Our lives are busy.
We move through our days with an ever-growing list of commitments that can make it hard to focus on our interests and passions. Being short on time should not deny anyone the ability to share the pride and spirit you have for Indiana University. But how? Within the Alumni Communities Team, we have been working to meet the needs of alumni and members who want to build a relationship with IU and IUAA on their own time.
To that end, we are pleased to announce the Individual Volunteer Program. As of July 1, 2021, any member of the IUAA can become an individual volunteer. Incorporating all the elements of the Chartered Alumni Communities Program, volunteers can choose how they would like to participate. We designed the program specifically for those who want to contribute and connect with other like-minded alums without committing to a volunteer board or live within an area where a geographically based board exists.
To begin, each individual volunteer should be a member of the IUAA. Being an IUAA member is open and accessible to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. We also request that all volunteers understand our ethical standards to serve. Lastly, volunteers will need to join the IUAA Alumni Leader Resources group within the Virtual Alumni Network (VAN). The “home base” for information sharing and collaboration, the IUAA Alumni Leader Resources group provides a space where all volunteers can share success stories, get information from IUAA staff, and receive up-to-date information on the volunteer network.
From there, we provide volunteers with our Individual Volunteer Menu of Engagement, a list of ways a volunteer can contribute their time. The Individual Volunteer Program allows you to better tailor the way you serve; doing so the reach of our alumni volunteers impacts others to support each other and IU.
Learn more about the Menu of Engagement.
We want you to connect alumni to each other and IU in ways that fit your own interests and availability.
- Want to build a new home for a family in need? Sign up for the Community Service campaign, take a picture and share your wonderful work on social media.
- Want to watch an IUPUI basketball game with your friends in Jacksonville, Florida? Hop onto the Virtual Alumni Network, join the Southeast Region group, and tell other members where to join you.
- Want to host a Lifelong Learning virtual course? Sign up to be a virtual host and listen in to world-class IU faculty and experts through our Lifelong Learning Program.
- And many other volunteer opportunities!
Volunteering for IUAA has never been easier.
Throughout July and August, we will begin to onboard new volunteers to the program. After the Labor Day holiday, Alumni Communities staff members will contact individual volunteers and provide them with the resources they need to get started. Throughout the year, we will follow up with volunteers, ask for feedback via surveys and one-on-one outreach, and find out where we are making the most impact with alumni.
If you are a volunteer within an existing domestic alumni chapter, please know that your staff liaison may change. And do not forget, you will have other volunteers within the VAN Alumni Resources group to work with. Join your geographic region group and any interest groups you may like to stay even more connected to all things IU.
Do you know any connected alumni who might be interested in becoming an individual volunteer? Current volunteers can direct alumni to the volunteer section of the IUAA website, where all prospective volunteers can start their journey. There is an introductory video, a prompt to join IUAA at the free or paid level if they have not yet done so and complete a quick intake form to get started.
We are entering a new era of engagement at the IUAA. Shared experiences and lifelong relationships made through and by Indiana University need not be bound by geography or availability. With your help, we can achieve our vision: a world where all who love IU are advancing one another and Indiana University for good.