Volunteer | Organization for Transformative Works

About volunteering for the OTW

The Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) runs on the talent and energy of volunteers from all over the world. Together, we manage projects to support fans and fandom. If you’d like to join us, you’re in the right place! You can find open roles below. Browse the listings and apply for roles that match your skills and interests.

If you do not see positions listed that match your skills and interests, watch OTW News outlets for future openings. You can also receive news about volunteer opportunities directly in your email inbox through our OTW News by Email service. We typically accept applications for open positions for one week. To ensure you are notified in a timely manner about volunteer opportunities, make sure to subscribe to either All Individual News Posts or Recruitment Posts. If you chose Monthly Digest, you may be emailed after recruitment closes.

If you’d like to contribute to the AO3’s code you are able to do this through our GitHub without formally volunteering. Please see GitHub for more details.You may also consider sharing your experiences on Fanlore, the OTW’s fandom preservation wiki.

The OTW’s Terms of Service (including the Privacy Policy) and OTW’s Code of Conduct apply to all volunteers. Volunteers must also consent to be bound by the Terms of Service for the OTW projects they are volunteering for (e.g. AO3 Terms of Service, Fanlore Terms of Service). Volunteers will need to choose a unique name to volunteer under in accordance with the OTW Name Policy.

Please note that the OTW can only accept volunteering applications from people aged 18 years and over.

For further questions, see our Volunteering FAQ or contact the Volunteers & Recruiting Committee.

We’re currently recruiting for the following roles:

Fanlore Social Media and Outreach Volunteer

Do you have an interest in fandom history or in fannish culture and the different tropes, ships, communities and viewpoints that make up fandom? Are you interested in social media, community management or outreach? The Fanlore committee is recruiting for Social Media & Outreach volunteers!

Fanlore Social Media & Outreach volunteers are responsible for writing and editing Fanlore’s promotional posts on social media, planning and running Fanlore’s editing challenges, maintaining Fanlore’s social media channels, and thinking of ways to reach out to and engage with new corners of fandom.

No extensive experience required—only reliability, teamwork, good communication skills, and an interest in fandom and Fanlore in particular. Join us!

As part of our application process, candidates who pass the initial review will also be asked to create a sample social media post for Fanlore consisting of a 280-character tweet and a 100-word Tumblr post promoting a Fanlore article. Further directions will be given upon applying.

Applications will close on Wednesday 14th October 23:59 UTC or after 40 applications are received.

Click here to learn more about the position and apply!

Strategic Planning Volunteer

The Strategic Planning Committee is recruiting for new volunteers! We are a 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 wrapping up the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and planning the next one, so both goal tracking skills and goal-setting skills would be helpful to us. We are looking for organized people well-versed in communication and project management, with experience in goal setting, goal management and adjusting based on feedback. 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 20-30 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.

Applications will close on Wednesday 14th October 23:59 UTC.

Click here to learn more about the position and apply!

Organizational Culture Roadmap Volunteer

Want to help shape the future of the OTW in a flexible, collaborative role? Enjoy completing research and brainstorming solutions to problems?

Organizational Culture Roadmap (OCR) Volunteers support the implementation of OTW Organizational Culture Roadmap goals by assisting with planning, documentation, and team coordination. Whether you prefer jumping into projects, offering behind-the-scenes support, or helping teams stay on track, there’s space to contribute in a way that works for you.

This role is great for those with clear communication skills who enjoy collaborative work. Time commitment is 1–5 hours per week. As an OCR Volunteer, you’ll play a key role in ensuring smooth operations by:

Writing and editing OCR project plans, goal documentation, statements, surveys, replies to public questions, policies, minutes, and reports
Assisting in the research, development, management, and delivery of internal projects
Working as part of a team to support specific goals to reaching completion

We’re looking for volunteers who are proactive, driven, and committed to the OTW’s long-term success.

You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. In addition to the initial application, you will be required to complete an assessment to help us understand how well you understand and can complete the committee’s tasks. This will be emailed to you after you complete the application form.

Applications will close on Wednesday 14th October 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications are received.

Click here to learn more about the position and apply!

Policy & Abuse 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 Brazilian Portuguese (Português brasileiro), Chinese (中文), French (Français), Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Japanese (日本語), Polish (Polski), Russian (Русский), Spanish (Español), Turkish (Türkçe), or Ukrainian (Українська).

Applications will close on Wednesday, 14 October 2026 at 23:59 UTC.

Click here to learn more about the position and apply!

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (General)

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which fandoms are eligible will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are currently in need.

Wranglers need to be fluent in English but we welcome applicants who are also fluent in other languages, especially Čeština (Czech), isiZulu (Zulu), Français (French), Polski (Polish), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), ไทย (Thai), and 日本語 (Japanese), but knowledge of additional languages is always appreciated!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering. We’ve received the maximum number of applications and are no longer accepting applications for this role at this time.

If you are fluent in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Español (Spanish), Filipino, Português (Portuguese), Українська (Ukrainian), Русский (Russian), 한국어 (Korean) or 中文 (Chinese), please consider applying for the Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Specified Languages) role.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Specified Languages)

For this role, wranglers need to be fluent in English and any dialect of one of the following languages: Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Español (Spanish), Filipino, Português (Portuguese), Українська (Ukrainian), Русский (Russian), 한국어 (Korean) or 中文 (Chinese), we welcome all dialects. This role is designed to help provide additional opportunities in languages in which we see a continuous need while having resources to support the volunteers in those languages.

If you are fluent in languages other than mentioned on the above list, including English, we welcome you to apply for our general wrangling role.

Applications will close on Wednesday 14th October 23:59 UTC or after 90 applications are received

Click here to learn more about the position and apply!