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Would you like to assist AO3 users by resolving complaints? Are you fluent in a language other than English and passionate about making OTW more accessible? Do you have experience copyediting or proofreading academic journals? Or do you have experience with research methods, problem solving or nonprofit governance? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!
We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:
- PAC Volunteer - closing 26 March 2025 at 23:59 UTC
- Translation Volunteer - closing 26 March 2025 at 23:59 UTC
- TWC Copyeditor - closing 26 March 2025 at 23:59 UTC
- Strategic Planning Volunteer - closing 26 March 2025 at 23:59 UTC
We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.
All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.
If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.
PAC Volunteer
The Policy & Abuse committee (PAC) is responsible for addressing questions and concerns about potential violations of the AO3 Terms of Service. We determine whether reports are about legitimate violations of the Terms of Service, and what to do about them if they are. PAC volunteers correspond directly with AO3 users and collaborate on projects both within PAC and with other OTW committees.
Our main goals as a committee are:
- to adhere to the AO3 Terms of Service
- to make our reasoning and processes as clear and transparent as possible
- to handle all user reports consistently, no matter which volunteer is doing the work
- to keep every case we work on completely confidential
We are seeking people who can:
- Commit to working on cases regularly
- Be patient with rephrasing explanations
- Ask for help when needed
- Collaborate both inside the team and with other committees
- Act in accordance with established rules, policies, and procedures
- Treat confidentiality and user privacy as a priority
You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. While English proficiency is required, we welcome applicants who are fluent in other languages, especially Spanish (Español), Brazilian Portuguese (Português brasileiro), Russian (Русский), Chinese (中文), or Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia).
Applications are due 26 March 2025
Translation Volunteer
If you enjoy working collaboratively, if you're fluent in a language other than English, if you’re passionate about the OTW and its projects, and want to help us reach more fans all around the world, working with Translation might be for you!
Translation volunteers help make the OTW and its projects accessible to a wider global audience. We work on translating content by the OTW and its projects from English to other languages, such as site pages, news posts, AO3 FAQs and AO3 Support emails. (However, we do not translate fanworks.)
We really need volunteers who speak Afrikaans, Arabic, Basque, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Estonian, Filipino, French, Galician, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese-PT, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh—but help with other languages would be much appreciated. If you're interested in starting a team for a language we don't have yet, you're very welcome to!
(Please note that our Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese-BR, Russian and Vietnamese teams are not accepting new members at this time. If you are fluent in one of these languages and interested in volunteering, please consider volunteering for another team within the organization instead.)
Applicants will be asked to translate and correct short text samples and will be invited to a chatroom interview as part of the selection process. More information about us can be found on the Translation committee page.
Applications are due 26 March 2025
TWC Copyeditor
Transformative Works and Cultures (TWC) is an international peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access online publication about fan-related topics that seeks to promote dialogue between the academic community and fan communities. Copyeditors professionally copyedit submissions for TWC according to Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 18, Merriam-Webster online, and the TWC style guide. Editorial standards are those of a university press.
The copyeditor's main responsibility will be to carefully copyedit word-processed manuscripts to correct errors of grammar, usage, style; normalize presentation of information; check the literature; and ensure consistency of usage of, e.g., presentation, capitalization, italic, and numbers.
Applicants are required to pass a brief copyediting test that will be drawn from live copy (a not yet published article that is currently in production). All returned tests will be assessed and the applicant provided with feedback.
You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role.
Applications are due 26 March 2025
Strategic Planning Volunteer
The Strategic Planning Committee is recruiting for new volunteers! We are a close-knit and collaborative committee of 6-9 people who are tasked with researching, developing, and supporting the implementation of the OTW's strategic plan, which is a written document that articulates the OTW's priorities and direction. The process to establish priorities involves many people across the organization and is an important part of aligning the organization around shared goals; monitoring implementation also provides accountability to the organization's mission and our user community. We are in the implementation monitoring phase of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and are looking for organized people well-versed in communication and project management, with experience in goal management and feedback response. Knowledge of data analysis and understanding how to complete research are helpful as well, as is experience using various project management tools, document collaboration software and text-based messaging platforms.
We typically review around 50 applications, induct 2-3 new volunteers and provide training on the committee's tools and processes. We welcome all perspectives and are actively interested in people with diverse views on fandom and the OTW! The Strategic Planning Committee is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will make reasonable accommodations for candidates who may require them.
You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role.
Applications are due 26 March 2025
Apply at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.