Get involved
Volunteering is a terrific way to maximize your AOTA membership, share perspectives, enhance your networks, and grow your career. Are you ready to learn more?
Volunteers make it happen
AOTA represents the interests of more than 230,000 occupational therapy practitioners and students. As an AOTA member volunteer, you make a positive difference: your voice counts in raising legislative concerns, your expertise helps to educate fellow members, and your story influences more than the clients you support. By volunteering with AOTA, you lift up the profession for yourself and the next generation of occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, educators, and researchers.
Congratulations and thank you to the 2024 Service Commendation recipients, individual members of AOTA who have provided volunteer service and leadership to support the Association and the profession. AOTA is grateful for your service and contributions; your investment of time and energy adds value to AOTA’s mission and serves to strengthen the profession.
Introducing a growing way to engage within AOTA
Launched in March 2023, the Volunteer Center in CommunOT is a growing, and eventually comprehensive, list of ways you can be involved in your professional association. Through these opportunities, you can grow your resume, your skills, and ultimately, grow the love for the occupational therapy profession at large.
Volunteering is a member benefit! The Volunteer Center is part of CommunOT and available to members only.
Volunteer categories
Volunteer opportunities fall in one of two broad categories. Both types of volunteering are essential to AOTA's collective success! AOTA needs volunteers of all experience levels, backgrounds, and perspectives.
Micro-volunteering
Micro-volunteer opportunities are non-elected, non-appointed positions that call on specific talents and time needs. (Don't let the "micro" fool you; these critical roles fill significant gaps in our community's fabric.)
Visit the Volunteer Center in CommunOT for additional information and opportunities, or learn more on the micro-volunteering website.
Elected or appointed positions
These positions include Board of Directors or committee leadership roles. They are more broad based, and many, but not all, are part of AOTA's governance. Check out the elected or appointed volunteer page for additional information, and learn about the Volunteer Leadership Development Committee (VLDC), which leads the charge.
Volunteer gains
When you volunteer for AOTA, you will find that you often get more than you give. Don’t take our word for it—listen to the stories of these practitioners who volunteer for AOTA.
State associations
Check out our connections to state associations, including information on the developing licensure compact, the Affiliated State Association Presidents (ASAP) and ASAP Steering Committee, and learn more about getting involved at the local, state level.
Where's the COOL database?
If you've been an AOTA member volunteer for a while, you know that AOTA has used COOL to receive your interests and reach out to you for activities. We've changed things up to provide a more streamlined, easier-to-use system. Check out the micro-volunteering page for information about the system.