Volunteer research program

Research candidates. Never verify your own submission.

Help us identify potential local food suppliers and food-distribution organizations across the country and additional-map entries now listed worldwide. Volunteer research creates leads — it does not create Verified distribution organizations.

Volunteer application (paused)Candidate submission (paused)Verification protocol

Research safeguards

Volunteer access is deliberately limited.

No volunteer can approve a distribution organization, authorize a payment, or turn a candidate green on the public network. Volunteers who are minors may participate only in age-appropriate, remote/public-source research, subject to applicable law and any required parent or legal-guardian permission. Minors must not handle money or financial credentials, enter contracts or commitments for the project, conduct unsupervised in-person field activity, or receive private beneficiary data.

Declare conflicts

Disclose personal, family, professional or financial ties to any candidate.

Use two sources

Provide at least two independent public sources wherever reasonably available.

Official channels

Contact details must be independently confirmed from official or authoritative sources.

No financial access

Volunteers never receive donation funds, bank credentials, passwords or private recipient data.

Staged verification

Only independent review and documented operations can advance a candidate toward Pilot Documented status. This status documents the pilot record; it does not independently verify beneficiary counts or every reported outcome.

Idealist & existing-volunteer safeguards

Research help does not create authority.

The Idealist listing is a Community Group volunteer listing, not proof that Global Food Round is a registered nonprofit, charity, employer-exempt volunteer program or insured volunteer scheme. Platform wording such as “Volunteer can be anywhere in the world” does not establish legal eligibility in every jurisdiction. Formal new applicant intake is currently paused. Existing volunteers may only perform limited, low-risk research within the controls below.

Current Idealist intake notice: the retained 8 September 2026 historical listing snapshot shows that, before the listing was hidden, it displayed “I Want to Help”, “Please fill out this form” and “Submit Your Form”. The listing has since been hidden in Idealist, so new public applicant intake through that listing is operationally suspended. Please do not submit a new formal volunteer application through Idealist or any substitute route unless and until Global Food Round expressly publishes that intake has reopened with the required controller/privacy notice and eligibility review.

Operational hold: the listing has now been hidden in Idealist and dated evidence of that hidden status is retained, so the external-listing portion of the intake pause is operationally implemented as of 8 September 2026. The formal-intake gate itself remains closed: no email, Slack, website or other substitute application route is authorized during this pause. A new submission received through any externally available or inadvertently re-enabled route during the pause is not an acceptance into the volunteer program and must not be evaluated for recruitment until the intake gate is formally reopened. Reopening requires a separate documented decision and current evidence that the approved Idealist settings match the approved intake design.

Truly voluntary

Prototype research has no mandatory hours, quotas, exclusivity or compulsory availability. A volunteer may decline a task or stop participation. Legal status is determined by applicable law and the actual relationship, not by the label “volunteer”.

No apparent authority

Researchers may make specifically authorized initial contact, but cannot negotiate, promise funding, place orders, request payment instructions, sign or accept agreements, or claim partnership, endorsement or Verified status.

Neutral outreach wording

Do not describe a researched organization as a “partner” or approach it about a “possible partnership” unless that exact communication is authorized. Research-stage wording should describe only a potential future operational relationship subject to independent review and written approval.

No personal spending

Do not buy anything, pay fees, subscribe to services, travel, or incur expenses for the project unless the exact expense has been approved in writing in advance by an authorized responsible person.

Certificates are factual only

A contribution certificate may acknowledge research actually received. It is not professional certification, proof of accredited hours, employment status, insurance, Idealist endorsement or verification of the researched organization. Hours are stated only if reliably supported.

Protect volunteer data

Idealist answers, names, emails, Slack identifiers, correspondence and reports may be personal information. Do not publish them merely because they were submitted. Slack is optional community/research communication, not an application workaround during the intake pause.

External-contact rule: a volunteer contacting a supplier or organization must make clear that the message is research/initial contact only and that the volunteer cannot negotiate, make commitments, place orders, accept funds or conclude agreements for Global Food Round. Preferred minimum wording: “Research / initial contact only. I am not authorized to negotiate, make commitments, place orders, request or accept payment, or conclude agreements for Global Food Round.” If the discussion moves to contracts, payments, bank details, funding, exclusivity, beneficiary data or other legal commitments, refer it to the responsible project contact.

See the Volunteer & Idealist Recruitment, Communications and Records Standard and the Idealist Live-Platform Intake Pause Notice.

Step 1

Research volunteer application (currently paused).

Start with one country. We are looking for careful source-based research, not speed.

Website submissions are temporarily paused. The fields and submission controls below are disabled and are not intended to collect or transmit personal information through this website while the pause is in effect. The retained 8 September 2026 historical Idealist listing snapshot shows platform applicant-intake controls, including “I Want to Help” and “Submit Your Form”, that were visible before the listing was hidden. The listing has since been hidden in Idealist, so new public applicant intake through that listing is operationally suspended. Please do not submit a new formal application through Idealist or any substitute route unless and until Global Food Round expressly states that intake has reopened with the required collection-time notice and eligibility review. New formal volunteer or candidate intake should remain paused across application channels until the legally responsible controller is identified and the required collection-time notice is provided at or before collection. Slack and general contact may remain available for community or general communication, but must not be used to solicit or accept a new formal application during this pause. Any personal information already or inadvertently received remains subject to applicable privacy and safeguarding obligations. The privacy contact for questions and rights requests concerning information already held is amirworlddevelop@gmail.com. Before these website forms reopen, the collection-time notice will identify the legally responsible controller and contact details, the purposes of collection, whether requested information is required or voluntary and the consequence of not providing required information, relevant recipients or service providers, applicable retention and cross-border processing information, and available data-subject rights as required by applicable law. Do not provide beneficiary identity documents, medical information, financial credentials, passwords or other unnecessary sensitive information. For information already held, requests for access, correction or other rights will be handled subject to applicable law and appropriate identity verification. See the Privacy & Data Protection Notice.

Name *Email *Country you want to research *LanguagesRelevant experience or skillsWhy would you like to help?

I understand that this page does not itself establish my legal eligibility to volunteer. If I am under the age of majority where I live, participation is permitted only if Global Food Round has first approved an age-appropriate safeguarding process for my location and activity and any consent or permission required by applicable law has been obtained.I understand that this role is intended as unpaid research-volunteer activity only. This acknowledgement does not determine or waive any employment or other status or right that applies by law. It does not grant agency, authority to bind Global Food Round, a promise of insurance coverage, or a right to reimbursement unless an expense is approved in writing in advance. I have no authority to verify, approve, purchase from, or receive money for any organization.I have read the Privacy & Data Protection Notice and understand how my submitted information will be used.

Step 2

Candidate submission for independent review (currently paused).

This form creates a research record only. It never verifies a distribution organization automatically.

Website submissions are temporarily paused. The fields and submission controls below are disabled and are not intended to collect or transmit personal information through this website while the pause is in effect. The previously published Idealist opportunity is now hidden and is not presented as an active Global Food Round applicant-intake channel during this pause. New formal volunteer or candidate intake should remain paused across application channels until the legally responsible controller is identified and the required collection-time notice is provided at or before collection. Slack and general contact may remain available for community or general communication, but must not be used to solicit or accept a new formal application during this pause. Any personal information already or inadvertently received remains subject to applicable privacy and safeguarding obligations. The privacy contact for questions and rights requests concerning information already held is amirworlddevelop@gmail.com. Before these website forms reopen, the collection-time notice will identify the legally responsible controller and contact details, the purposes of collection, whether requested information is required or voluntary and the consequence of not providing required information, relevant recipients or service providers, applicable retention and cross-border processing information, and available data-subject rights as required by applicable law. Do not provide beneficiary identity documents, medical information, financial credentials, passwords or other unnecessary sensitive information. For information already held, requests for access, correction or other rights will be handled subject to applicable law and appropriate identity verification. See the Privacy & Data Protection Notice.

Your name *Your email *Country *Candidate type *Legal / public organization name *Official website *Official emailPhysical address or official locationGovernment / registry / network source URLEvidence URL #1 *Evidence URL #2 *Products / distribution activityPublic price informationLocal delivery capabilityWhy does this candidate appear relevant?

Conflict of interest declaration *I have no personal, family, professional or financial relationship with this candidate.I do have a connection and will disclose it below.If applicable, explain the connection

Describe only the type of connection needed for conflict review. Do not provide family members’ names, ID numbers, private financial information, health information or other unnecessary personal data.

Core principle

Don’t trust one person. Verify every step.

Research is separated from verification, money, delivery confirmation and public approval.

Download the full verification protocol