Volunteer Opportunities
Whether you are a recent grad, a seasoned Smith volunteer or just reconnecting with the college, there are numerous ways you can be involved with Smith by tapping into your talents and getting plugged in. Always loved Reunion? Help us pull it off. Excited to support connections with other Smithies where you live? Host events through your local Smith Club. Charged up to help us meet a fundraising goal? Appeal to your class about The Smith Fund. We can find a great fit for you and, along the way, you’ll pick up new, invaluable skills, grow your network and feel connected to a community you cherish.
When you volunteer, you:
- Have fun working with a great team of alums.
- Build your Smith community.
- Enhance your leadership skills.
- Gain behind-the-scenes insights into Smith.
- Give back to an institution you love.
- Broaden your social and professional networks.
- Receive ongoing personal development and fundraising training.
Share your passion for Smith with prospective students and their families by becoming an Alumnae admission volunteer. More than 1,800 alums help identify the best and brightest prospective students by representing Smith at college fairs (we supply materials and training), by conducting local interviews for students applying to the college and by working with high school guidance counselors to distribute the Smith College Book Award. If you are interested in learning more about becoming involved in recruiting students for Smith, please contact us at smithaac@smith.edu.
What You Can Do
- Talk to high school students in your hometown about your Smith experience.
- Represent Smith at college fairs in your hometown.
- Interview prospective students and guide them through the application process.
Smith clubs as well as affinity and special interest groups around the world host a variety of events—book clubs, community service projects, museum visits—that provide opportunities to connect with the college, alums, faculty and students.
What You Can Do
- Help plan programs and events for alums and prospective students.
- Reach out to alums in your local area.
- Host a book group.
- Solicit support for the college.
Help alums connect with Smith and one another as a class volunteer.
What You Can Do
- Help plan your class Reunion celebration.
- Manage your class Facebook page.
- Collect and write class notes for the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.
Reunion volunteers have an opportunity to plan programs, get to know classmates and enjoy being a part of this special annual event.
What You Can Do
- Plan programs.
- Reach out to classmates to encourage attendance.
- Become a house rep.
- Share a positive post about Smith on social media using the Alumnae Facebook page.
- Join your local Smith Club, where you send care packages to students, organize an event or participate in community service.
- Nominate an alum for the Smith College Medal.
- Lead a webinar. Email Lindsey McGrath at lmcgrath@smith.edu.
- Help plan your class Reunion. You might call classmates to encourage them to attend, make a gift to Smith or host a virtual or in-person mini Reunion. Contact your class Reunion chair.
Communications
There are a variety of ways for classes, clubs and groups to share their Smith-related news and communications. Be sure to use your class website and local Smith club for your communications.
Broadcast Emails & Newsletters
Smith can send broadcast emails on behalf of your class, club or group. Emails must adhere to our established standards, and cannot contain offensive or libelous content. Email messages must refrain from editorializing or making judgments about Smith College programs or policies. The content of emails must be related to Smith College or alum business or events. External links in emails must direct to appropriate websites.
Websites
The Office of Alumnae Relations and Development offers a free, easy-to-use template-based system for classes, clubs and groups. This system is built on the WordPress publishing platform. All pages share a common look and feel and the maintainer simply needs to add text and images to create or update any of the pages.
Social Media
Consider using social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter to increase your group’s visibility. The college does not offer support for class, club or group social media pages.
Encourage Updated Information
Encourage alums to keep their information current in the Alumnae Directory, as this is the resource for email and home addresses used by clubs, affinity groups and classes. Alums can log in to the Alumnae Directory to update their own contact information and stay connected with friends, classmates and other alums.
Keep Your Website Fresh
Create a vibrant and robust website that shares news and information about your class, club, group and the college. Update your website regularly with member profiles, class/club/group news, news from Smith, event announcements or audio and video. Many classes use their websites effectively during the year leading up to Reunion, sharing plans for the weekend and requests for volunteers.
Maintain News
Whenever appropriate, collect your news in an email message and send it to classmates or club or group members. Draw news and information from Smith’s news outlets:
The Smith College logo and wordmark should be a significant graphic element on all printed materials and websites. Several different versions of the logo are available; when in doubt as to which you should use, please contact College Relations.
Volunteer Resources
Treasurers should make clear to other class officers the system for reimbursing expenses. All invoices should be in the name of the organization. Invoices are payable only after they have been approved by the authorizing officer. The treasurer should also make clear to all officers the amount of discretionary money that is available for them to spend on a particular project.
The executive committee of officers generally determines the guidelines concerning the expenses of volunteers. The AASC offers the following suggestions:
- Develop a routine system for reimbursing volunteers.
- Include receipts for all reimbursement requests, accompanied by an explanation of how/when the expense was incurred.
Forms
Reimbursable Expenses
- Travel expenses: airfare, train, bus, automobile mileage, cab fare, parking fees, tolls, shuttles, public transportation, car rental
- Accommodations: hotel, motel, bed and breakfast
- Meals: reimbursed with receipt. Establish guidelines based on a set meal allowance (e.g., $5 for breakfast or $25 per 24-hour period)
- Tips: baggage handling, room service, waitperson
- Organization business: telephone calls, postage, copying, faxing
- All previously authorized expenses: supplies, stationery, envelopes, etc.
Nonreimbursable Expenses
- Parking tickets or speeding fines
- Personal services such as dry cleaning, manicures, shoe shining
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal gifts
- Child care while on organization business. (This is an expense that an organization may decide to develop a policy on for reimbursing volunteers.)
Smith clubs and groups are automatically covered by the college’s general liability policy; however, organizations may be asked by a vendor (such as a hotel) to provide evidence of insurance to comply with a specific contract. In this case, a certificate of insurance can be issued on the organization’s behalf. These requests may be sent to alumclub@smith.edu.
Please supply the following: organization name, contact person, description of event, date, time and location.
Smith College’s Liability Policy
Smith College’s general liability policy covers each Smith organization for amounts it may be legally obligated to pay as compensation to an injured party for bodily injury, personal injury, property damage or advertising injury.
There is no coverage for taxes, fines, civil or criminal penalties, cost of compliance for non-monetary awards or any other uninsurable matter.
An individual alum is covered under the college’s general liability policy “while acting within the scope of her duties or while acting at the direction of or performing services for or on behalf of that Included Entity (Smith College).”
There is no territorial restriction in this policy and coverage is worldwide. There is also no exclusion of coverage for a claim brought because of an accident resulting from alcohol being served at an event. The AASC does, however, have clear guidelines around the service of alcohol at a club event.
Accidents & Claims
Any demand in writing is considered a claim by our underwriters (it does not have to be a suit). Any claim, regardless of cause of loss, should be immediately telephoned and sent to the Five College Risk Management Office (see address below) and to the AASC. A copy of the claim should also be sent to the treasurer or CFO of the college.
Auto Accidents
The college has extended its auto policies so that organizations have non-owned auto coverage. This provides coverage over members’ personal auto policies.
Additional Coverage or Claims
Smith clubs with specific questions regarding policy exclusions or claims, please contact:
Ruth Rauluk
Director of Risk Management
Five Colleges, Incorporated
rrauluk@fivecolleges.edu
Statement of Liquor Liability
The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 (PL 101-226) requires that all institutions of higher education adopt and implement a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use and distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by members of the Smith community as a condition of receiving funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program.
Although the general risk insurance coverage provided through the college’s policies to class, club and affinity group events includes host liquor liability coverage, please note that criminal malfeasance is not covered—serving liquors to minors (under age 21 in Massachusetts) is a criminal offense.
On-Campus Service
College Dining Services holds the liquor license for Smith College. Under Massachusetts State Liquor Laws, Dining Services is the only entity on campus that is licensed to sell alcohol. Alcohol may only be provided as part of an event involving Dining Services. Under no circumstances may a group planning a function provide their own liquor. Dining Services is required to provide servers that are trained in serving liquor and are familiar with Massachusetts Liquor Regulations.
Off-Campus Service
Organizations serving alcohol at an event must be in compliance with all state regulations concerning the service and consumption of liquor. When working with caterers, ensure that they are properly licensed to serve alcohol.
General Statement on Serving Liquor
The liability in Massachusetts for a person or organization serving alcohol to someone who is intoxicated and has an accident, injuring themselves or others, is enormous. In Massachusetts, the place/institution/person who last served liquor to that individual is liable. On campus, Dining Services personnel refuse to serve alcohol to anyone they deem intoxicated. Please be aware of the liquor laws in your community when serving alcohol at an event. Be careful in all situations where alcohol is present.
The Rewards of Volunteering
As Fund Team Coordinator, Mary Grant ’70 plays an instrumental role in inspiring classmates to support financial aid. “I want people to have the same opportunity that the women in my family have had. I don’t want any more dreams to be dashed by the barrier of college costs.”
Contact
Office of Alumnae Relations & Development
Alumnae House
33 Elm Street
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01060