Working with Colleges and Universities
Local institutions are a great place to find volunteers and resources for your RIF program. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how to develop relationships with colleges and universities. To get started, contactthe Dean of Students, the Director of Student Activities, or the Director of Student Outreach at your local institution.
Service/Experiential Learning Programs
Across the country, many campuses are beginning to encourage or require students to participate in community outreach activities during their academic careers. In some cases, these activities are tied to a certain major or course; in others, students choose an outreach activity that interests them or fits their schedule. Your RIF program might be eligible to be an outreach site. (Be aware that you may be asked to track the students’ time at your site to participate in this sort of program.)
Campus Groups/Events
Most campuses have a wide range of campus clubs, activities, and special interest groups. Often, the activities office will host an activities fair early in the year to showcase these groups -- your RIF program could publicize its activities or solicit volunteer involvement at this event. Also, on many campuses, clubs include a service component – ask if you might speak to a gathering of club leaders about ways they could become involved in RIF. Finally, you may be able to get permission to hold a fundraiser (perhaps a bake sale?) in the student center or another high-traffic area.
Greek Organizations
Sororities and fraternities (if your local college has them) are an excellent resource. Greek organizations are required to conduct philanthropic activities usually once a semester or quarter. Many organizations will be eager to work with local kids, perhaps by helping to plan and host a special themed book distribution event or by serving as guest readers. These organizations often have social events and might be persuaded to use those events as fundraisers for your RIF program. One way to make contact would be to ask to speak at a meeting of the Greek Council (a group made up of the presidents of each organization) about RIF and the opportunities for their members to become involved.
Academic Departments
English or education students or faculty might be asked to serve as advisors to your book selection committee or to make a one-time presentation to your volunteers or staff on children’s literature, tutoring techniques, or the educational development of children who are the age of the children your program serves. Public relations, business or design students/faculty might help with your program’s material development, fundraising, or publicity efforts. Representatives from any department could be asked to serve as celebrity guest readers at a themed book event. For instance, someone from the marine biology department could come to speak at a "Books on the Beach" event (perhaps following up with a tour of the labs)!
Campus Media Outlets
Many campuses have radio or television stations that broadcast to the local community. These media outlets are required by law to include periodic public service announcements (PSA’s) as part of their programming. Consider publicizing start-up events for parents or volunteers on these stations, or work with the station’s staff to create a PSA to raise community awareness of RIF (the more people who know about what you’re doing, the larger the pool of potential volunteers or donors). A campus radio or TV station might also be an interesting destination for a field trip.
Athletic Teams/Events
Local college athletes can be excellent "celebrity" readers. Consider contacting the college’s athletic department about tours of the facilities or discounted (or free) tickets to games. Even a JV game can be an exciting outing for the children in your program, and can be an excellent addition to a sports-themed reading challenge or other motivational activity. If you’re near a smaller college, you may even be able to arrange to hold a fundraiser at a game or have your program be the beneficiary of an evening’s concession sales (at larger campuses with higher profile sports programs, concession sales are generally heavily regulated).
Top |
