Community Partnerships & Requests for Volunteers

We are glad that you are interested in posting a volunteer opportunity for William and Mary students. Below is some information that will help you to make the most effective connections to get the support that you need.

Community partnerships are established with the expectation that:

• student involvement will help meet identified community needs;
• students will have a real and measurable impact on the community;
• agency representatives participate in training sessions and assist in facilitating discussions related to the service experience;
• agency representatives are viewed as co-educators in a co-curricular experiential learning setting;
• OCES staff members assist agency representatives in providing superior training, supervision and evaluation of students.

General Volunteers for a Nonprofit Organization

Please email [[apanol, Allison Anoll]] a three to four sentence description of your need for volunteers, including requirements, what volunteers will be doing, dates, times and location; and a contact person, along with their phone number and email address. The OCES will post your request on a weekly listserv message for up to four weeks.  You may also submit general information about your organization to our Volunteer Directory by emailing [[mcporter, Melody Porter]].

You may also consider posting a request for assistance on the Student Information Network.

Please note that while we will publicize your need, we cannot guarantee volunteers for your project. You can encourage students to volunteer with you by providing meaningful, challenging projects, and submitting the request several weeks in advance.

Volunteer Fair

Each September, the OCES holds a Volunteer Fair to introduce students to community engagement opportunities in our area.  Contact [[mcporter, Melody Porter]] for more information.

Tutoring Needs

The School of Education at William and Mary posts requests for paid tutors on a regular listserv message. To submit a request, please email [[dot.osborne, Dorothy Osborne]] with a description of your need, the compensation offered, and contact details.

You may also consider posting a request for assistance on the Student Information Network.

Special Information about Student Volunteers

While our students are often committed, hard-working volunteers, they have different needs and schedules than other volunteers may. Please keep in mind our academic calendar as you request volunteers. Very few students attend summer classes.

Transportation

Please also note that freshman and sophomore students are not allowed to have cars on campus, and so transportation may be an issue for more than half of our student population. Consider public transportation options when listing opportunities. In addition, some students may be requested a special permit for volunteering, if they commit to more than ten hours each week.

Commitment and Scheduling

Many of our students are involved in various campus activities, in addition to intense academic schedules, work and volunteer commitments. We recommend that you have conversations with student volunteers about their commitment to you, particularly asking about their academic schedules (tests, papers) and how you might work together to design a schedule that will be effective for both sides.