Recruit Student Volunteers
The Service and Social Innovation staff in the Center for Careers, Life and Service (CLS) seek to be a bridge between the campus and community. One key way we do so is by helping coordinate student community engagement, both through funded opportunities, like Service-Learning Work Study, and through volunteering. Volunteering is most successful when it is sustained and thoughtfully scaffolded. Our students care deeply about being involved in the community and love to volunteer their time. Our role is to help community partners leverage that passion in meaningful ways. If you are interested in having students share their time with your organization, we would encourage you to reach out to our office; together we can collaborate in building well-structured volunteer experiences that serve the needs of your organization, while also supporting students in their learning. Our commitment is to support you and our students to foster a productive volunteer experience.
For more information, contact Ryan Solomon, Associate Director of Civic Education and Innovation.
Explore a Potential Classroom or Co-Curricular Partnership
There are endless ways in which you may partner with students, faculty, and staff at Grinnell College. Here are just a few:
- Work with a faculty member and their class on a project or research topic of your choice.
- Share your expertise with students.
- Host a Service Leadership Work-Study student.
- Adopt an athletic team to volunteer with you.
- Identify students who share your values and would like to learn from you so that you may both more consciously advocate for a common cause.
- Partner with a group of students to delve deep into the root causes of an intractable issue your organization faces so that you may address the issue from a systemic perspective.
For more information, please contact Susan Sanning, Associate Dean and Director of Civic Education and Innovation
Additional Partnership Opportunities
In addition to the curricular and co-curricular opportunities offered by the CLS, The Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research has additional opportunities for campus and community collaboration. This office serves as a collaborative thought partner with college and community change makers for the common good. By bringing together different skills and expertise, the office supports research, planning, and partnerships with those who are working to improve the lives of all Grinnellians, including Grinnell College students, employees, and members of the broader community.
Community Partner Search: Volunteer Database
The Community Partner Search is a database that the Grinnell community, Grinnell college staff/faculty/students, and community partners themselves can access to learn about service opportunities and needs in the area. This compilation of nonprofit organizations within approximately a 60-mile radius of Grinnell College is searchable by interest, needs, logistics of serving, location, and more. This database is also a networking tool for community partners in the region, where nonprofit organizations can easily see
others whose goals and work may be mutually beneficial.
If you would like your nonprofit organization to be included in the Community Partner Search, or if you currently have a database listing that you would like to update, please contact us via this form.
