Due to the labor and immigration laws surrounding the topic, volunteering is actually not a simple thing to do. These laws are in place to protect all workers, as well as to protect American jobs. There are two important components about volunteering.
First, volunteering is activity that is not compensated in any form - that means no payment at that time or later in the form of cash, check, or any other form of compensation.
Second, volunteering is a position that has traditionally been held by individuals who were not compensated. That means, it is NOT possible to do a position that has previously been paid (for example, someone has been laid off from their job) and have it meet the standards of a volunteer position. One has to be very careful of that aspect in the current economy.
If a person is doing a volunteer position, then no Social Security number (SSN) is needed. The SSN is only given to F-1 students for tax record keeping purposes of employment. If an organization asks for an SSN or a letter of authorization to be on the premises, it may indicate the activity does not meet the traditional standard of being a volunteer position.
There are many volunteer opportunities in NYC that allow for foreign students to further immerse in U.S. culture, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen. Volunteer positions do not require OISS authorization, because they are not employment.
If you have further questions about volunteering that are not addressed in this e-mail, it is best to meet with an OISS advisor in person to discuss them. Advisor walk-in hours are Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 1-4pm throughout the year, unless otherwise updated on the OISS homepage, www.nyu.edu/oiss.