Get Involved - Become a Volunteer
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Find your perfect fit! Whether you love teaching, designing maps, taking photos, writing code, or helping behind the scenes, there's a place for you at Navigation Games. Browse the roles below, see what sparks your interest, and don't worry if you're not sure where you fit—we'll help you find the right opportunity. Whether you have an hour, a weekend, or want to get deeply involved, every volunteer makes a difference, and we'd love to have you on the team!
If you'd like to get involved, click the button to let us know which opportunities interest you. There's no commitment at this stage—we'll be in touch to chat about the roles, answer any questions, and help you find the best fit!
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Teaching & Coaching: Help deliver our programs directly to participants.
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Orienteers-in-Residence
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School, after-school & camp teaching
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Coach a team
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One-off event volunteer
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Conference volunteer
Education & Program Development: Help create and improve our educational resources.
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Map-making & course design
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Curriculum content reviewer
Communications & Creative: Help tell the Navigation Games story.
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Photographer
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Videographer / Video Editor
Technology & Operations: Help behind the scenes to keep the organization running.
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Software developer
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Marketing, fundraising & administration
Leadership & Governance: Help shape the future of Navigation Games.
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Board member
School, After-School & Camp Teaching
We are always looking for people to get involved with our programming - whether a weekend public event, working with a youth organization for an orienteering activity or regularly helping at a school.
Full training provided - no prior knowledge of orienteering needed!
Coach a Team
Help coach an orienteering team. Navigation Games will provide coach training, practice plans, and materials.
Full training provided - no prior knowledge of orienteering needed!
One-off Events
We run public events during the weekend or in evenings. They are most successful when we have fun-loving people who enjoy being outside, encouraging children and lending a hand.
We use volunteers to help set up, provide activities for children (all training provided), keep participants safe, to encourage participation and to tidy up.
Check out our upcoming events list.
Curriculum content reviewers
Map-Making & Course Design
Help us make maps and design courses and activities! We use Purple Pen, SportIdent, Easygec, Open Orienteering Mapper and OCAD.
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Videographer / Video Editors
We are looking for educators to address pedagogy and usability, editors for consistency and clarity, and experienced orienteers for the technical accuracy of the orienteering content. You will read through assigned lessons and give feedback to improve the curriculum.
We would like to create short videos to accompany our lesson plans and activity descriptions on our curriculum site, according to a common format.
Software Developer
Help develop or design software, iterating on our orienteering electronic timing results software.
The developer will work in a team to:
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Implement code to develop new features, improve the user interface, add tests
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Build new features for NG to summarize student progress for teachers and to accommodate new types of games
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Leave documentation for future developers
Skills of interest: Frontend/backend, UI/UX, Python, QT/QML, Github, packaging and deploying cross-platform app
Marketing, Fundraising & Administration
Assist with desk-based administrative support. In-person or virtual work is possible, flexible schedule with no required number of minimum hours.
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Outreach & Marketing
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Fundraising & grant-writing support
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Admin support
Board Member
We are seeking enthusiastic and committed individuals to join our Board of Directors.
Board members play an active role in guiding the organization’s strategy, supporting fundraising efforts, and ensuring that our programs can continue to inspire adventure, learning, and teamwork.
We welcome candidates with a variety of professional and life experiences, particularly those with skills in finance, fundraising, nonprofit management, communications, and community partnerships.
Board members are expected to dedicate about 1-2 hours per month, with a mix of remote work and occasional in-person events.
Prior board experience is not required—just a passion for our mission and a willingness to actively contribute your time and expertise.
Check our board prospectus for more information or email Maija Pratt, our Executive Director, maija@navigationgames.org.
We want photographers to help capture the energy and joy of our orienteering events this year:
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Attend occasional events (even just 1–2 hours) and photograph participants in action
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Capture a mix of close-ups, candid moments, group shots, and wider scenes
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Share edited or well-selected photos with us shortly after each event
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Respect our photo/waiver guidelines and any restrictions on which images we can use publicly
All Navigation Games staff and volunteers who work with children must pass a CORI criminal background check and take the SafeSport online training. Some positions have additional requirements.
