A Letter from Deirdre Araujo 

Many of us first came to Servas because someone opened a door. 

Perhaps it was a host who welcomed us into their home, a traveler who shared stories over breakfast, or a volunteer who patiently answered our questions about becoming a member. Whatever the moment, someone created a place for us to belong. 

That spirit of invitation has always been one of Servas' greatest strengths. It also raises an interesting question: 

How might we create more ways for people to feel a sense of belonging before they become Hosts, Travelers, or even Friends? 

Today, many volunteer roles naturally begin with becoming a vetted Host/Traveler. That makes sense for responsibilities involving member information, finances, technology, or governance. Those safeguards help protect our members and preserve the trust that makes Servas possible. 

But not every act of service requires access to our membership lists or internal systems. 

Someone who enjoys writing could help with communications. A photographer could document events. A designer could improve educational materials. A retired accountant might enjoy helping explain nonprofit finances. A college student might help organize a regional gathering or create short videos introducing Servas to a new generation. 

These are meaningful contributions that strengthen our community while allowing people to get to know Servas—and allowing Servas to get to know them. 

Perhaps we can begin thinking about volunteer engagement as a series of open doors rather than a single doorway. 

A curious visitor might help with a public event. A new member could join a project team. An experienced Host/Traveler might mentor someone preparing for their first interview or framing the request for letters of recommendation. A committee volunteer might eventually become a Team Lead or board member. 

And when active hosting or travel comes to an end, perhaps another door opens. 

Some of our longest-serving members carry decades of Servas history. They remember the early conferences, lifelong friendships, memorable journeys, difficult decisions, and global moments that shaped our organization. These stories are part of our heritage. 

How wonderful would it be if we intentionally captured them? 

Imagine an oral history project where longtime members share the experiences that taught them what Servas really means. Imagine new volunteers learning not only our policies and procedures but also the stories, values, and traditions that have sustained this organization for generations. 

Leadership is not only about serving on the National Executive Committee.  

It is mentoring a new volunteer. 

It is welcoming someone who is simply curious. 

It is sharing expertise, preserving history, organizing an event, translating a newsletter, solving a technology problem, or helping a project succeed. Every one of these contributions strengthens Servas. 

As US Servas continues to grow and evolve, we have an opportunity to create more entry points for participation—ways for prospective members, newer members, Host/Travelers, and longtime friends of Servas to contribute according to their interests, talents, and stage of life. 

After all, opening doors is what Servas has always done best.  I think it's time to open a few more—this time for volunteers. 

Yours in service, 

Deirdre Araújo 

from the UNA-USA Pasadena Community Feb. 2026 Newsletter 

Paige LaCombe, Chair of Servas Women and former UNA-USA Pasadena board member, led the United Nations Association Pasadena’s first coffee talk of the year. LaCombe presented her work with Servas, including Servas Women, to members of the UNA Pasadena community on January 17th. LaCombe invited members to participate in her talk, with self-reflection and opportunities to share, creating an intimate space to consider what it would mean to welcome an international visitor into one’s home and to travel abroad to stay with a host. 

LaCombe, who has served as the elected peace secretary of Servas, helped build Servas Women to encourage women to travel internationally safely and sustainably while advocating for global women’s rights. Per Servas’ website, “Servas International requests UN Member States to take all possible steps to stop arms delivery and redirect military funds to humanitarian causes; protect women and girls from gender-based violence; and promote women’s involvement in leadership roles in ending conflict and building peace.” LaCombe's work with Servas Women has taken her around the world to hear women's stories and collaborate with them in advocacy. 

As an international non-governmental organization (INGO), Servas consults with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. Servas encourages sustainable travel and a symbiotic exchange of cultures in addition to advocating for human rights globally. This March, UNA-USA Pasadena Chapter President Ann Diederich and Paige LaCombe will present at the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Forum in New York. 

Reflection questions: What would it mean for you to open your doors to an international visitor? How would you welcome an international visitor? How would you feel staying with a host in another country? What would you share from home? 

By Alexandre Tsapin

I am flying to Ukraine, where I am going to volunteer for NGOs. I am trying to identify and get advice from any SERVAS members who were recently (one year ago or less) in Ukraine. I hope they can share tips and details of their trip to Ukraine, and suggest things I might do in preparation, how to navigate the situation there, what to take with me, and similar advice. Please email me at Btsapin@hotmail.com if you can offer me any information that might be helpful. Many thanks!

By Anne Cordon 

US Servas is governed and managed by volunteers who have skills in many different areas. The Member Services teams --Member Help and Member Applicant Support are two teams that need volunteers who would like to assist new and existing members with establishing and maintaining their US Servas memberships. 

Member Help is looking for a couple of motivated volunteers with experience in using Microsoft Office—Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint to respond to member inquiries, process member renewals, to use US Servas web services and Servas International to renew members, review members' Letters of Introduction (LOIs) and issue eStamps to those LOIs which meet the guidelines. 

The time commitment for Member Help volunteers is usually a couple of hours a week. Volunteers are trained on US Servas and Servas International (SI) for specific tasks and can choose when to perform their work. Team meetings are held on Microsoft Teams on the first and third Tuesday of the month in the late afternoon/evening depending on the time zone and usually last about an hour. 

The Member Applicant Support Team (MAST) always needs volunteers. The criteria for being a MAST interviewer are the following: 

1. Must have experience hosting (in-home) and traveling 

1. Must have a current SI profile 

1. Must be able to conduct virtual interviews including screen-sharing in some manner (i.e. Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime) 

We ask interviewers to commit to at least one interview per month when they are not traveling or otherwise unavailable. 

Just like other US Servas members, our volunteers have to take time for personal matters, family activities, travel and so on. When some volunteers aren't available, we depend on other team members to fill in. If you'd like to meet and work with a group of friendly, supportive and committed US Servas members, please log on to usservas.org and click on Members>Volunteering. There's a short form to complete and submit. 

Do it today! 

by Tim Sullivan

Over the years my spouse, Charlotte and I have had many amazing experiences with both travelers and hosts. Absolutely none of these encounters would have happened without volunteers. Today, every Servas country operates with only volunteers. There is not a single paid staff member anywhere. When you think of supporting a peace building nonprofit you will not find one that has a higher percentage of revenue going to supporting programing. I have no idea how many volunteers it takes to support a smooth running Servas worldwide, but in the US I have heard we have more than 100 active volunteers.

Charlotte and I started volunteering when our arms were twisted by Joanne Fergusson Cavenaugh to join the ranks of interviewers. Over time I became more involved with member services which has a terrific group of volunteers working behind the scenes. Next Joanne twisted my arm to run for the board. It took a year or two but here I am writing this article to twist your arm a bit. Volunteering for Servas is one small way Charlotte and I actively support peace building in a world that desperately needs organizations like Servas.

Both Servas International and US Servas currently have a variety of volunteer opportunities. US Servas needs candidates to run for the Board of Directors. This is a critical need for us, and we could use folks with skills in technology, leadership, and really just engaged creative people. The 1^st question I often get asked is, what is the time commitment? The answer is for most board member, on average, less than 5 hours a week. If there is project work or an event coming up, it could be more in a week, but on average, it is less than 5 hours. Here is my invitation for you:

Please consider joining our Board Expectations Session (Zoom meeting) on Saturday September 6, 2025 10 am Pacific time.  To attend, email us at Elections@usservas.org .

Other great ways to volunteer for US Servas are to help our member services, Open Doors newsletter, event coordination, or peace and justice teams. For more information or to sign up to volunteer for US Servas go to: https://www.usservas.org/Volunteering.

Last but not least Servas International (SI) is always looking for volunteers. There are many US Servas members who volunteer for SI, including Radha Radhakrishna, the current President, and several people on the technology committee. There is a current call out for volunteers to apply for leadership positions. You can find more information here: Call for Volunteers: Help Shape Servas International 2026–2028 | Servas International

If you would like to join our great team of volunteers, we would love to hear from you and we love that you are supporting peace building by being a member of Servas!

By Marguerite Hills

Sometimes you plug away at your volunteer tasks and wonder if you are making a real difference. Then every now and then you get a heartwarming affirmation that you do. This happened to me very recently. In early August I interviewed Tegan, a delightful, young member applicant, and I quickly approved her for membership… on to my next task.

It turns out that Tegan quickly hit the road, traveling to the Netherlands where she had her first experience staying with a Servas Host. Apparently, it was a wonderful experience, so she sent me this note:

Hi Marguerite,

We met a few weeks ago when you interviewed my sister Tess and I for Servas. I just wanted to let you know that we met our first Servas host today! She lives a little north of Amsterdam. We had dinner together at her home and discovered that we share a lot of interests - environmentalism, art, meditation, biodynamic farming. She has given us a list of books and documentaries to look up!

It was a lovely evening and exactly the sort of experience I was hoping to have while traveling. I’m very grateful that we were able to meet her through Servas. I wanted to thank you again for helping us through the application process. I’m looking forward to the rest of our Servas stays!

Best, Tegan

It really made my day!

Communications/Newsletter Director:

Do you want to be the new Open Doors Newsletter Coordinator?  US Servas is soliciting applicants for this important volunteer position, training and mentoring beginning immediately with a tenure to begin January 1, 2026.  We are looking for someone who would be good at:

If you would like to learn more, we would love to hear from you!  Please contact volunteer@usservas.org.

Interviewer Volunteer Position:

The Interview Team is looking for individuals to join our team.  Our membership is growing!  We are looking for individuals who have had at least two year’s experience as a US Servas host and traveler.  We are looking for individuals who are tech savvy and have the ability, through Zoom, or through a similar venue, to share their screen.  We need individuals who have some experience navigating the Servas International website (servas.org) and/or are willing to get some mentorship in this regard.  If you would like to learn more, please send an email to volunteer@usservas.org.  We would love to hear from you.

If you are reading this, you have been enticed to click on this link.  Thank you for that.

Because US Servas is 100% powered by our volunteers, we are always interested in working with our members who can give back, if even a small way, for a few hours. The pay is terrible (none), but you will have fabulous working partners, and you can work from the comfort of your own home.

Our goal this year is to grow our membership substantially.  We want more members with diversity of age, culture and color.  We want our website to be welcoming, and easy to navigate (see article in April 2025 issue). We can really use help from younger tech-savvy members, especially in the following areas:

Tech Support Volunteer:

We could use your help:  we’re seeking a tech support volunteer for approximately 8-12 hours per month. Required skills:

1. Proficiency in MS365 suite including SharePoint. This includes designing/editing SharePoint pages, Office forms.
2.  Proficiency in MS Power Automate. Creating and modifying flows, including Flows that ingest data from MS Office forms, transfer form data into a SharePoint table (existing or one you create), generate emails. 

 Open Doors Newsletter:

Open Doors is our monthly newsletter. It is quite an undertaking for the small, two-member team currently doing the legwork. If you have some creative and/or publications related skills we can really use your help. Here are some specific tasks

Interested?  If you might be interested in helping with any of the above tasks (or other work) simply e-mail volunteercoordination@usservas.org.

by Eileen Rowley

Julie Emory is currently the US Servas Tech Team Lead. She Joined Servas in 2017 and became a superstar volunteer while working on the 2022 National Conference team in Salt Lake City. Julie now lives in Cannon Beach, OR

LEE: Julie, how long have you been volunteering with Servas?

JULIE: I started in early 2022, with the team that planned the US Servas conference in Salt Lake City. At that conference there was a session about Volunteering, and reps from each team were there, and I decided to try the Tech Team.

LEE: What surprised you most when you began volunteering?

JULIE: I was surprised about the underlying organizational structure. I had never paid attention to it. I knew people were out there doing things like sending the newsletter and answering membership questions, but I had never thought too much about the structure and planning behind all that. I had just taken it for granted.

LEE: What would you like us to know about your background and history?

JULIE: I was an accounting manager, and an employee benefits director. I enjoyed lots of business travel, overseas assignments, and worked a lot of hours trying to be a good employee. I am happy now to be retired.

LEE: What motivates you to continue to volunteer with the US Servas Tech Team?

JULIE: First, I feel like I’m contributing to a really good organization. I do not have a professional tech background, but I have a lot of related experience. I was very honest with everybody about that when I first joined, and they were able to provide training. It is going well. I have been able to apply a lot of my experience to the volunteer work that I do.

Also, while happy to be retired, I spent many years getting fairly proficient with Office software. I did not want to lose those skills. I need to use them frequently to stay up to speed. It works out well for me to keep those skills up and contribute; It’s a win/win.

LEE: What is the best part about being a Servas volunteer?  

JULIE: It’s something I heard during Tech Team training that resonated with me. Servas volunteers have unique skills and personalities; we come together to keep the organization solid and moving forward. It works pretty well! We don’t always agree, we work out our differences, we learn to appreciate other people. And that is what our organization is about, right? Appreciating other people, other backgrounds. We model this with volunteers in our own country to keep the organization going.

LEE: Can you recall one particular tech experience that made you feel proud/happy/exhilarated/surprised?

JULIE: I’m proud that my efforts are making a difference. When a new volunteer is identified for the Tech Team, we consider training needs, and work to give them the necessary system access. I remember emailing somebody when they first became a volunteer, now they have been with a team for over six months. It feels nice to have been there on their first day, and see they are solid and progressing. Another motivating factor: I’ve corresponded online with other volunteers, just emailing back and forth. But when I see their faces on an online call, or meet them in person at a conference, it is really neat. They’re nice, regular people, but they have a little background superpower of helping for an hour or two, here and there. Just a few hours to chip in can make a big difference.

LEE: Can I add something here? If people reading our newsletter think, “Oh, I don’t have training or a degree in finance or tech or whatever, so I probably couldn’t make a difference,” I would say: please think again. Solid administrative skills, solid organizational skills, every team needs that kind of support. We need people who can take decent notes, follow up with someone on a task, make a phone call, etc. Every team needs people with those skills. I think a lot of our members out there have those skills. They may not think they can be useful, but they really can!  

If you would like to volunteer with US Servas, fill out the form here https://usservas.org/Volunteering], or email your name, location, e-mail, phone number, your preferred method of contact to: volunteercoordination@usservas.org.

by Eilene Rowley

Eileen Rowley and Lisa Aiken, met recently to strategize about increasing our volunteer base. We need your help! There are many small, manageable projects you might like to help with.

Are you comfortable making a few phone calls? Are you facile with technology... we would appreciate assistance with IT. How about finance? Marketing? Editing? Interviewing? There’s a place in Servas for you and your SuperPower!

Volunteer efforts really matter and are greatly appreciated. Please help us keep Servas a relevant and viable organization. Simply e-mail your area/s of interest, your name, address, e-mail, cell number to volunteercoordination@usservas.org. We will welcome you to our corps of volunteers!