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By Lukas Pleva September 3, 2010
Back to Encourage community service through online outreach and social networking

Serve.gov has new features; more to come

During the campaign, President Obama pledged to use social networking and online outreach to encourage community service. When we last looked at this promise in January 2009, we rated it In the Works, since the administration set up a new website to connect people with volunteer opportunities. The website was still in early stages, and was focused primarily on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The website also stated that "details on how to stay active in the future will be coming soon." We're well into the second year of Obama's presidency, so we wanted to check how things have been developing.

Directing our Internet browser to serve.gov, it's clear that the web developers have been keeping busy. The website is now integrated with social networks like Facebook, which allows individuals to create projects and invite their friends to join. There are also "toolkits" that provide step-by-step guides on how to setup and coordinate various volunteering initiatives. To help users find volunteering opportunities, the site is integrated with All For Good, a website that serves as an aggregator of volunteering projects that are posted by various non-profit groups. Just type in a keyword and a zip code and the site will print out a list of opportunities in your area.

Still, Obama also promised that the new website will allow users to rate their experiences, keep track of hours, and even compete for awards from local foundations. We weren't able to find any of those features on the website. We spoke with a representative from Corporation for National and Community Service, a government body that oversees the website, and were told that there are plans under way to implement several of those features.

The new website isn't everything that President Obama promised, but users can now search for volunteering opportunities, the system is integrated with social networks, and there are plans to include additional features. For now, the rating remains In the Works.

Our Sources


Corporation for National and Community Service, serve.gov, accessed July 19, 2010

Phone interview, Corporation for National and Community Service representative, July 19, 2010