Walk through on the volunteer lifecycle, program building process, volunteer opportunity examples, and challenges you may face when you create an alumni volunteer program.

1. Building a Volunteer
Program
Margaret Grabowski, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
Reggie Bustinza, Director of Alumni Relations

2. About Lewis University
• Private Doctoral-Level University
• Catholic / Lasallian
• Romeoville, IL
• 6,000+ students
• 37,000 alumni
• Alumni Relations Staff of 3

3. Commitment to Volunteerism
• Hired Margaret in January, 2014
• LUAA has permanent “Volunteer
Management Committee”
• Lewis funds some volunteer activities
– Thank You Party
– All mailings
– Gifts

4. Agenda
• Purpose of a Volunteer Program
• Volunteer Process
• Program Build Process
• Branding
• How Lewis uses alumni volunteers
• Challenges
• Results

5. Why Build a Volunteer Program?
• One avenue of engagement
– Along with communications, giving, and event
attendance
• Additional (human) resources for the
institution
• Cultivation tool

6. Volunteer Process
Maintain Engagement
With Unutilized
Volunteers

7. Identifying Opportunities
• How are alumni currently being utilized?
– Take an inventory by talking to deans, campus
partners
• Constantly ask yourself: Is this a potential
volunteer opportunity?
• Are there new initiatives you’d like to
offer?
• Ongoing vs. Recurring vs. One-time

8. Identifying Volunteers
• Continue your inventory: Who are the current volunteers and what are
they doing?
• Add “Are you interested in learning more about volunteer
opportunities?” to everything you can!
– Door prize slips, sign-in sheets, all surveys
• Engagement Scores / Data mining
• Targeted outreach
– Reunions and affinity groups – this is a GREAT method
• Development Officers
• Website Presence
– Online volunteer interest form
– Posting specific opportunities vs. vague categories
• Finally… the marketing push!

9. Webpage Example
Alumni.lewisu.edu/volunteer

10. Identifying Volunteers
• Data Management
– Volunteer Interest vs. Volunteer Active

11. Qualification, Training & Placement
• Right volunteer for the job
• Training done on a case-by-case basis
– Some opportunities require almost no training,
others are more involved
• Campus partners often do their own training

12. Thank Volunteers
• An email from Margaret immediately after
they volunteer
• Handwritten note from a volunteer
committee member
• Recognition in the Biannual Newsletter
• Small gift
• Annual “Thank You” Party for all
volunteers

13. Maintaining Engagement with
Unutilized Volunteers
• Invitation to “Thank You” Party
• Bi-annual Volunteer eNewsletter

14. Branding
• Not necessary, but makes life easier
• Bradley – BRAVO (BRadley Alumni Volunteer
Organization)
• Lewis – FAVS (Flyers Alumni VolunteerS)
• Name was decided by the Volunteer Committee,
which is one of the committees of the LUAA Board
• Created Logo
• All volunteers get a FAVS pin when they volunteer
• Working on Mission Statement
• Developing Brochure

15. Branding

16. Volunteer Program Build Process

17. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• Volunteer your Expertise
– Classroom / Student Org Speaker
– Networking Events Presenter
– Your Flight Plan: Life Skills Week presenter
– Career Services Resource
– Webinar Host

18. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• Volunteer for Current Students
– ICE Class Game Show Host
– Dinner for 10
– Commencement Weekend Volunteers
– Senior BBQ

19. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• Volunteer for the Office of Admissions
– Yield Events
– Alumni Letter Writing Program

20. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• Join a Committee
– Affinity Group boards
– LUAA Board & Committees
– Department / College advisory boards
– BoT
– Celebrating Women in Leadership committee

21. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• April – National Volunteer Appreciation
Month
– Celebration of Scholarship
– Earth Week
– Operation Care Package

22. Volunteer Opportunity Examples
• Conspicuously Absent?
– Mentoring Program
– College Fairs
– Volunteering for other organizations

23. Challenges
• Volunteering for other organizations
– #FlyersCare
• Faculty can be territorial with these
relationships
• Unfulfilled promises / Unmet expectations
– Others promise volunteer opportunities that can’t
be fulfilled
– Everybody wants the ego boost of being a
classroom speaker

24. Results

25. Results
Volunteer-Independent Engagement Scores
January 2014 January 2015
All Alumni 9.67 10.92
Volunteers 19.23 31.65

26. Results
Group Giving May 2013 Giving Jan 2015 Change %
All Alumni
Population:
approximately 34k
7.01% 7.88% +0.87%

27. Results
Group Giving May 2013 Giving Jan 2015 Change %
All Alumni
Population:
approximately 34k
7.01% 7.88% +0.87%
Existing Volunteers
population: 151
66 (43.7%) 117 (77.5%) + 33.8%

28. Results
Group Giving May 2013 Giving Jan 2015 Change %
All Alumni
Population:
approximately 34k
7.01% 7.88% +0.87%
Existing Volunteers
population: 151
66 (43.7%) 117 (77.5%) + 33.8%
New Volunteers
Population: 244
91 (37.3%) 110 (45.1%) + 7.8%

29. Results
Group Giving May 2013 Giving Jan 2015 Change %
All Alumni
Population:
approximately 34k
7.01% 7.88% +0.87%
Existing Volunteers
population: 151
66 (43.7%) 117 (77.5%) + 33.8%
New Volunteers
Population: 244
91 (37.3%) 110 (45.1%) + 7.8%
Combined
Population: 395
157 (39.8%) 227 (57.5%) + 17.7%

30. Questions?
Margaret Grabowski
(815) 836 – 5944
grabowma@lewisu.edu
Reggie Bustinza
(815) 588 – 7542
bustinre@lewisu.edu