Volunteerism is an integral part of our university culture. For this reason, the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement is expanding its scope to connect benefit-eligible staff to volunteer opportunities through the Dragon Volunteers Program. Through the Civic Engagement Policy, benefit-eligible employees receive up to 16 hours of paid time each year to use for civic engagement activities.

To sign-up for the Dragon Volunteers List-serv, please click here. Please note that Dragon Volunteers Program opportunities are only intended for full-time professional staff with the purpose of utilizing civic engagement leave time. If you are a student looking for volunteer opportunities, please click here. All other individuals may contact lindycenter@drexel.edu for guidance.

Full-time professional staff members may sign-up for a Dragon Volunteers opportunity in the following ways:

1. FIND A PRE-APPROVED EVENT FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR TEAM BY FOLLOWING THESE STEPS:

Step 1: Find an opportunity via Galaxy.

1. Members of the Drexel community can log in using their Drexel Connect credentials - click "Login" on the top right, then use the yellow button.Here is a detailed guide to using the site.You can also visit Galaxy's support website which contains clear, comprehensive how-to guides for whatever you might want to do on the site. 
2. The Galaxy database is easy to use and contains listings of nonprofit organizations, volunteer opportunities, events, and other information. To get the most out of the database, you should think about what types of opportunities and organizations you are looking for in advance: what social issues do you care about (homelessness, education, etc.)? Are you interested in an ongoing or one-time opportunity? Do you want to volunteer alone or with a group of colleagues? Do you feel comfortable volunteering in-person, or would you prefer virtual? In Galaxy, the main navigation menu is on the left-hand side, and you can also use filters in each section - that is where your answers to the above questions will come in handy. 
3. Note that the volunteer opportunities and events posted to Galaxy are provided by the organizations using the site, but many organizations may have opportunities that they have not posted to the site. If you are not finding the types of opportunities you are seeking, you should search the organizations and visit the website of any that interest you, as they may have volunteer and other engagement opportunities listed on their sites but not in Galaxy. You can become a "fan" of an organization as well to get alerts when they post an opportunity or event. 

Step 2: Enjoy your service experience!

Step 3: Log your hours as "Civic Engagement Time" on your timesheet or leave report.

2. ARRANGE AN INDEPENDENT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY:

Recognizing the diverse array of skills and interests of Drexel employees, the Lindy Center and the Department of Human Resources have agreed to expand the scope of the policy to include an independent civic engagement activity option. The independent civic engagement activity option will allow employees to submit a request for civic engagement leave with the organization of their choice.

All activities must meet the following specifications:
1. Activity must be with a recognized 501c3 non-profit organization. 
2. Employees may not use this time to engage in partisan political activities such as campaigning or engagement in protests, petitions, lobbying activities, or strikes. Nonpartisan activities such as staffing voter registration drives, or Election Day voting booths are approved under this policy. Please refer to Drexel Policy CPS-1, Standard 1.2.2 Guidelines, for more information: https://drexel.edu/compliance-policy-privacy/compliance/policies/cps-1/
3. For activities involving minors, the employee must be in compliance with the Protection of Minors Policy, which includes obtaining clearances for working with youth and registering the activity with the Minors Coordinator.

Please follow these steps to use your civic engagement time. You may NOT use the civic engagement time unless you are approved by both your supervisor and the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement. 

Step 1: Complete a short survey here indicating what the hours will be used for. Within 48 hours, the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement will send you an email with next steps which includes completing a waiver and obtaining supervisor approval via email. Depending upon your civic engagement activity, additional steps may include registering the program with the Minors Coordinator, obtaining clearances for working with youth, or providing more detail related to potential risks. 

Step 2: Enjoy your service experience! On the day of your activity, ask your volunteer supervisor to sign the “Dragon Volunteers Verification Form” available here. Please send it to DragonVolunteers@drexel.edu within three days of your shift.

Step 3: Log your hours, including all travel time occurring during your typical work hours, as "Civic Engagement Time" on your timesheet or leave report. 

For any questions regarding the Dragon Volunteers Program, please contact DragonVolunteers@drexel.edu.