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Volunteer Opportunities

As a volunteer, you can help our organization thrive! We have many opportunities for our members to get involved on a national level by serving on the Board of Directors or on one of our many standing, advisory, and ad hoc committees. Read on to find out more about the various ways you can be active in shaping our organization. If you have questions about volunteering, please contact [email protected].

For more information about Board positions and the required qualifications for each position, contact the Leadership Development Committee Chairperson. To volunteer for any of the following committees, please complete the volunteer opportunity form. Please note, current policy states that Standing Committee volunteer positions are open to General and Honorary members, and Lifetime Achievement Award winners. Advisory Committee volunteer positions are open to General, Honorary, and Associate members, and Lifetime Achievement Award winners.

Submit Volunteer Form

Board of Directors

RWA’s Board of Directors consists of 12 Directors-at-Large, a Secretary, Treasurer, and President-Elect, making 15 voting members. The Board also has 3 non-voting elected Liaison positions: PAN Advisor, PRO Advisor, and Chapter Advisor. Each member of the Board serves a two-year term, with the exception of President and President-Elect, who serve one year each.

Members interested in running for a Board position must declare their intent to run, and elections are held in August. The Board year begins on September 1 and ends August 31, and the Board meets for four virtual meetings each year. Declarations or questions on running for the Board of Directors may be sent to [email protected].

Learn more about running for the RWA Board of Directors

RWA Committees

Standing Committees

These committees shall carry out charges approved by the Board but shall not have or exercise the authority of the Board in the management of RWA. View a list of current committee members.

  • Academic Grant Committee: The Academic Grant committee shall review grant and fellowship applications pursuant to the parameters set out in Section 11 and make recommendations to the Board.
  • Audit & Finance Committee: The Audit & Finance Committee, chaired by the Treasurer, shall be responsible for selecting an independent CPA firm to conduct the annual audit, for reviewing the annual audited financial statements and any associated management letter detailing deficiencies, and for reviewing the related tax returns before all materials are presented to the Board, and shall assist the Treasurer as requested on financial and budgetary matters.
  • Awards Ceremony Committee: The Awards Ceremony Committee shall oversee the Awards Ceremony, including working with the emcee to write the script and provide input on the ceremony theme.
  • Conference Workshop Committee: The Conference Workshop Committee shall coordinate, plan, and oversee the annual Conference workshops and help to ensure that the conference program reflects RWA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access—including, but not limited to, the speakers chosen and the topics covered in the workshops.
  • Contest Committee: The Contest Committee shall assist the Executive Director with the establishment and overall planning and operation of all RWA national contests; and under the direction of the Executive Director, shall handle any contest result challenges pursuant to the Contest Policy outlined in Section 17.
  • Ethics Committee: The Ethics Committee shall review, investigate and provide recommendations to the Board for complaints filed pursuant to the Code of Ethics and shall handle any election challenges.
  • Leadership Development Committee: The Leadership Development Committee shall create a process to identify potential future RWA leaders within membership, get those people involved at the chapter level and at the national committee level, and help them to grow in their leadership skills. The committee will work with the Diversity Advisory Committee to identify and recruit potential candidates for leadership positions at the chapter, committee, and national level.
  • Membership Outreach Committee: The Membership Committee is tasked with membership outreach and member support by creating initiatives and materials to help retain current membership and to increase membership.
  • RWA University Committee: The RWA University Committee provides classes and other online educational resources to members and help to ensure that the RWA University reflects RWA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access—including, but not limited to, the speakers whose work is featured and the topics covered in the educational resources.
  • RWR Content Committee: The RWR Content Committee will work with RWA staff to develop content for the RWR, solicit authors for article, review articles upon submission and prior to publication, and help to ensure the RWR reflects RWA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access—including, but not limited to, the authors whose work is featured and the sources who are quoted within the articles.
  • Scholarship Review Panel: A Scholarship Review Panel, consisting of the Board Liaison, the Executive Director, the Diversity Advisory Committee Chairperson, and if possible, the Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson from the committee for which the scholarship application was submitted, will convene two weeks before the end of the scholarship application deadline. The panel shall select scholarship recipients.
  • Unpublished Members Benefits Committee: The Unpublished Members Benefits Committee will be charged with identifying, researching, and recommending members benefits that will help RWA's unpublished members.

Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc committees are temporary committees or task forces created for discussion of RWA issues that do not fall under the scope of RWA's standing committees. View a list of current committee members.

  • Librarian and Bookseller Outreach Ad Hoc
  • Transition Task Force: The purpose of the task force is to work toward continued stability and growth of the organization going forward when the partnership with SC Ventures has finished. It is intended that this task force will work to further stabilize and bring RWA into an inclusive and equitable organization able to fulfill our mission to all its members, and to further increase membership.

Advisory Committees

These committees are made up of individuals who possess specific knowledge and skills on a particular subject and will, at the Board’s request, make recommendations on a particular topic or program. These committees do not have Board authority and cannot make policy for the organization, but the Board can assign tasks to these committees to complete, in the manner and time frame set out by the Board. Each advisory committee will have an assigned Board Liaison. View a list of current committee members.

  • Diversity Advisory Committee: The Diversity Advisory Committee shall make recommendations and provide information and materials to the Board on diversity and inclusion issues that impact RWA and its members. The Diversity Advisory shall also perform these specific tasks: (1) Review the Spectrum Grant applications and make a recommendation to the Board regarding the award of grants. (2) Offer feedback to the Board on workshops, programs and the annual RWA conference. (3) Assign one member per committee to serve as a representative on each of the following committees: Awards Ceremony, RWA University, Conference Workshop, and Leadership Development. Each representative shall act as a liaison between the Diversity Advisory Committee and the other committee on which they serve to promote inclusion and report any concerns to the Board. (4) Refer complaints regarding a lack of inclusion, diversity issues and discrimination to the Executive Director for further action. (5) Handle such other tasks as assigned by the Board.
  • PAN Advisory Committee*: The PAN Advisory Committee shall make recommendations and provide information to the Board regarding ways to protect the interests of published romance writers, enhance the channels of communication between romance authors and publishing industry professionals, and coordinate activities by and for PAN members.
  • PRO Advisory Committee*: The PRO Advisory Committee shall make recommendations and provide information to the Board regarding ways to support and promote unpublished romance writers in the areas between manuscript completion and publication, enhance the channels of communication between those romance writers and publishing industry professionals, and coordinate activities by and for PRO members.
  • Policy Advisory Committee: The Policy Advisory Committee shall monitor public policy and legislation that has the potential to impact RWA members, the romance writing industry, and writers, in general. The committee shall make recommendations to the Board regarding actions the Board may undertake regarding policy and legislation.

*The change from PRO and PAN Steering Committees to PRO and PAN Advisory Committees will occur as of September 1, 2019. Prior to that time, the PRO and PAN Steering Committees will continue and follow the policies and procedures related to them as standing committees.