Thank you for your interest in partnering with William and Mary to create positive community-driven social change. We want to share with you some best practices for working with our students and resources for supporting your work.

Working with William and Mary Students 

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. Relatively few students attend summer classes.
• 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 or connect them with your other WM volunteers who may have cars. In addition, some students may be requested a special permit for volunteering, if they commit to more than ten hours each week.
• 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.

Recruiting General Volunteers

Please email Elizabeth Miller 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 OCE will post your request on a weekly listserv message for up to three weeks.  You may also submit general information about your organization to our Volunteer Directory by emailing Elizabeth Miller.

Unfortunately, we are not able to post opportunities for paid work.

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.

Community Partner Listerv

If you would like to receive email notifications about OCE Community Partner events, such as the Volunteer Fair, group service days, and community workshops, email Elizabeth Miller to be added to our Community Partner Listserv.  

Volunteer Fair

Each September, the OCE holds a Volunteer Fair to introduce students to community engagement opportunities in our area.  Contact Elizabeth Miller for more information.

Community Partner Breakfast and Workshop

Each fall, OCE hosts a breakfast for our community partners as an opportunity to connect with colleagues, receive updates from our office, and further local partnerships. At the end of the spring semester, OCE also hosts a community partner workshop which provides breakout sessions on content relevant to our community partners as well as time for networking and lunch. Both events are free and announced through our community partner listserv. Contact Elizabeth Miller for more information.

Tutoring Needs

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

Funded Local Internships

In partnership with local community organizations and thanks to the generous support of the William & Mary Parents Fund, The Office of Community Engagement offers a small number of funded local internships each year. Community partners apply for a student intern whose work will increase the capacity of their organization. If that internship if selected, OCE then recruits student applicants and the student selected by the community organization receives funding for their experience. Internships generally range from 80-200 hours during the summer and the academic semesters. Details about each round of funding and community partner applications are distributed on our community partner listserv and posted on our website. 

Applications for fall interns will open in late summer. 

For information about the requirements of organizations which host an intern, review the Funded Internship Community Partner Expectations guide. 

Student Interns

If you are interested in creating other internship opportunities for students, please refer to the Career Center website regarding how to post internships.  For more information contact, [[snlarson, Stephanie Larson]], Assistant Director for Internships. You may also post internships to our volunteer listserv.  

Community Advisory Committee

We value the insight and contributions of our community partners, and meet regularly with a small group of partners through our Community Advisory Committee. Let [[mcporter, Melody Porter]] know if you are interested in serving on this committee.