Volunteer Opportunities

Support the African Library Project by volunteering your expertise and time toward initiatives that are changing lives, book by book. 

Current Volunteer Openings:

  • Board Member
  • Container Manager
  • Operations Director
  • Book Drive Organizer (ongoing): If interested in becoming a Book Drive Organizer (collect, organize, and ship books), please learn more and register here.

 

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Board Member – Three Year Term

General Position Overview

The mission of the African Library Project (ALP) is to change lives book by book, together with partners in Africa and North American volunteers, to create, improve and sustain libraries in African communities. We are a growing, primarily volunteer-based non-profit.

The role of the Board: The Board of Directors is the highest leadership and governance body of the organization. To fulfill its fiduciary duties, the ALP Board is responsible for setting the mission and strategic objectives of the organization; selecting and evaluating the performance of the Executive Director; fundraising and resource development; approving and monitoring programs and services; enhancing the organization’s public image; establishing good governance policies and ensuring compliance.

Expectations of Individual Board Members: Our Board members are expected to: know the organization’s mission, policies, programs and needs; faithfully read and understand the organization’s financial statements; serve as active advocates and ambassadors for the organization; engage in identifying and securing the resources and partnerships necessary for African Library Project to advance its mission; give a meaningful personal donation (monetary or in-kind); help identify resources that can benefit the organization’s fundraising and public standing; prepare for, attend and conscientiously participate in board meetings; participate fully on one or more committees.

Our Board of Directors consists of talented, energetic professionals who volunteer their efforts. We share a passion for education, books, literacy, global development, and Africa. The ALP Board is committed to expanding diversity at all levels of the organization and creating inclusive processes and opportunities for dialogue and joint program development with our African partners. Board members may reside anywhere in the world if they are able to have access to fulfill their board responsibilities.

We are seeking for 4 board members who share these interests, bring their unique perspectives, and have one or more of the following skills and expertise: Development, Donor Relations, Grants, Fundraising, Legal, Finance, Marketing/Public Relations/Communications, Board management and governance, Engagement with African communities (strongly preferred), International development, Library work, and Literacy education.

About ALP: African Library Project is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to expanding opportunities by creating spaces that nurture literacy. We create and improve small libraries in African communities that have had limited access to literary materials. Since 2005, our organization has established over 3,860 libraries in schools and communities across 13 African countries. That’s over 4 million books! We are a growing non-profit guided by values of partnership, involvement, and sustainability. We currently work in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda. African Library Project is proud to partner with outstanding organizations and individuals who are dedicated to promoting literacy and library development in Africa. In the United States and Canada, volunteers organize book drives and raise funds to ship the books overseas. Once those books are gathered and mailed, African Library Project relies on a network of dedicated partners within Africa to get them to each community – no matter how far. In addition to selecting and vetting each library recipient, our trusted partners provide training on how to set up and run a library in a rural community. Together, we evaluate the use of our libraries, measure our impact, and share in developing best practices. The African Library Project’s goal is to make sure our libraries remain active and continue to enrich those who need them the most. Learn more about us at: www.AfricanLibraryProject.org

Time Commitment: 10 hours/month, quarterly virtual Board Meetings on Saturdays (3 hours – 12-3pm ET / 3x a year – Feb, Apr, Nov), Committee Meetings (2-3 hours/month), Annual Retreat (Weekend, 1.5 days, Aug/Sept)

Term: June 2024 – June 2027

    To apply, please send your resume of relevant experience and a cover letter to Lauren Small at Execdir@africanlibraryproject.org.

    Container Manager – volunteer position

    General Position Overview

    The Container Manager role is a volunteer position that is essential for completing the African Library Project’s (ALP) mission, one that requires volunteers with the goal of getting the books to the children and the persistence to succeed. The ideal candidate will find satisfaction in working with other volunteers and tracking the progress of book drives to facilitate the shipment of libraries to Africa.

    This is a remote position that requires the ability to commit flexible hours. Some periods will require commitment of several hours weekly to only a few hours weekly for slower periods.

    Core Responsibilities

    A Container Manager is responsible for managing two shipping containers of books every year. Each container contains 30 – 60 libraries and can involve several dozen Book Drive Organizers to make this effort possible. This process involves matching Book Drive Organizers (BDOs) in North America with specific libraries in a partner country, communicating by email and/or phone to guide BDOs through the book drive process, entering data and information into a database (excel and Salesforce), and sending instructions and other information to BDOs. The ideal candidate must be able to collaborate and communicate with other volunteers, including BDOs, Country Liaisons, Operations Director, and other Container Managers.

    Container Managers are responsible for managing two containers every year, and each container takes 3-4 months. This job can be done remotely from your home and personal computer.

    Qualifications

    • Basic data entry, Microsoft Word, and Excel background and knowledge. ALP will provide training on how to operate the database.
    • A minimum time commitment of one year with 4 to 6 hours a week, extended commitment of time in the beginning for proper and thorough training, attendance and participation on the Operations Committee (~4 meetings annually).
    • An individual with attention to detail, good organizational skills, and a willingness to take the time to learn the technological processes with Salesforce and Google spreadsheets for record keeping

      To apply, please send your resume of relevant experience and a cover letter to Lauren Small at Execdir@africanlibraryproject.org.

      Past Summits

      View photo albums and more!

      2022 Virtual sessions

      Due to COVID-19 policies and enforced travel restrictions, the 2022 Summit was held virtually as two mini sessions. This allowed us to invite everyone who supports our work to join. Although the virtual sessions do not come close to replacing the power of an actual in-person gathering, they did allow for our community to hear from our Malawi and Kenyan Partners to present about their country and best practices for their work. There was also time for an open dialogue for the entire community. 

      The first session was hosted by the Malawi Partners in April 2022 (watch recording on YouTube) and the second session was hosted by the Kenyan Partners in November 2022 (watch recording on YouTube).