracting and retaining digital talent, ultimately strengthening the workforce within the public sector.
Join Us in Building a Better Future
Volunteering with USDR offers more than just an opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects — it serves as a gateway into understanding government and public interest tech. By championing collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, USDR continues to bridge the gap between technology and public service. Volunteering with USDR empowers you to see what’s possible when you contribute to the greater good, and opens the door to discover your career potential in the public sector.
Are you interested in exploring volunteering opportunities with USDR? Learn more about how you can contribute to projects that make a real difference in communities across the country. Interested in more resources on how to dip your toes into a possible civic tech career? Check out our blog post on resources to help transition into civic tech.