American Philatelic Society

Support the Hobby

Volunteer

Volunteering is the perfect way to feel connected to your hobby or to your community. The APS and APRL operate with a staff of 35 full-time employees (and seveal weekly volunteers) dedicated to providing services to our 35,000+ members. However, volunteers have become a vital part of not only our daily operations but with our show participation, youth programs, mentor services, and more.

Locally we offer volunteer opportunities to family, friends, visiting or local members; we host an annual Volunteer Work Week; and we participate in community volunteer programs with neighboring youth and retirees. During 2011 about 20 volunteers will contribute approximately 8,500 hours of volunteer service at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. This does not include board and committee members nor the many additional volunteers working from home or other locations.

Ways to Volunteer

Volunteering to help the APS/APRL is an easy decision, but many people do not know how to begin.
First decide what works for you.

Volunteer at our headquarters building
If you are local or just visiting and want to help out, we look forward to having you! Stamp experience is not necessarily required. Stamp collectors can provide important volunteer assistance in Circuit Sales Division, in the American Philatelic Research Library, and in the Expertizing and Education Departments. But we have jobs for less- or no-experienced volunteers, too! The APS Education, Administration, and Shows Departments as well as the Library need help in different areas - sorting stamps, secretarial work, data entry, etc.

Please schedule your volunteer visit at least 2 weeks in advance so that we can plan accordingly. Or, join us for Volunteer Work Week! Contact Cathy Brachbill by email or phone (814) 933-3803 ext. 239.

Volunteer at our annual shows
Without the support of many dedicated volunteers, we would have to hire additional staff and likely charge admission to our annual StampShow and AmeriStamp Expo. While most of the volunteers come from the local area, members as well as their spouses and children are sometimes in the show and want to help. Visit the StampShow Volunteer or AmeriStamp Volunteer pages to see the dates and tasks that we need help with.

Helping from Home
There are many ways you can volunteer from home or help promote stamp collecting from your home town.

Downloadable Stamp Album Pages: Assist with the development of new albums to be posted on the APS website. Create an album with your club members or for your philatelic organization to attract new members to join you, like the Swiss Sampler created by American Helvetia Philatelic Society.

Donation Processing: Prepare donations to be used in current APS outreach programs, such as the All Star youth clubs, adult beginner classes, and stamp show youth areas. Learn more.

Stamp Collecting 101 workshop: Host a workshop in your area using resources from the APS Education Department. (An instruction guide to help hold your own seminar.)

Stamp Collecting News Article: Write an article for your local newspaper’s family section to promote hobbies. Sample article.

You Tube Videos: Create and post a video that features some aspect of the hobby. (See step-by-step insructions)

APS One-Frame Exhibits: Help us update our exhibits that were donated to be shared with shows as fill-ins.

Interested in any of the above? Contact volunteer@stamps.org, or call (814) 933-3803 ext. 239.