Harvard College Fund

Associates Volunteers
Parent Committee Volunteers
Participation Volunteers
Reunion Volunteers

Volunteering with the Harvard College Fund provides one of the most meaningful and influential opportunities for individuals to stay connected to the University. Our dedicated volunteer corps of more than 1,500 College alumni and alumnae spans more than 60 class years, and College parents and Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni join us in our efforts to raise funds for a range of endeavors across Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

We invite you to join our community of supporters by contacting your class officer today. Your efforts ensure that Harvard can continue to provide our undergraduate students with a transformative education in a premier research environment.

Associates Volunteers

Associates volunteers solicit annually for leadership-level gifts of $1,000 or more to the Harvard College Fund, with recent graduates giving and soliciting at lower levels. Our steadfast volunteers understand that consistent annual support is essential for advancing the College's endeavors, from advising and the arts to financial aid and athletics. These flexible, current-use funds also give Hopi Hoekstra, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the flexibility to invest in innovative projects like HarvardX and House Renewal, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the student experience.

As an Associates volunteer, you join your Class's Associates Committee and a larger community of more than 300 volunteers across all classes who solicit these leadership gifts. In non-reunion years, giving at the Associates level can comprise anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of an individual class's fundraising total. Most of the classmates you solicit will have given at or close to this level in the past, so you are approaching fellow alums with a history of giving generously to Harvard.

Associates volunteers participate in regular calls with their class committees, as well as one or two fund-wide Associates calls throughout the year. These calls provide an opportunity to hear from Harvard staff and volunteer leadership, and to learn best practices for soliciting at this level.

To join your Class's Associates effort, please contact your class officer. Thank you for your interest and for your continued support of the Harvard College Fund.

Responsibilities of Associates Volunteers

• Make an Associates-level gift or pledge payment to the Harvard College Fund. It is important to make your own annual commitment before soliciting others.
• Choose classmates to solicit for an Associates gift in coordination with your class Associates Chair and Committee. A recommended number is at least 10 classmates, which averages 2–3 per quarter. The most effective solicitations are done in person or over the phone, but they can also occur via email. You will work with the other members of your class’s Associates Committee to determine which classmates to solicit.
• As much as possible, participate in the Associates Committee conference calls with your Class and the fund-wide training calls. These calls provide a forum for reporting on your own progress, for hearing about your classmates’ progress, and for sharing best practices. In addition, there may be some informal contact among committee members between meetings.
• If possible, attend Harvard College Fund volunteer gatherings in Cambridge (September and May) and in New York City (January).
• Send thank-you notes to your classmates who make an Associates gift or pledge. These notes can be handwritten or sent via email.

Associates Levels & Stewardship

Associates Giving has five leadership giving levels with adjusted levels for recent graduates. 

Harvard’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Parent Committee Volunteers

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 Peter AB’90 and Susannah Kagan P’24 (New York, New York), Guy and Hila Goldstein P’19 (Palo Alto, California), and Kevin MBA ’88 and Patti O’Meara P’22, ’20, ’18 (Dallas, Texas), the Harvard College Fund Parents Committee is an enthusiastic cohort of 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.

Participation Volunteers

Volunteering to encourage your peers to give back every year helps strengthen broad philanthropic support for Harvard's programs. Donors at all levels can have a positive impact on the University, and the more individuals who are invested in Harvard—at any level—the more successful Harvard will be. Individuals who give every year are also members of the Harvard College Fund's 1636 Loyalty Society, which recognizes donors for their consistent annual support.

In reunion years, you are part of a larger participation committee. In non-reunion years, your class may continue to organize around a formal committee, or you may contact classmates on your own using GiveCampus, the HCF's online volunteer portal. Participation volunteers also receive training throughout the year through our fund-wide webinars focused on soliciting participation-level gifts.

For more information or to join your Class's participation efforts, please contact your class officer. 

Thank you for your interest in joining our volunteer community, and for your continued support of Harvard.

Reunion Volunteers

Volunteering with your class gift committee can be one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences for Harvard and Radcliffe College alumni and alumnae. Many volunteers also serve on their class program committee through the Harvard Alumni Association, which plans reunion events.

Successful reunion campaigns engage broad volunteer participation and engage in strong, focused planning beginning early in their reunion year. Class gift committees are led by co-chairs who set the bar, the strategy, and the tone of the drive, working together with the Harvard College Fund to establish fundraising goals that align with Harvard's priorities.

In addition, classes build comprehensive leadership structures that can include vice chairs and participation chairs as well as leadership gift and participation committees. Opportunities exist for all alumni to be involved at whatever level appeals to them. Co-chairs and vice chairs may make a handful of targeted leadership solicitations throughout the year, while participation volunteers often contact an average of 10 to 20 classmates. This peer-to-peer solicitation is at the heart of our work and is what makes Harvard's reunion program so successful.

Classes also host events throughout the year for volunteers and donors to build momentum for the Reunion and to provide training for committee members. For more information or to join your class gift committee, please contact your class officer. 

We hope you will join your classmates and enjoy the experience of advancing your Class’s fundraising activity. Thank you for your continued support of Harvard.