STEAMSapling Leadership Positions and Service Requirements

Leadership Model

STEAMSapling position titles identify each leader’s primary area of expertise. They do not restrict the programs, events, outreach, or fundraising activities the leader may support.

All Officers, Directors, and Vice Presidents are expected to:

• Help with programs, events, outreach, and fundraising across multiple categories.

• Use their primary expertise wherever it benefits the organization.

• Support registration, planning, setup, facilitation, mentoring, outreach, fundraising, cleanup, and reporting when needed.

• Collaborate with leaders holding different positions.

• Proactively identify service, outreach, fundraising, and program opportunities.

• Initiate new programs, outreach activities, or fundraising campaigns when appropriate.

• Obtain STEAMSapling approval before launching a new program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign.

• Submit all service hours and program documentation for approval.

Outreach and fundraising service may be included as part of approved volunteering hours when the work supports STEAMSapling and is properly documented.

Program-Assignment Policy

STEAMSapling may not assign a program, event, outreach activity, or fundraising opportunity to every position holder.

Holding a leadership position does not guarantee that a program, event, outreach activity, or fundraising opportunity will be provided. Each leader is responsible for proactively completing the requirements of the position by:

• Volunteering to support an existing STEAMSapling program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign.

• Asking a program host or Director how additional help can be provided.

• Co-hosting an approved program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign with another leader.

• Initiating and proposing a new program or event.

• Supporting approved outreach, fundraising, recruitment, orientation, or community activities.

If no suitable opportunity is available, the position holder may develop a new cross-category program, outreach initiative, or fundraising proposal and submit it to STEAMSapling for approval.

A proposed program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign may not be advertised, launched, or counted toward leadership requirements until it is approved by STEAMSapling.

Service Requirements

Requirements apply to each 12-month leadership term.

Officer Level

• Approved Service: 50+ hours

• Program Requirement: Initiate, host, co-host, or substantially support 1+ approved program or event

• Award Alignment: Global STEAM Service Bronze Award

Director Level

• Approved Service: 80+ hours

• Program Requirement: Initiate, host, co-host, or substantially support 2+ approved programs or events

• Award Alignment: Global STEAM Service Silver Award

Vice President Level

• Approved Service: 100+ hours

• Program Requirement: Initiate, host, co-host, or substantially support 3+ approved programs or events

• Award Alignment: Global STEAM Service Gold Award

Program requirements are cross-category. A program does not need to match the participant’s position title. Approved outreach and fundraising service may count toward the minimum approved service hours and may support program leadership requirements when connected to an approved program, event, campaign, or organizational initiative.

Officers

Science Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Provide scientific research, accuracy review, or safety guidance when applicable.

• Help develop activities, demonstrations, instructions, and participant materials.

• Assist with planning, registration, setup, facilitation, mentoring, cleanup, outreach, fundraising, and reporting.

• Support programs outside the science category when additional hosts are needed.

• Document completed work, outcomes, outreach or fundraising activities, and service hours.

Technology Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Set up devices, software, presentation equipment, registration tools, and virtual platforms.

• Help integrate coding, AI, robotics, digital tools, or multimedia when appropriate.

• Troubleshoot technical issues before and during programs, outreach activities, and fundraising events.

• Promote safe, ethical, accessible, and responsible technology use.

• Support general hosting, outreach, fundraising, and event responsibilities when technical assistance is not required.

Education Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Help convert program ideas into clear and age-appropriate learning experiences.

• Develop learning objectives, lesson plans, instructions, and reflection activities.

• Support facilitators with teaching practices and participant management.

• Adapt activities for different ages, experience levels, and learning needs.

• Collect participant feedback and evaluate learning outcomes.

• Assist with educational outreach, volunteer training, and fundraising activities that support STEAMSapling programs.

Art & Design Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Create participant materials, presentation graphics, signage, displays, and templates.

• Apply creative problem-solving and design thinking to program development.

• Support showcases, exhibitions, presentations, websites, outreach materials, and fundraising campaigns.

• Help participants communicate ideas visually.

• Assist with general event hosting, setup, facilitation, outreach, fundraising, and documentation.

Math Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Review calculations, data, measurements, budgets, or quantitative content when applicable.

• Help incorporate logic, problem-solving, data, or measurement into activities.

• Adapt quantitative content for different ages and experience levels.

• Support attendance tracking, surveys, evaluation, impact measurement, and fundraising records.

• Assist with general hosting, outreach, fundraising, and operational responsibilities.

Engineering Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program or event.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively join an existing program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign, or propose a new one.

• Support building, prototyping, testing, and hands-on problem-solving activities.

• Prepare tools, equipment, materials, instructions, and safety procedures.

• Help participants plan, create, test, troubleshoot, and improve projects.

• Assist with event setup, equipment management, logistics, outreach, fundraising, and cleanup.

• Support programs outside engineering when additional help is needed.

Marketing Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program, event, outreach initiative, or fundraising campaign.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify programs, outreach initiatives, and fundraising campaigns that need promotion or propose a new campaign.

• Create flyers, social-media posts, newsletters, announcements, donation appeals, and event materials.

• Collect approved photos, testimonials, highlights, and impact stories.

• Maintain consistent STEAMSapling branding and messaging.

• Promote programs, applications, awards, service opportunities, outreach activities, fundraising campaigns, and donation opportunities.

• Support recruitment of participants, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and community partners.

• Serve as a host, registration volunteer, facilitator, outreach representative, or event assistant when needed.

Ambassador Officer

Requirement: 50 approved service hours and participation in 1+ approved program, event, outreach initiative, or fundraising campaign.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify outreach and fundraising opportunities or propose a new outreach initiative or fundraising campaign.

• Represent STEAMSapling at schools, community events, partner meetings, donor meetings, and fundraising activities.

• Welcome participants, families, volunteers, mentors, donors, sponsors, and guests.

• Explain STEAMSapling’s mission, programs, awards, service opportunities, outreach activities, and fundraising needs.

• Recruit participants, volunteers, program hosts, donors, sponsors, and community partners.

• Assist with registration, facilitation, logistics, outreach, fundraising, and general hosting.

• Help build positive relationships that increase awareness and support for STEAMSapling.

Directors

Science Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise and mentor Science Officers.

• Review scientific content and safety considerations when applicable.

• Build cross-functional program teams using available Officers and volunteers.

• Lead programs, outreach activities, or fundraising events outside the science category when organizational needs require it.

• Review outcomes, documentation, outreach results, fundraising results, and improvement opportunities.

Technology Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise Technology Officers and coordinate technology support.

• Maintain standards for devices, software, privacy, accessibility, and virtual platforms.

• Assign available technical volunteers to cross-category teams.

• Lead programs, outreach activities, and fundraising events even when technology is not the primary subject.

• Evaluate technical needs and recommend improvements.

Education Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise Education Officers and train facilitators and volunteers.

• Establish instructional, accessibility, and participant-experience standards.

• Review new program, outreach, and fundraising proposals for clarity, educational value, and community benefit.

• Develop reusable lesson-plan, assessment, feedback, and volunteer-training templates.

• Lead cross-category programs and evaluate their outcomes.

Art & Design Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise Art & Design Officers and creative volunteers.

• Establish visual standards for programs, events, presentations, outreach materials, and fundraising campaigns.

• Coordinate creative support across different program categories.

• Guide exhibits, showcases, participant materials, event environments, promotional materials, and donor communications.

• Lead general programs, outreach activities, fundraising campaigns, and event operations when needed.

Math Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise Math Officers and provide quantitative support.

• Review data, measurements, budgets, calculations, assessments, and fundraising records when applicable.

• Develop tools for attendance, surveys, evaluation, impact measurement, and campaign tracking.

• Assign available Officers to cross-category teams.

• Lead programs, outreach activities, or fundraising campaigns outside the math category when needed.

Engineering Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, join, or initiate program, outreach, or fundraising opportunities.

• Supervise Engineering Officers and hands-on activity volunteers.

• Establish standards for tools, equipment, materials, construction, and safety.

• Review project plans, budgets, prototypes, fundraising needs, and logistical requirements.

• Coordinate technical and general volunteers across categories.

• Lead any approved program, outreach activity, or fundraising event requiring additional leadership.

Marketing Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs, events, outreach initiatives, or fundraising campaigns.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify programs, outreach initiatives, and fundraising campaigns needing promotion or initiate new approved campaigns.

• Supervise Marketing Officers and creative volunteers.

• Develop the organization-wide marketing, outreach, communications, and fundraising calendar.

• Approve social-media content, newsletters, flyers, announcements, donation appeals, sponsorship materials, and campaigns.

• Coordinate participant recruitment, storytelling, award promotion, community outreach, donor engagement, sponsorship development, and fundraising campaigns.

• Ensure outreach and fundraising messaging is accurate, inclusive, ethical, and consistent with STEAMSapling’s mission.

• Serve as a program host, outreach leader, fundraising coordinator, or event leader when additional staffing is required.

Ambassador Director

Requirement: 80 approved service hours and participation in 2+ approved programs, events, outreach initiatives, or fundraising campaigns.

Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify outreach and fundraising opportunities or initiate new approved activities.

• Supervise and train Ambassador Officers.

• Coordinate school visits, orientations, information sessions, community events, donor meetings, sponsor engagement, and fundraising activities.

• Develop approved presentations, talking points, outreach plans, and fundraising messages.

• Build relationships with schools, libraries, nonprofits, sponsors, donors, and community partners.

• Recruit participants, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and program partners.

• Lead general programs, outreach activities, and fundraising events when additional hosts are needed.

Vice Presidents

Vice President of Programs & Volunteer Development

Requirement: 100 approved service hours and participation in 3+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the Science, Technology, Education, Art & Design, Math, and Engineering Directors.

• Identify organizational program, outreach, and fundraising needs and encourage leaders to propose solutions.

• Review new program, outreach, and fundraising proposals and recommend them for STEAMSapling approval.

• Develop the annual program, outreach, volunteer, and event calendar.

• Build cross-functional teams based on interest, ability, and availability.

• Recruit, train, mentor, and retain Officers, Directors, hosts, and volunteers.

• Ensure programs and related outreach activities meet educational, safety, accessibility, and quality standards.

• Track program outcomes, service participation, volunteer development, outreach results, and fundraising support.

Vice President of Operations & Community Engagement

Requirement: 100 approved service hours and participation in 3+ approved programs or events.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the Marketing Director and Ambassador Director.

• Identify operational, outreach, partnership, promotional, donor-engagement, and fundraising needs.

• Review new outreach, marketing, fundraising, sponsorship, and community-event proposals.

• Coordinate facilities, schedules, registrations, supplies, volunteer assignments, outreach logistics, and fundraising logistics.

• Develop relationships with schools, nonprofits, sponsors, donors, and community partners.

• Oversee branding, public messaging, recruitment, community outreach, donor engagement, sponsorships, and donation campaigns.

• Maintain procedures for submitting and approving service hours, programs, outreach activities, and fundraising campaigns.

• Serve as lead organizer when a program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign needs additional leadership.

New Program, Outreach, or Fundraising Proposal Process

A position holder who wants to initiate a program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign should submit a proposal containing:

1. Program, outreach activity, or campaign name and short description.

2. Purpose and expected community benefit.

3. Intended audience and estimated number of participants, supporters, or beneficiaries.

4. Proposed date, location, and delivery format.

5. Planned activities, learning outcomes, outreach goals, or fundraising objectives.

6. Required volunteers, instructors, materials, equipment, partners, and budget.

7. Safety, privacy, accessibility, supervision, and ethical considerations.

8. Promotion, outreach, registration, donor, and fundraising plan.

9. Method for collecting attendance, feedback, outcomes, donations, and campaign results.

10. Name of the proposed program host, outreach lead, fundraising lead, or leadership team.

The program, outreach activity, or fundraising campaign may begin only after STEAMSapling approves the proposal.

Approval of a proposal does not automatically guarantee funding, volunteers, facilities, equipment, promotion, donors, sponsors, or participants. The program, outreach, or fundraising lead is responsible for working with STEAMSapling to secure the necessary resources.

Approved Service Activities

Approved service hours may include:

• Developing and submitting new program, outreach, or fundraising proposals.

• Program research and curriculum development.

• Event planning, preparation, setup, facilitation, and cleanup.

• Teaching, hosting, mentoring, and participant support.

• Technology, equipment, and materials management.

• Marketing, communications, photography, and documentation.

• School, donor, sponsor, partner, and community outreach.

• Fundraising campaigns, donation drives, sponsorship support, and donor communications.

• Volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision.

• Approved leadership meetings.

• Program evaluation, reporting, and service-hour administration.

Outreach and fundraising service may be included as part of volunteering hours when the work is approved, supports STEAMSapling, and is documented. Proposal-development hours may count only when the work is documented and approved by STEAMSapling.

Hosted-Program Documentation

A qualifying hosted program, outreach activity, or fundraising event must include:

1. Prior STEAMSapling approval.

2. A defined audience, date, and delivery format.

3. Active leadership in planning, outreach, fundraising, or facilitation.

4. Attendance, participation, outreach, donor, or fundraising documentation, as applicable.

5. Program, outreach, or fundraising materials or evidence of completion.

6. A brief outcome report, feedback summary, or campaign results.

7. Submission and final approval by STEAMSapling.