Through our events and volunteer committee, parents of undergraduates have the opportunity to forge meaningful connections with Harvard’s diverse community of families as well as the College.

Parents are also encouraged to make a direct impact on the student experience by making thoughtful contributions to the Harvard College Fund. Last year, over 2,000 families joined together to support the transformative power of a liberal arts and sciences education.

Recognition and Events for Harvard College Parents

Harvard College Parents

As a parent, you have always played an integral role in your child’s education. And although your student may only spend four years at the College, you and your family will be linked to Harvard throughout your lives. Parents have many opportunities to meet each other and engage with the Harvard community.

We hope your family considers supporting the Harvard College Fund by making a gift. Families that make an annual contribution at the Associates-level ($1,000 or more) will be recognized in the Harvard College Fund’s Annual Report of Associates Giving and receive an invitation to a special parent program in the spring. For more information, please email Sarah Calabrese.

Harvard College Fund Parents Committee

Serving as a volunteer for the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee is a wonderful way to participate in your child’s education at Harvard and to meet and network with other Harvard parents. Led by Harvard College Fund Parent Co-Chairs Mohsin Ansari MBA ’00, P’25, ’23 and Alya Haq P’25, ’23 (Pasadena, California); Guy and Hila Goldstein P’26, ’25, ’19 (Palo Alto, California); and Peter ’90 and Susannah Kagan P’26, ’24 (New York, New York), the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee is an enthusiastic cohort of more than 100 volunteer families committed to building a more supportive parent community.

The success of our annual parent fundraising and engagement efforts depends largely on peer-to-peer outreach. As donors and representatives of the Harvard College Fund, volunteers play an essential role in encouraging parents to give and get involved. Sharing personal motivations for supporting the College will inspire others to follow these examples of leadership.

We count on all members of the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee to:

  • Help Harvard parents build relationships with each other and the College
  • Attend, host, or cohost parent events (when feasible)
  • Identify and recruit new members for the Parents Committee
  • Participate in Committee meetings/calls
  • Attend at least one Harvard College Fund all-volunteer event annually

Specific responsibilities for Committee leadership roles include the following:

CO-CHAIRS (by invitation only)

  • Support the Harvard College Fund with an annual gift of $100,000+ designated as flexible, immediate-use funds
  • Serve on the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee
  • Lead the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee
  • Provide support and mentorship to a small cohort of volunteers through the Parents Committee’s Peer Advisory Network
  • Serve as ex officio leaders of Harvard College Parent Partners
  • Cultivate, solicit, and steward a select group of high-level prospects
  • In partnership with staff, guide the direction of parent fundraising and engagement strategy
  • Serve as signatory of occasional solicitation and stewardship communications
  • Preside at meetings and events throughout the year
  • Two-year term, renewable

VICE CHAIRS (by invitation only)

  • Support the Harvard College Fund with an annual gift of $1,000+
  • Provide support and mentorship to a small cohort of volunteers through the Parents Committee’s Peer Advisory Network
  • Help lead gift committee meetings and calls
  • Cultivate, solicit, and steward a select group of prospects
  • Recognized as ad hoc members of the Harvard College Parent Partners
  • Serve as signatory of occasional solicitation and stewardship communications
  • Two-year term, renewable

LEADERSHIP GIFTS COMMITTEE

  • Support the Harvard College Fund at the Leadership Associates level ($10,000+) annually
  • Cultivate, solicit and thank families for Leadership-level gifts
  • One-year term, renewable

ASSOCIATES COMMITTEE

  • Support the Harvard College Fund at the Associates level ($1,000+) annually
  • Solicit and thank families for Associates-level gifts
  • One-year term, renewable

If you are interested in volunteering with the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee, please email Sarah Calabrese.

Lowell House rennovations
Parent Partners get a sneak peek of the renovated Lowell House with a private hardhat tour.

For almost four centuries, the mission of Harvard College has been to educate the citizens and citizen leaders of our society through a transformative liberal arts and sciences education. Your family is now a part of that important and long-standing tradition. The moment your child was accepted to Harvard, they embarked upon an unparalleled educational journey. We invite you to expand your incredible support of that journey and advance the College’s mission by becoming a Harvard College Parent Partner.

With annual, immediate-use contributions to the Harvard College Fund beginning at $25,000, Harvard College Parent Partners are recognized as philanthropic leaders within the parent community. While most Parent Partners choose to support the College’s highest priorities by making unrestricted gifts, some families do choose to allocate their gifts to one of the College’s other immediate-use priorities:

  • The student experience
  • Undergraduate financial aid
  • Faculty support
  • Libraries

These essential yearly commitments make a profound impact on the intellectually, socially, and personally transformative opportunities that Harvard offers your child and its entire student body.

As a Parent Partner, you will be able to deepen your connection with the College through:

  • Exclusive Parent Partner events, conference calls, and webinars with Harvard College leadership and faculty
  • Special updates from campus each semester
  • Recognition through the Harvard College Fund Associates Program
  • Personal support from the Harvard College Fund Parent Engagement Programs staff

Ways to Give

You can make a gift online at alumni.harvard.edu/parentgift. For a gift of stock, please contact the security gifts team in Alumni & Development Services

Additional Resources

Contact the Harvard College Fund Parent Engagement Programs Office

Sarah Calabrese, Associate Director of Development
Brianna Miller, Development Assistant