Volunteers (F-1 Students only)

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An F-1 student may volunteer for Serendipitous Dream Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, where this practice does not violate any state or federal labor laws.

In your response, please reply with your civic, charitable, and humanitarian reasons that you want to volunteer for Serendipitus Dream Inc. Also, choose an IRS/NTEE activity code from the list:

https://nccs.urban.org/publication/irs-activity-codes

Please be prepared to answer the following questions:

What is the activity?

Who conducts the activity?

When is the activity conducted?

Where is the activity conducted?

How does the activity further the organization's exempt purposes?

What percentage of the organization's total time is allocated to the activity?

How is the activity funded? (Advance your own funds or conduct a fundraiser)

Note: An individual is not entitled to unjustly enrich himself/herself at the organization's expense.

The term ''volunteer’’ means an individual performing services for Serendipitous Dream Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization who does not receive- (A) compensation (other than reasonable reimbursement or allowance for expenses actually incurred); or (B) any other thing of value in lieu of compensation, in excess of $500 per year, and such term includes a volunteer serving as a director, officer, trustee, or direct service volunteer.

To maintain status, the commitment must be at least 20 hours per week for an international student on post-completion OPT.

Note: Do F-1 students need employment authorization to volunteer as part of COVID-19 relief efforts?

No, F-1 students who work without wages, taxable compensation or other remuneration are considered volunteers and are not required to obtain an employment authorization document.

In determining whether a volunteer has provided services to a particular organization, courts consider the strength of the volunteer’s affiliation with the organization, the organization’s ability to initiate or request services from the volunteer, the organization’s supervision over the volunteer’s work, and the volunteer’s accountability to the organization.

Your volunteering must serve a public rather than a private interest.