How to Get Involved
The GSV experience doesn't end with the last day of service—it continues through a lifetime of support. Our robust network of alumni provides guidance and mentorship to the next generation, playing an integral part in shaping the future of Good Shepherd Volunteers. Alumni stay engaged through participation in program events, board membership or guest opportunities at quarterly retreats, and even as champions for recruitment or fundraising. GSV strives to achieve a lifetime of reciprocity with each of our alumni, and to recognize their invaluable skills and experience as they continue to gain new experiences and strengthened connections to ministry through GSV.
Now, more than ever, this community can combine efforts on a united front. Good Shepherd Volunteers will remain an option, even as service orgs around the country close or are faced with the prospect of merging. This page invites you to consider reengaging your formation with community, simplicity, spirituality and social justice through connection with prospective and incoming volunteers. This year, we hope you'll join us in prioritizing recruitment, growing our numbers to pre-pandemic levels so that the GSV program may shepherd many cohorts to come.
Learn more about our priority opportunities below, or get in touch.
Share our brochure with the young people in your life
Grab a copy from our toolkit and pass it along. Your family, local youth group, or regional community service org may be looking for dedicated service opportunities that your endorsement can vouch for.
Participate on our admissions committee
Help us review applications, interview prospective applicants, and take an active part in preparing the next generation of social justice advocates alongside our team.
Join an upcoming Virtual Meet & Greet
We strive to hold Meet & Greet sessions once per month via ZOOM. We would love to have you join as a featured guest speaker, sharing the story of your formation with interested applicants and partners.
Represent GSV at your local college service fair
Reconnect with your alma mater or get acquainted with your local college institution to represent GSV at an upcoming career or service fair. Bring your story and your passion; we'll take care of the rest.
Host a regional alumni event
Whether convening a group for coffee or opening your home to alum in the region, your initiative keeps the Good Shepherd network strong. Start the conversation and invite others along.
Contribute to our blog
Whether you're one year or one decade out, we invite your contribution to the GSV blog. Reflect on the tenets and the conversations that stayed with you, or offer up a prayer. Your story makes a difference.
Connect us with the career center at your alma mater
A quick email introduction makes a world of difference. Our team would love to connect with the career or spirituality center near you.
Support current volunteers
Give back by supporting current volunteers in their formation. Provide personal mentorship and community facilitation, or join us at an upcoming retreat.
Sample Messages
Our goal is to make recruitment support easy, so we've come up with a few ideas to help GSV messaging blend directly into your usual content. You know your network best, so please feel free to adjust and get creative!
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#ThrowbackThursday: Tailor a #TBT to your time serving with GSV, highlighting how volunteering brought you to where you are today
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Keeping up with the "Kommunity": Share the personal successes of GSV alumni new and old, connecting your communities and re-emphasizing the value of a network rooted in shared experience and values
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Alma Mater Material: Grab your old GSV swag and hold a mini photoshoot in iconic locations at your undergrad campus, tagging GSV and your alma mater in the results
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Holiday Helper: As you think about giving back during the holidays, highlight GSV to help reach students home on break combatting the "what next" question from family and friends
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Birthday Reflections: Launch a birthday fundraiser and make GSV your charity of choice, tying your alumni experience into your wisened reflections on life
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Story Engagement: Keep your followers in-the-know by sharing our upcoming recruitment events and Meet & Greet sessions to your stories
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Then vs Now: Highlight where it started vs how it's going, recreating your old favorite photos as a GSV. (Bonus points if you can bring multiple community-mates together!)
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For the Advocate: Keep your audience up to date about current events, tying in the way your hands-on volunteer experience formed your early understanding of social justice issues (and what YOU can do about them)
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For the Minimalist: Share the sustainability resources you were introduced to as a GSV (think anti-food waste apps, fashion-transparency websites, or worker's rights scorecards, just to name a few)
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For the Chef: Recreate one of your community's most memorable budget-friendly meals, sharing the story of how single-ingredient foods became a staple of your everyday routine
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For the DIY-er: When posting updates on your next project, share a glimpse into your early experiences DIY-ing your GSV apartment to make it feel a little more like home
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For the Vlogger: Join one of GSV's in-person events and talk to our volunteers, staff, and other alumni, sharing a day in your life as a proud GSV alum
< 2006
2017 >
Our cohort then...
...and now!
Social media handles
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Instagram: @gsvolunteers
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Facebook: @gsvolunteers
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YouTube: @gsvolunteers
Suggested hashtags
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#gsvolunteers
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#serviceyear
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#justlove
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August 2026