Community

On this page you will find helpful information about how to recruit student volunteers for your organization, from one-time projects to on-going programs.

With a small professional staff team, and given the culture at Cal, we rely on students to lead or drive the development of many of our programs. Even with this model, we find it extremely difficult, if not impossible to meet the requests of every agency that contacts us.

Because of this and the fact that UC Berkeley is such a large campus and many of our students live in non-campus housing, Cal Corps relies on technology to reach potential volunteers. While we do post opportunities in the Cal residence halls, to broadcast an event or a call for volunteers we suggest that you:

1. Post your opportunity to our VolunteerMatch database

   With our partnership with VolunteerMatch, Cal Corps is able to provide easy, searchable access to over 300 community partners. Follow the directions to post your opportunity on the VolunteerMatch website then email the Center.

   Send Cal Corps a blurb to include in its seasonal list of short-term projects.

   Our student leaders highlight short-term and one-time service projects to members of Cal Greeks and students living in the residence halls. This is an excellent way to introduce potential volunteers to your organization so that they might make a longer commitment. Please take a look at our tips for creating a marketing blurb before submitting your short-term/one-time projects by email.

2. Contact academic advisors

   By their third year most Cal students have declared their major field of study and have been assigned an adviser. These staff members distribute fellowship, leadership, and service opportunities to their students. We suggest that you be selective and target advisers in the fields/disciplines where you are most likely to find students with an interest in the volunteer opportunities offered by your organization. You can find a list of academic advisors within the College of Letters and Sciences.

   For education-related service opportunities Send an email to the staff coordinator within the popular Education Minor to promote education related service opportunities.

On this page you will find helpful information about many programs place interns at community based organizations, government offices, and schools.

There are several ways to formally partner with Cal Corps or another office on campus, including hosting an on-site volunteer managers or interns, working a faculty member through an academic course, or applying for funding with a Cal office as a partner.

Many of these program offer units to students, an extra incentive for them to serve. If you are interested in pursuing this outside of one of these programs, check out our tip sheet.

Interns

Student leaders spend 6-8 hours/week interning at your site. A formal MOU is signed and a placement fee is paid by the host site.

Bonner Leaders

Bonner Leaders work within campus and community based organizations to recruit volunteers, organize educational trainings with reflection, and coordinate service program activities. Participating students receive a $1100 education award through AmeriCorps and intensive leadership development trainings. Community sites pay $1300 per member to help Cal Corps cover the costs of program administration and intensive training. Applications are available in Mid-December of each year; all agencies registered in our Volunteer Opportunities database will be invited to participate. For questions about the program or how to participate, contact Damali Burton at damali-burton@berkeley.edu.

Berkeley United in Literacy Development (BUILD) Student Directors

Berkeley United in Literacy Development (BUILD) places reading literacy tutors with programs that serve K-8 youth. We are currently not seeking partners for this program due to lack of capacity. To be placed on a waiting list email Carrie Donovan

Students spend 4-40 hours/week at your site providing direct support to your organization. Cal Corps or another office coordinates agency recruitment and intern placement. In some cases a placement fee is paid by the host site.

Cal in Local Government Internship Program

Cal in Local Government (CLG) selects and prepares approximately 30 Cal students to intern in local government offices. Internship sites provide substantive, policy-oriented projects that will have a long-term impact on the community. CLG student interns serve from October through May, and sites pay a host fee of $350.  Agencies registered in our database will be invited to propose internships in August of each year.

Challenging Poverty Summer of Service: Internships from Bay to Gulf

In summer 2012 the Center is promoting full-time summer internships in the Bay Area and New Orleans.  Post your internship through the Career Center to attract a full-time intern for at least 8 weeks by using the term "Challenging Poverty" in your internship description.

Chan Fellows

Chan Fellow interns are students from China who intern with community based organizations from mid-August through December.

Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) Introduction to Policy Analysis (IPA)

Each spring first-year GSPP graduate students work in three-to-five person teams to produce policy analyses for use community based organizations that are confronting a policy problem or opportunity. Proposals are due in mid-November for following spring.

Magnolia Project Summer Internship Program (New Orleans/Gulf Coast)

Magnolia Project offers full-time, 8-week internships with New Orleans-based organizations each summer. Interns are matched with partner organizations according to their interest and through the selection process. The 8-week internships begin in late-May and continue up to mid-July.

Oakland Community Builders Internship Program

The Oakland Community Builders program explores what it means to organize and build a community and identify the different methods being used by various community organizers. The program runs two program cycles each year: September-December and February-May.

General Internships through the Career Center

If your organization is hiring for a full or part-time position as an internship or job you can advertise the details with the UCB Career Center for free.
http://internships.berkeley.edu and http://career.berkeley.edu

Funding

Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund

The UC Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund provides financial support for community-based projects that bring together the ideas, energy, and resources of UC Berkeley and the community to enhance the quality of life in Berkeley.

Several programs on campus offer opportunities for non-profit and public service organizations to connect with graduate students on campus. Graduate students offer expertise and skills in particular fields, and are looking for ways to contribute these skills to organizations as well as learn from the expertise of the organizations.
 

See individual program websites for details and application information. Most programs recruit community sites over the summer, with applications due in August.

Goldman School of Public Policy Policy Analysis Introductory or Advanced Policy Analysis for your organization by a team of first-year or second-year Public Policy graduate students. Haas School of Business Board Fellows Program Integrate grad student as board member for approximately 8 months; the student will complete a project that is of interest to the board. Social Sector Solutions A 15-week strategy consultation that helps nonprofit clients solve a major organizational issue and benefit from 900 hours of MBA student consultant work. School of Social Welfare Field Placement Serves to introduce first-year Social Welfare graduate students to mainstream social work in different fields of practice, or allows second-year students further levels of specialization. Contact the field placement coordinator listed on the website.

Photo by Wendy Martinez Marroquin

If you are interested in connecting with graduate students in other ways, please contact Suzan Akin at suzanakin@berkeley.edu.

Helpful and useful resources, from our academic calendar to a list of best practices in supervising students.

Academic Calendar

The Academic Calendar is useful when planning community events or large days of service. Keep in mind “mid-term exams” run October-November/March-April. The semesters end with finals in mid December and May.

Crafting a "Blurb" to Attract Student Participants

The recruitment pitch or “blurb” that you broadcast and post to various electronic lists is one of the most important tools in attracting a student. A strong blurb not only will “speak” to students but save you time in the long run.

Volunteer Recruitment - 2 Page Overview (PDF)

There are many ways to work with UC Berkeley students and volunteering expands beyond tutoring and mentoring. Undergraduate and graduate students can serve in AmeriCorps programs such as our Bonner Leaders program, or as non-profit board members, or policy interns.

Offering Academic Credit through Your Community-based Organization

Units offer students extra incentive to participate with our organization and allows you an opportunity to lead them in reflecting on their experiences.

Supervising College Students -- Best Practices

This is a list we have developed based on past partner feedback and our collective 35+ years in the service-learning field.

Timesheet Sample

A useful template to track your participants’ time with you.

Volunteer Recognition and Retention

Through an effective orientation, appropriate risk management and continuous recognition, you provide a welcoming, affirming and safe environment for the volunteer to excel and grow.  See pages 54 and 55 of our  Cal Corps Student Leadership Toolkit for more details.

Working with the Millenial Generation

How is this generation different when it comes to goalsetting, multi-tasking, and receiving feedback?