Volunteers work best with clear direction and timelines. If they’re supporting a year-long annual fund, create a calendar at the beginning of the year to set expectations. That’s key!

Job Description

Check out a sample Volunteer job description.

The mission of [Volunteer Program] is to enhance alumni engagement and encourage philanthropic support towards [School Name]. As a volunteer, you will play an important role in serving as a liaison between your classmates/fellow alumni and the annual fund. Volunteers are expected to demonstrate a passion for [School Name] and a desire to make an impact on the future of the institution.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Contact classmates via email, phone, and social media to provide updates from [School Name], solicit an annual gift or pledge payment, give thanks for a previous gift, gather updated contact information, and extend event invitations
• Contribute to the annual fund each year at a level that sets an example of personal leadership
• Participate in annual outreach pushes at the end of the calendar year and the end of the fiscal year
• Attend volunteer conference calls, trainings, and meetups offered by staff
• Identify and refer alumni who would also make valuable volunteers

Outreach Calendar

Sync your volunteer outreach with your annual appeals. Spacing out the work means volunteers can be focused and active when their outreach is needed most.

If you can, publish a volunteer calendar at the beginning of each fiscal year so your volunteers can plan ahead.

You’ll want to consider including key times for outreach such as:

• The end of the calendar year
• The end of the fiscal year
• Immediately following any large-scale solicitation
• Directly preceding or following big events like homecoming, reunion, or an annual reception
• Leading up to and during a giving day
• A pool-specific time for outreach (say, “class of ‘78 week” or “let’s build that building!” week)

Be clear on expectations. If you want your volunteers to secure half of all their gifts by December, tell them! If you want them to send one email or make 10 phone calls in a week, they’ll need to know that so they can plan ahead.

Also, make sure volunteers know who to contact for support or questions. They can start with our volunteer-facing help site when it comes to using Volunteer by EverTrue.

Sample Volunteer Handbooks

We’ve collected a few publicly available volunteer manuals here:

Fundraising Programs

• Harvard College
• Bowdoin College
• Milton Academy
• Phillips Exeter Academy
• Emory University (Campaign Volunteers)

Alumni & Parent Engagement Programs

• Northeastern University
• University of Evansville
• UMass Lowell