Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good
Local Outreach Volunteer Guide


Greetings fellow idealist
Thank you for volunteering your time and energy to help us promote the Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good in Toronto on Thursday, September 18, 2008. 

Why this matters
Pursuing a graduate education is one of the most important and significant investments individuals will make in themselves and their career, especially for individuals committed to social change work.  Researching and applying to grad schools can also be a very daunting experience.  Our graduate degree fairs are an informal venue for prospective graduate students to begin that process by learning about graduate degree programs that can help them make a difference.  At our grad fairs they can speak with representatives from a wide range of public interest graduate programs, from institutions all over the United States and abroad.  They can also attend information sessions on issues ranging from what to study and how to improve your chance of being admitted to how to pay for school.  While our fairs are especially useful to mid-career, new and aspiring professionals, they are open to the public and are free.  Many attendees report discovering new and interesting graduate programs that broaden their options for graduate education and professional development, and to which they apply for admission.

Your assistance with local outreach is important!
From our Portland, Oregon, office, our staff of three are able to promote the Toronto grad fair mainly through online methods. Our outreach efforts are limited by our distance, the scope of our grad fair season, and our lack of knowledge in every city. We have 16 grad fairs scheduled for the fall, which means 16 cities where we need to develop an outreach plan.  This is where you come in!  You are our local on-the-ground expert for getting the word out to prospective graduate students who aspire to do good work.  In particular, your connections and local knowledge can help us tap into networks that only residents would know.  There are many individuals in your city who do not know of Idealist.org, but could use the support that this event will provide—these are the folks we want to reach with your help! 

Getting started
  1. Review this Volunteer Guide. 
  2. Take a look at the Toronto Grad Fair Outreach Log. This is a google spreadsheet where we will track the outreach we've done and make sure not to duplicate each other's work. This version is for viewing only.
  3. If you agree to and understand the guidelines, please e-mail Jung (jung@idealist.org) the following information with the e-mail subject line: Toronto outreach group:
    • full name
    • preferred e-mail address to be invited to a Yahoo group
    • mailing address (so we can send you paper fliers if needed)
    • phone number (for last minute contact if necessary)
    • whether you think you'll be able to volunteer the day of the event (it's ok if this changes, we're just trying to get a rough estimate)
    • We respect your privacy and will not share this information with anyone. We will only use this for the purposes of staying in touch with you for outreach help.
  4. Once Jung receives your information, she will invite you to the Toronto Outreach yahoo group and give you access to edit the Toronto Grad Fair Outreach Log.  You may need to create an account with Google docs to access the outreach log.  You do not need a gmail address to do this!
  5. If you are available, join one of several "meet and greet" conference calls scheduled next week with Jung and other volunteers to get answers for any of your questions and brainstorm other avenues for outreach.
  6. Jung will share promotional materials with you to begin using in your outreach work.

Idealist.org outreach efforts 

A few things you can do to help us and your fellow idealists (whether Idealist.org users or not!) :

Before the Fair
Suggested outreach tasks and time line for volunteers
(The list is long, but the tasks are usually simple and will be distributed amongst the group)

Starting next week (approx 8 weeks out from the grad fair)
  • If you are an undergraduate student, forward grad fair info to your undergrad career services and alumni relations offices
    • Ask them to put it on their calendars and post to their daily digests/boards
  • If you are an alum of, or a student at, an undergraduate school locally (or in another city where an Idealist grad fair will be held),  forward grad fair info to your alumni relations offices
    • Ask them to put it on their calendars and post to their daily digests/boards
  • Post a "Save the Date" to local listservs and community event calendars to which you subscribe
    • Use the provided e-mail text
  • If you have connections with local media such as radio, newspapers, public television, and blogs, talk up the event with them
    • Share the provided press release and public service announcements (PSAs) 
      • There's a lot going on at anytime of the year, so it's always best to start promoting early and often (you may have to submit a few times before you get a response)
      • If a blogger or journalist knows you, they're more likely to have interest in the info you share with them than info from us

6 weeks out from the grad fair (~August 4)
  • Forward the e-mail announcement to your network of friends, colleagues, campus organizations and/or professional associations.
  • Invite friends to join you at the event.
  • Share press release and public service announcements with campus media if you are a student.

4 weeks out (~August 18)
  • Join the Idealist.org group on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
  • Join the Idealist fair event on those sites and invite your friends and networks to the event.

2 weeks out (~September 1)
  • Send out a reminder e-mail to your community lists.
  • Make plans with friends who want to attend with you.
  • Mention the event at work, volunteer opportunities, your place of worship, etc.
  • Post fliers in highly visible and trafficked areas where allowed (ie coffee shops, community centers, book stores, etc.)
    • Get permission where necessary!

1 week out (~September 8)
  • Check in with Jung in a conference call to discuss any last minute outreach efforts and day-of-event details.
  • Talk the grad fair up to people in your network!

During the Fair
  • If you would like to volunteer during the fair, we would love it.  We would like to thank you in person for all the hard work you've put into making the fair a success. We could always use a few extra hands. We will give you something to wear that will indicate to the schools that you were an outreach volunteer for the event. 

After the Fair
  • Work with Jung to schedule a debrief over the phone or in person if possible.
  • Take our Local Volunteer Outreach Feedback Survey (Jung will share this with you after the debrief).

How Idealist.org will support you
  • Create and invite you to join a yahoo group to communicate with your fellow volunteers.
  • Share the Toronto Grad Fair Outreach log
  • Provide outreach materials including: fliers, press releases, PSAs, web banners, and e-mail text (blurb)
  • Follow up on your needs and questions related to grad fair outreach within 48 hours of communication/request
  • Respect your time availability and appreciate invaluable contributions of volunteers!
  • Make admissions professionals aware of your contributions at the event

Expectations of volunteers
  • Contact Jung immediately if there is any outreach "emergency"!
  • Update the Grad Fair Outreach Log in a timely manner
  • Be respectful in communications with each other
  • Represent Idealist.org in a professional and courteous manner in the local community

Benefits
Professional development
  • Gain experience in grassroots nonprofit marketing
  • Gain better understanding of remote event planning and promotion
  • Gain exposure to communications practices
  • Network with local community contacts

Help people in your community access higher education
  • Feel warm and fuzzy for helping others explore their graduate education and career and leadership development options! 

Swag
  • We will give you something to wear that will indicate to the schools that you were an outreach volunteer for the grad fairs.

Stand-Out
  • Admissions professionals will see you as someone who helped pulled together a fantastic event in your community. It sets you apart from other attendees.

Thank you ~ We look forward to working with you!
If you have any questions concerning outreach for the grad fairs, feel free to contact Jung Fitzpatrick, jung@idealist.org, (503) 227-0803x106