About The Commission

Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, builds capacity and sustainability in Maine's volunteer and service communities by funding programs, developing managers of volunteers, raising awareness of sector issues, and promoting service as a strategy.

The 25 board members of the  Volunteer Maine Commission are appointed by the governor to three-year terms and each represents a specific segment of Maine's volunteer sector. 

Volunteer Maine is Maine government’s partner for the federal Corporation for National Service. 

On October 16, 2019, the Maine Commission for Community Service adopted Volunteer Maine as its new public identity. 

Enabling Statute

Volunteer Maine was established in 1994 by Executive Order and under state statute in 1995.

Our mission

Foster and inspire community service and volunteerism to address critical needs in the State of Maine.

Our vision

Vibrant, productive communities with involved, responsible citizens.

Our values

Service is a

community building strategy -- harnessing the energy of a few to the benefit of many; problem-solving strategy -- complementing the effort and energy of full-time professionals with the vision and sense of mission of part- or full-time volunteers; cornerstone of the educational process; and state- and nation-building strategy -- cultivating a sense of civic identity and greater common purpose.

Our convictions

  • Service is a fundamental building block of a civil society;
  • Service cultivates a sense of personal and civic responsibility;
  • Service is a strategy for solving a range of community problems;
  • Service varies in intensity from part-time volunteerism to full-time paid service;
  • Service, when it is well-conceived and implemented, can be a cost-effective complement to the work of professionals;
  • Service includes a range of activities performed by different people using different means;
  • Service is a lifelong habit that can be most easily acquired early in life; Service is an exemplary vehicle for delivering educational content and assessing learning -- and an educational aim in itself;
  • Service works best when it is community-led and government-supported; and
  • Service is a fundamental American tradition.