Thank you for your interest in volunteering! New volunteers typically begin at the committee level under either the Technical and Educational Council (TEC) or the Standards Council. TEC committees develop and review technical and educational products, including manuals, policy statements, Journal AWWA, AWWA Water Science, and Opflow articles, conference workshops and special topic sessions, webinars, eLearning courses, TEC-funded projects and more. Standards committees work to write, revise and review AWWA Standards under the ANSI process.

Membership on a TEC committee is simple: find a committee based on your interests by examining the TEC Committee Organization Chart, or by exploring committees by topic on the volunteer website. Membership is open to any volunteer with relevant experience, and there are no limits to the number of volunteers on a TEC committee. Fill out a volunteer application and specify which TEC committee you would like to join.

Anyone with relevant experience is also encouraged to apply to become a member of a Standards Committee. To comply with ANSI regulations, committees must be balanced with an equal number of producers, users, and general interest members. Committee membership is also subject to chair approval. Fill out a volunteer application and specify which Standards committee you would like to join.

New volunteers may also wish to participate with their local AWWA section. AWWA Sections have different committee opportunities. Please see section services to connect with your AWWA Section and find the right volunteer opportunity.

We occasionally have committees and opportunities where we are actively recruiting volunteers with relevant experience. This is typically to complete a project or review a Standard or Manual on schedule. Please check the “Volunteers Needed!” tab on the main volunteer page for immediate recruitment opportunities.

These immediate openings are NOT the only opportunities to volunteer with AWWA, however! All committees under the Standards Council and Technical and Educational (TEC) Council welcome applicants at all times. We also accept applications for leadership positions on Councils and in leadership on a rolling basis. Please find the right committee or opportunity now by selecting the “Find an Opportunity Based on Your Interests” or reach out to staff at volunteer.awwa.org

Committee members on TEC and Standards Council are not required to travel. The majority of committee work takes place over conference calls and e-mails. Committees often will hold meetings at ACE and specialty conferences that allow for face-to-face interaction. While you are encouraged to attend, attendance is not required. At this time, AWWA cannot provide any travel assistance for committee volunteers to attend meetings.

For appointed members of Councils, Divisions and the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, travel to meetings is required and sometimes reimbursed. Contact staff at volunteer@awwa.org for more information.

Trustees on TEC Divisions and members on AWWA Councils are seasoned AWWA volunteers. Openings on Councils and Divisions are posted each fall.

Technical & Educational Council Division trustees are chosen for 3-year terms (renewable once) by a committee comprised of the Division chair, a representative from the Division, and the chair of the Technical & Educational Council. Trustees are chosen based on experience on Division committees, professional expertise, and based on Division needs related to diversity in type of employer, geographic region, and demographics.

Volunteers may apply for Council membership or Division trustee by filling out the standard volunteer application. Applications for Division trustee, or membership on all councils are due by January 31 each year, with appointing decisions made by early Spring. Newly appointed Trustees and Council members will begin their terms at the conclusion of the annual conference in the year they were appointed.

You are not required to be an AWWA member to join a TEC committee or Standards committee. Membership on a Council or Division, or appointment to a leadership position does require AWWA membership.

We encourage all committee members to join AWWA! See our membership page for information on different options for membership.

There are many benefits for volunteering with AWWA. When you join a TEC or Standards Committee, you work with other experts in your field to develop and review educational and technical materials that AWWA members depend on. Volunteers often mention how volunteering has allowed them to network with experts in their industry (both in-person at AWWA conferences and via e-mail and conference calls) which assists them in professional development. Our volunteers also express that volunteering with AWWA has given them the satisfaction of knowing they are contributing positively to the water industry.

Active committee members are encouraged to apply for leadership positions. On TEC or Standards Committees, members are encouraged to volunteer to become vice-chair and/or chair of their committees. Committee chairs organize the committee’s activities and help to ensure that projects are moving forward.

After serving as a committee chair on the TEC, volunteers can apply to be a trustee on a Division and help assist in crafting strategic goals and priorities for the committees reporting to the Division. Division Chair also serve on the Technical & Educational Council, which oversees all the Divisions.

Standards committee chairs are encouraged to apply to become members of the Standards Council. The chairs of the TEC and Standards Councils also serve on the AWWA Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Open positions on Councils and Divisions are posted under “Leadership Opportunities” on the Volunteer webpage each Fall for positions that will begin at the conclusion of the following year’s Annual Conference (ACE).

Note: members of Councils and Divisions are required to travel to meetings a few times a year, and some travel is reimbursable by AWWA. Contact AWWA Staff (volunteer@awwa.org) for more information.

If you would like to volunteer for additional committee, either fill out a volunteer application, specifying the committee you would like to join, or contact an AWWA Staff member. They will add you to additional committees and introduce you to the committee chair.

We are sorry to see you go but understand that volunteers have reasons to step back from volunteering. Please just contact a member of the AWWA Staff (volunteer@awwa.org) and they can remove you from the committee roster and mailing list.

In addition to volunteer opportunities with AWWA Headquarters, each AWWA Section has committees with volunteer opportunities. Please reach out to your local section and visit the Section’s website for more information.

AWWA Committees work on manuals and standards. If you would like to assist in drafting or reviewing these documents, please fill out a volunteer application and list your interest. AWWA Staff can assist in connecting you with the right committee.

AWWA regularly accepts submissions for book proposals and Opflow, Journal AWWA, and AWWA: Water Science articles on all water-related subjects. Please see the “Become an Author” section of our webpage under Publications to find out more.

Get involved with Community Engineering (CE) Corps. Community Engineering Corps seeks enthusiastic volunteers to use their skills and expertise to work on project teams and mentor student project teams in the United States. CE Corps is an alliance between AWWA, American Society of Civil Engineers and Engineers without Borders – USA. The alliance combines the strengths of three organizations to provide technical expertise to underserved communities in the United States and ensure that their infrastructure meets their community’s needs.

Visit the Community Engineering Corps webpage for more information.

For all volunteer-related questions, reach out to AWWA coordinators at volunteer@awwa.org. We are happy to assist you at any time!