PNW/ASI's Pro Bono Program, created by past chapter president Sherry Smith, matches new indexers with non-profit organizations that need books, manuals, or other publications indexed with new indexers. The indexers work with the non-profits to write the indexes under the wing of mentors (seasoned professionals) who provide advice and feedback along the way. It's truly a win-win situation - the non-profits receive a top-notch index that would not be affordable otherwise, and the new indexers have polished samples for their portfolios. The mentors also feel great, because they did a super job of nurturing fledglings in the field.

Information for Mentors: The experienced indexer has two roles: “mentor” and reviewer. As a mentor, she or he answers questions and offers suggestions to the beginning indexer during the project. As a reviewer, the experienced indexer checks the final version of the index and approves it before it is submitted to the client. These tasks should involve a small amount of time because the beginning indexers are screened thoroughly before they are assigned projects.
To sign up, send your name, contact information, and preferred subject areas to Sherry Smith, PNW/ASI Pro Bono Committee Coordinator.

Need more information?

Recent and current projects

Program guidelines for indexers

Download our brochure describing the program (pdf format, 303 KB). This requires Acrobat Reader; if you do not have it, you can download it for free by clicking here.

Still have questions or want to participate?
Send an e-mail to Sherry Smith, PNW/ASI Pro Bono Committee Coordinator

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