Shared Interest Group Volunteer Job Description
Volunteer Responsibilities & Expectations:
Volunteers manage shared interest groups by creating the mission and goals for the organization, recruiting steering committee members for the group, launching marketing and outreach efforts, developing the organization’s structure and operating procedure and identifying opportunities for events and outreach. Volunteers also initiate methods of ongoing communication with alumni members, non-members, and current students to ensure the vitality of the group. Steering committee members are also encouraged to create special projects and opportunities that benefit their group and Tufts Alumni.
- Work with other steering committee members to create strategic vision of the group, keeping in mind both short- and long-term goals and opportunities;
- Plan at least one alumni engagement event per year anywhere in the world;
- Leverage personal and other Tufts networks to continually grow membership base of group;
- Maintain ongoing communication (via email is fine) with staff in Office of Alumni Relations (Alumni Relations Officer – Shared Interest Groups) to ensure common understanding of goals, plans, and needs;
- Rely on Office of Alumni Relations and Tufts Alumni for guidance, support, advice, and resources;
- Evaluate one-time and ongoing events to assess their impact and purpose;
- Wisely manage financial resources allocated by the Tufts University Alumni Association throughout the year;
- Serve as an ambassador for your group, Tufts University, and Tufts University Alumni Association at events and outside of formal Tufts functions;
- Volunteers are expected to make every effort to attend events that have been planned by their respective group, chapter, committee, etc.;
- Volunteers are encouraged to make an annual gift--of any size--to Tufts;
- Leaders of these organizations are expected to take part in and contribute to the development of succession plans for their respective group, chapter, committee, etc.;
- Please notify your Alumni Relations staff liaison immediately if you are no longer able to participate as a volunteer or if you need to take a leave of absence from your volunteer duties.
The time commitment is approximately two to four hours per month, depending on group’s proposed plans for the year. Most work is done via email. In-person meetings and conference calls are rare. Steering committee members are expected to attend the group’s in-person events.
Shared Interest Group Manual for Volunteers (pdf)
Term of Service:
Steering committee members typically serve a two-year term, however, most serve for two to four years. Members of the steering committee are also expected to continue to recruit potential successors and other members of the group’s leadership.
Program Description:
Alumni Shared Interest Groups (SIG) at Tufts are domestic and international communities of alumni that share a common affinity based on shared experience, identity and background, organizational or academic affiliation, profession, or other Tufts-related interest. Shared Interest Groups provide a tangible way for Tufts to identify and engage alumni in the life of the university and its alumni population through events, communications, and shared networks. Membership in individual groups based on shared culture, identity, and profession is open to any member of the Tufts community. For more information about Tufts Shared Interest Groups, visit the Shared Interest Groups page.
New members of the steering committee are recommended by other members of the current steering committee. Nominees are asked to speak with at least one professional staff member in the Office of Alumni Relations to ensure a positive and productive working relationship.
No special skills or experience are needed – just a love for Tufts and an interest/experience in connecting people to each other and back to your alma mater is essential. Other helpful, but not mandatory, skills include: strategic planning, event planning, logistics and organizational skills, marketing/communications/social media, creativity.
Staff Support:
- Serve as an advocate for the success and well-being of individual Shared Interest Groups, their volunteers, and members
- Encourage strategic thinking and planning to maximize the impact of individual groups
- Recognize volunteers and their work through formal TUAA awards programs and through additional volunteer and other recognition opportunities
- Your staff liaison will provide training materials or one-on-one training, as needed.
- Your staff liaison will schedule meetings/conference calls according to your group’s availability and the will make certain that agendas/minutes are distributed in a timely manner.
- Your staff liaison will oversee any and all logistics for mailings, blast emails, event calendar postings, event registration sites, etc. as it relates to the events or activities of your volunteer program.
- Your staff liaison will provide support to your group when planning events which may include assistance with venue selection, catering, AV needs, guest speaker(s) confirmation, registration, etc.
Contacts:
For more information, please contact Julie O’Connor (Julie.O_Connor@tufts.edu) in the Office of Alumni Relations.
