Though our May 1 deadline has passed, we will continue to accept applications for long-term volunteering on a rolling basis. Positions are still available in Housing, Elderly Services, Disaster Relief, and Educational and Recreational Programming. Volunteers may begin their service as early as August 1 and will make a commitment of 12 months.
Benefits of Long-term Volunteering
Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Immersion in a new culture
- Living in intentional Christian community
- Valuable job-related experience
Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:
- Room and board
- Monthly stipend
- Health insurance
- Potential student loan deferment
- Potential AmeriCorps Education Award
**** Important Tax Information**** Any long-term volunteer receiving a stipend or other benefit(s) such as health insurance, room and board and any other monies that are paid on the volunteer’s behalf by CAP will receive an IRS form 1099 from CAP by January 31 of the following year. Even though you may not directly receive any money for some of these benefits, they are paid on your behalf by CAP. They will be reported to the IRS as non-employee taxable income. This generally can amount to several hundred dollars or more in income tax and/or social security tax, which is the volunteer’s responsibility to pay. CAP is not able to help with this added tax liability and recommends that all applicants consult a professional tax advisor about the impact this may have on their personal taxes. In many cases it may be advisable that quarterly tax estimate payments be paid.
Requirements
To become a long-term CAP Volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:
- Minimum age of 18 years old (21 or older preferred; placements are limited for volunteers younger than 21)
- Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
- Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
- Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP
- For positions that require volunteers to drive a CAP vehicle, applicants must be 21 or older with a good driving record
We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission. Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questionspage for more information about long-term volunteering.
Pillars of CAP Volunteer Life
At Commissioning, long-term volunteers are invited to sign a covenant representing their commitment to service, community and spirituality. Follow the links below to learn how each value contributes to the volunteer experience. Service CAP volunteers serve in a variety of programs that utilize a self-help philosophy and uplift young people. Community Whether a volunteer lives in one of CAP’s volunteer communities or independently, each volunteer makes a commitment to community life by sharing in the joys, challenges and growth that comes with being a short-term or long-term CAP volunteer. Spirituality CAP is an interdenominational organization that encourages people to share their faith and express it through their actions. Personal spiritual growth can be an integral part of the CAP volunteer experience. To foster a spiritual environment, volunteers gather for prayer and reflection after weekday dinners.
