Alumni/ae Involvement

Alumni/ae play a critical role in providing opportunities for Harvard students, particularly in engaging public interest organizations and spreading the world about Harvard College's commitment to public service. Our challenge ahead is to provide students with the best public service experience possible working for worthwhile organizations. In order to meet this goal, we need active and committed alumni/ae volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering with the CPIC Fellowship and Internship Program, please contact Amanda Sonis Glynn or Travis Lovett for more information.

Why CPIC?
Alumni/ae Volunteer Roles

WHY CPIC?

CPIC is the link between Harvard College students and recent graduates and nonprofit organizations across the United States. Nearly 60 percent of Harvard seniors engage in public service at some point during their time in college, and there is growing interest among the student body to continue their public service pursuits following graduation or during the summer. During the 2007-2008 academic year, 225 students applied for the CPIC Internship and Fellowship Program, exemplifying the need that CPIC is meeting at Harvard.

ALUMNI/AE VOLUNTEER ROLES

There are several ways for alumni/ae to get involved with CPIC. Specific roles include:

Alumnus/a Contact
Seminar Speaker
Mentor – Internship Program
Mentor – Fellowship Program
Nonprofit Liaison

Alumnus/a Contact
Alumni/ae Contacts agree to speak with summer Interns and/or yearlong Fellows who desire one-time informational interviews or career advice. These exchanges allow our participants to gain insight into your career path and current position, and assist them in building their networks of professional connections in the public interest sector.
Time commitment: 2-4 hours/year.

Seminar Speaker
Each Area Coordinator creates a seminar series for the Interns and/or Fellows in that city. These seminars are an integral component of CPIC, exposing Interns and Fellows to issue areas and positions outside of their current placements. Seminar Speakers are engaged or have experience in the public interest sector, and spend an evening sharing their knowledge with our passionate program participants.
Time commitment: 2-4 hours/year.

Mentor – Internship Program
The mentoring component of the CPIC Internship Program is designed to improve the Intern’s summer experience, while allowing the Mentor to learn about Harvard students interested in entering the public interest sector. Mentors volunteer for 10 to 12 weeks during the summer, providing encouragement or support for their summer Intern.
Time commitment: 2-3 hours/month from mid-June to mid-August.

Mentor – Fellowship Program
The mentoring component of the CPIC Fellowship Program is designed to improve the Fellow’s yearlong experience, while allowing the Mentor to learn about recent Harvard graduates interested in entering the public interest sector. The CPIC Fellowship Program seeks to provide each Fellow with an experienced professional who can offer advice regarding a particular public interest-related issue area; this allows the Fellow to gain professional and personal guidance by meeting one-on-one with an alumnus/a working in or familiar with this area of interest. The relationship between the Fellow and his/her Mentor depends entirely upon the goals, preferences, and availability of the two individuals.
Time commitment: 2-3 hours/month for one year.

Nonprofit Liaison
Nonprofit Liaisons help to identify and recruit nonprofit organizations that will host – and provide the salary for – CPIC Interns and/or Fellows. The Liaison builds on connections s/he has with other alumni/ae or volunteers, Board Members, or staff members at public interest entities. The Nonprofit Liaison works closely with the local Area Coordinator to ensure that Host Organizations for the particular region include a broad range of opportunities. The Nonprofit Liaison’s local knowledge – and connections – is an invaluable resource for CPIC. This role can be fulfilled by a one-time referral or consistent contact with the local Area Coordinator.
Time commitment: from 3-5 hours/organization to 3-5 hours/month.

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