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. Serve at an event open to all full-time professional staff members by following these steps:

Step 1: Find an opportunity via Career Pathway.

1. Log-in to Drexel One. 
2. Select Employees tab.
3. Select Career Pathway.
4. Select Learning tab.
5. Select Events Calendar to view Dragon Volunteers options. Each opportunity will be labeled "Dragon Volunteers: Event Name."
6. Request the session of your choice. Your supervisor will need to approve the request before it will appear on your Career Pathway transcript.

Step 2: Enjoy your service experience!

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

2. Arrange a group opportunity for your department (or group of pre-identified colleagues):

Step 1: Contact DragonVolunteers@drexel.edu to obtain a current list of group opportunities.

Step 2: Determine a project that best suits your group's interests and availability.

Step 3: The opportunity will be added to Career Pathway for only your group to see. Each employee must register for the opportunity by following these steps:

1. Log-in to Drexel One.
2. Select Employees tab.
3. Select Career Pathway.
4. Select Learning tab.
5. Select Events Calendar to view Dragon Volunteers options. Each opportunity will be labeled "Dragon Volunteers: Event Name (department only)."
6. Request the session of your choice. You will not need supervisor approval for events organized by departments

Step 4: Enjoy your service experience!

Step 5: Log your hours as "Civic Engagement Time" on your time-sheet or leave report.

3. 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 starting April 1, 2019. 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 CPO-1 for more information: https://drexel.edu/cpo/policies/cpo-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.