Bellingcat Volunteer Community Waitlist Application
Complete this form to express your interest in joining the Bellingcat Volunteer Community waitlist. Please review our FAQ page before applying for essential details: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community/faq

Our community thrives on active engagement and shared initiative. Rather than a loose network for passive benefits, it is a space where volunteer researchers who learn from and support one another. We recognise that life can get in the way and temporary breaks are sometimes necessary; however, to maintain an active and effective environment for all, we disaffiliate members who have been consistently passive for 90 days. We encourage you to ensure this environment aligns with your expectations and availability before submitting your application.

We prefer authentic responses that reflect your personal experience rather than AI-generated perfection. Please prioritise your own voice; we do not judge applications based on the level of your English grammar.

Note: This information will not be shared with anyone except for Volunteer Community Management team.

We appreciate your enthusiasm and look forward to learning more about you!
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Email *
Please note, we will store this data for future community cohorts for up to one year. 
It will be only used for the purpose of this application.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting volunteer@bellingcat.com.
 *
I’ve explored the Volunteer FAQ and feel aligned with the community's values. If invited to join, I’m ready to adopt Bellingcat’s standards for privacy, security, and editorial integrity—including the practice of being credited by my real name. *
Full Name *
Contact Email *

Where can we find you online?
Please provide a link/-s to your LinkedIn, portfolio, or a work/university profiles.

 *
Are you 18 years or older? *
We are committed to increase the gender diversity within our community. Would you mind sharing your gender identity? *
What is your current location (city, country)
Please specify the country you live in and any other countries you regularly visit.
 *
What timezone are you in? 
Please choose the closest timezone to you. *
What is your primary professional/academic background? *
What is your current occupation?
If you're not currently employed, please indicate and reference your last occupation.
 *
Do you currently or have you ever worked for one of the following: military, government, political parties, intelligence agencies, or private intelligence organisations? If so, specify below. *
If you currently work or have worked for one of the following: military, government, political parties, intelligence agencies, or private intelligence organisations, please specify when was that and what did the work entail?
If you haven't, please fill the answer with 'N/A'.
 *
Have you previously volunteered or otherwise collaborated with Bellingcat?  If so, when was that and what did the collaboration entail?
If you haven't, please fill the answer with 'N/A'.
 *
Do you have prior experience participating in collaborative investigative projects or groups (formal or informal)? *
Are currently or have previously been involved in other open source research or investigative communities? If so, which ones? *
What motivates you to join the Bellingcat Volunteer Community, and how do you hope to grow through your participation?
Try to keep your answer between 100 and 200 words and be as specific and personal and possible - we want to learn about you!
 *
Try to be as specific and personal as possible.
What are your primary expectations for how you would like to benefit from your participation in the Bellingcat Volunteer Community?
Select up to 3. *
While joining the Bellingcat Volunteering Community can certainly help align with your personal motivations and expectations, please be aware that individual participation alone may not fullfil all personal goals, as the community operates with limited resources to support the realisation of every individual desire, and as ultimate success and growth depend on the active, collaborative engagement of every volunteer.
Required
Please self-assess your level of experience across the following Open Source Research skills: *
Novice
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert
Geolocation & Chronolocation (e.g., satellite imagery analysis, mapping, and analysing shadows or weather).
Visual Verification (e.g., reverse image search, metadata analysis, and identifying AI-generated content or deepfakes).
Social Media Monitoring (e.g., platform monitoring, network analysis, digital archiving).
Digital Footprint Analysis (e.g., researching individuals, corporate structures, financial records).
Advanced Web Research (e.g., utilising search operators/dorks, navigating public records).
Technical Investigative Methods (e.g., web scraping, data analysis).
Investigative Storytelling (e.g., crafting pitches, report writing, visual data representation).
Other scientific methods or skills that could be applied to investigations
How do you plan to apply your skills and knowledge within the Bellingcat Volunteer Community? *
Try to be as specific and personal as possible.
Should you be selected to join our community, which skills/knowledge would you be eager to share with your peers? *
Have you used any specialised open source research tools? If yes, please briefly mention which ones and what have you used them for. *
Complex tool knowledge is not required to be part of the community. One way to contribute is by helping maintain Bellingcat's Online Investigation Toolkit—a perfect opportunity to learn the latest OSINV tools by testing them and updating their guides every two months.
Which of the following investigative focus areas are you most interested in contributing to?
Select up to 3.
 *
Required

Besides English, which other languages do you know? Please list only those you can read and navigate comfortably.
Select all that apply and list any additional ones.

 *
Required
Which of the following regional/geographic areas do you have specific knowledge or experience that could aid investigations?
Select all that apply and list any additional ones.
 *
Required
Rank the importance of the following factors when choosing an investigation or a project to contribute to: *
Most Important (1)
Very Important (2)
Important (3)
Least Important (4)
Public impact/significance
Relevance to my existing skills and interest
Opportunity to learn new skills
Collaboration potential with others on the team
Clarity of the project goals, tasks and timeline
On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable are you working independently versus as part of a structured team? *
Prefer structured team
Prefer working independently
On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable are working within defined scopes and instructions versus pursuing open-ended investigations? *
Prefer defined scopes
Prefer open-ended investigations
Approximately how many hours per week on average do you spend engaging with open source research or investigative content (e.g., reading reports, practicing skills, following relevant news)? *
Approximately how many hours per week on average can you realistically commit to our Volunteer Community (e.g., answering peer questions, sharing resources, following community and project-specific updates, contributing to projects)? *
Are you part of a public Bellingcat's Discord server? If so, please share your username/-s.
If you aren't, please fill the answer with 'N/A'.
 *
Lastly, how did you hear about the Bellingcat Volunteer Community? *
Thank you for taking time to answer all our questions - they will help us to get to know you better!
Are there any specific questions you have for our team? *
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