Volunteer Oath
U.S. Digital Response Team Volunteer Oath
The Volunteer Oath outlines who we are as an organization and how we expect volunteers and all community members to show up in this work. The guidelines and examples provided in this section are designed to outline our commitment to each other and to the partners we work with. This section embodies the values we’ll uphold, the approach we’ll bring with us every day, and the promises we’ll hold ourselves accountable to in these extraordinary circumstances.
I. About Us
At U.S. Digital Response (USDR), experienced, pro bono technologists work with government and organizations responding to crisis, to quickly deliver critical services and infrastructure that support the needs of the public. Please read more about the U.S. Digital Response (USDR) effort and our impact here: www.usdigitalresponse.org.
II. About Skills Needed
Right now, the federal, state, local, and tribal governments need more experienced professionals who can fill a variety of roles as crises continue to disrupt lives. We recognize skills our community possesses -- technology, data analytics, online support, among others -- are needed in supporting roles in response to crisis. Technical needs range from creating new systems to manage COVID-19 testing requests, to supporting marketing and content development for local websites that are now overloaded. Importantly, USDR members need to be willing to work within legacy technical systems and constraints that many governments operate within. Members may also be working with employees or contractors of governments or teams that partner with USDR (“Partners”).
Keep reading this Volunteer Oath to determine if contributing to our community’s efforts at USDR is a good fit for you.
III. About All of Us
No matter what role you play, perhaps more important than hard skills you have is the attitude and emotional intelligence you bring to the work in a high-intensity environment.
Great USDR community members will:
Recognize that we as technologists and professionals are in a support role. Our job is to support those on the front line of the crises. They are the heroes. Our job is to focus our support on them including understanding their needs.
Assume positive intent. Public servants operate under constraints but are almost always doing their best, and we must honor that.
Follow and listen to directions, and implement feedback quickly.
Have the humility and confidence to do whatever is needed to support the project as directed by the partner, at all levels of a project or organization. You’re someone who will carry boxes, and also knows when to step up with grace if there’s a gap, and defer when there is not.
Have high ethical standards and a deep passion for supporting your community members.
Be willing to push for change where you can (e.g., let’s move away from expensive vendor solutions that will take months to configure), but also recognize that especially in this crisis, your number one job is to help others. That means you’re willing to get off your soapbox and work within legacy systems and other very real technical, legal, and capacity constraints.
Come to the table asking “how can I help” as opposed to “why aren’t we doing it a different way?”
Be a great communicator — there will be a lot of moving pieces and email threads you’ll be dropped into. Keep the USDR updated on your work, share your learnings proactively, identify ways we can work more effectively or have more impact, and ask for help when you need it. The last piece is especially important — we want to hear more from you!
Not offer your time and energy for credit, self-promotion, or other individual advances, but be here for the work and to help others.
IV. The U.S. Digital Response Volunteer Oath
As a USDR Community Member, I promise to:
Listen to the direction of the partner and do what is needed most -- even if that is unglamorous. I will be the person who’s willing to carry the boxes, refill the water, and order lunch (and whatever the digital equivalent is).
Always start by asking how I can help, before offering new ways of doing things.
See what other projects, people, or organizations that might be working in a related space -- and consider how we can work together, if feasible and possible -- before getting started
Ask “why” when I don’t understand, recognizing that everyone’s ideas, skills, and contributions have value.
Listen more than I speak.
Recognize the sensitivity of this moment and the work, and will not speak publicly about any projects that haven’t explicitly been highlighted by USDR already in published materials or the press. Rather, when speaking about any projects or work I’ve seen or participated in, I will anonymize the government or organization’s name and project information (Ex: City of XXX becomes “a government”; Non-Profit XYZ becomes “a non-governmental organization"; data scraping from COVID-19 ethnicity state websites" becomes "analyzing COVID-19 data”).
Respect the privacy of any personal information that I encounter in my role as a USDR Team volunteer, and use reasonable security practices to protect data I have access to; comply with the USDR Privacy Policy and Security Protocol.
Update USDR of any changes to your availability, project status and progress, and report any issues or updates to USDR as soon as possible.
Understand and uphold our mission, values, and development guidelines.
Contribute to and uphold an environment free of harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, veteran status, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, national origin, marital status, or any other characteristics protected under federal or state law or local ordinance.
Comply with applicable law, as well as any operating procedures of our partners.
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