1. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
Creating Opportunities to Serve
A History of the National Park Service
Volunteers-In-Parks Program
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Volunteers-In-Parks

2. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
Volunteers-In-Parks
 The Need
 The Vision
 The Process
 The Program
 The People
 The Statistics
 The Milestones
 The Future

3. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Need
 Great interest in serving parks
 NPS was accepting limited services of private citizens
who were required to…
 ...waive liability for injuries;
 …agree that they were not employees and therefore
personally liable to others for injuries caused by
volunteer activities.
 Potential volunteers reconsidered donating services

4. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Vision
“We envision the park volunteer as a private citizen accepting an
appointment, without compensation, to a specific job…”

5. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Vision
“The job would be complementary to, and in addition to, the tasks
of the regular career employees, and would not diminish their
roles.”

6. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Vision
 Volunteer duties would center on Interpretation and
Visitor Services.
 Special information services to visitors
 Assisting in archeological digs
 Special research projects
 Interpreting historical events

7. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Process
Former Director George B. Hartzog, Jr. testified before the House
and Senate in support of the proposed bill.

8. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Process
 The bill specifically gives
authorization to the Secretary
of the Interior to…
 recruit, train, and accept
volunteers,
 provide for incidental
expenses, and
 consider volunteers as
Federal employees in the
case of work injury
compensation and tort claims
and liability.

9. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Process
 Original Projected Costs per VIP
 Uniforms/Accessories $40
 Meals $75
 Transportation $75
 Pins, Awards, Badges, etc. $8
 Medical Examination $7
 Orientation & Training $40
 Miscellaneous $25
Total per Volunteer $270

10. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Program
Public Law 91-357 was
enacted July 29, 1970.

11. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Program
First Lady, Patricia Nixon inaugurated the new Volunteers-In-Parks
program in Washington, DC, December 1970.

12. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Program
VIP Brochure - 1972

13. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
Visitor Services opportunities were envisioned as ideal placements
for VIPs.

14. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
Living history and historic weapons demonstrations were among
the top volunteer activities of the early years.

15. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
NPS staff and family members were actively involved in the
volunteer program.

16. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
Interpretation and Education opportunities provided a chance for
citizens to use their skills and participate in telling the stories of
these special places.

17. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
From coast to coast, volunteers began to enhance visitor services
and enrich the park experience.

18. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The People
As the nation’s bicentennial approached, people of all ages offered
their time, skills, and service.

19. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Statistics
 Breakdown of Volunteers by Age Groups
 1972
 Below 18 years 18%
 18-21 18%
 22-30 22%
 31-40 13%
 41-50 13%
 51-60 9%
 61 and over 7%

20. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Statistics
 Breakdown of Volunteers by Age Groups
 2007
 10-20 4%
 21-40 10%
 41-60 37%
 61-80 46%
 81 and over 3%

21. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Statistics
 Average Annual Cost per Volunteer
 1971 $47.95
 1972 $24.81
 2007 $20.00
 2008 $19.00
 2009 $17.86

22. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Statistics
Number of VIPs by Decade
fiscal years
855
1971
8,300
1978
44,995
1988
112,108
1998
176,000
2008

23. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Statistics
Number of VIP Hours by Decade
fiscal years
197,213
1971
538,148
1978
2,286,000
1988
4,091,000
1998
5,500,000
2008

24. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
 Original act amended to allow
VIP managers to “provide for the
services or costs incidental to
the utilization of volunteers,
including transportation,
supplies, lodging subsistence,
recruiting, training, and
supervision.
1984

25. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
1991
 PL 102-154 authorized the use
of funds to recognize and award
VIPs and to provide “non-
monetary awards of nominal
value.” The law also allows the
NPS to use any appropriated
funds to offset the costs of the
VIP program.

26. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
1993
 Associate Director for Budget
and Administration clarified the
word “nominal” as used in PL
102-154: “…awards should stay
within the limit of approximately
$100…”

27. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2000
 How to Succeed with
Volunteers-In-Parks
13-module training package
was completed.

28. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2002
 A new suite of VIP logos were
designed to keep pace and
consistency with the NPS
Graphic Identity Program.

29. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2003
 The George B. Hartzog, Jr.
Awards for Outstanding
Volunteer Service were
created in partnership with
the National Park Foundation
through a generous donation
by George and Helen
Hartzog.

30. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2005
 Director’s Order #7 was
approved, replacing NPS 7
from 1988 as the official VIP
Program policy.

31. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2006
 The Servicewide VIP
Program Assessment was
conducted to determine
the program’s strengths
and weaknesses, along
with collecting other
valuable information
needed to determine the
future of the program.

32. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2007
 The Federal Interagency
Team on Volunteerism
created and received OMB
approval for the new,
interagency volunteer
agreement form –
OF301a.

33. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2008
 The VIP Strategic Plan
was developed based on
the findings of the VIP
Program Assessment.
 The NPS received an
unprecedented increase
in volunteer funding in
preparation for the NPS
Centennial.

34. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Milestones
2009
 IRS Audit of VIP Program
clarified tax law and rules
for reimbursement.
 Updated definition of the
word “nominal” for
recognizing volunteers
states that non-monetary
gifts should not exceed
$50 in value.

35. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Future
2016
 10 million volunteer hours

36. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
The Future
By preparing ourselves and providing meaningful volunteer
opportunities, the program will expand naturally and continue
making a difference in every way.