Get Involved

For alums and family members

Alums, parents, and family members, please assist with recruiting highly talented students who will forever change their lives at Denison. Ambassadors represent Denison at local college fairs, interview students both in-person and virtually, and contact admitted students and their parents to offer congratulations and be a source of information. We use an Ambassador Portal to ensure the ease of assignments and communication, and to provide necessary resources. We could not reach our goals year after year without the help of this amazing group!

Time commitment: As desired — as little as a few minutes to make a phone call or as much as an evening to work at a local college fair.

Benefits: You’ll enjoy knowing you helped grow the Denison family!

Volunteer here!

For alums

Affinity Groups and Affinity Opportunities offer alums with shared interests and common bonds opportunities to connect on meaningful levels beyond the traditional Class Reunions and regional event structure. These groups actively support the college through student recruitment, career mentoring, fundraising, community service, social activities, and more. Affinity programming is administered through Denison’s Office of Alumni & Family Engagement.

Time commitment: As desired —you can help with planning events, supporting students, fundraising, communications, or anything in between.

Benefits: Stay connected with fellow Denisonians through shared interests and experiences.

Volunteer here!

For parents and family members of current students and young alumni

The mission of the Family Leadership Council (FLC) is to build a strong and engaged connection between Denison families, their personal philanthropy, and campus programs that impact our students’ campus experiences. Leadership donors serve as informed advocates and liaisons, encouraging parent involvement as professional resources and engaged members of the Denison community.

Council member responsibilities and expectations include:

• Make an annual Leadership Gift, commensurate with your ability, toward the Parents Fund for the current fiscal year, while working in relationship with a major gift officer to meet your family’s philanthropic goals.
• Attend the Family Leadership Council Meetings:
  • Fall Semester Meeting: The Friday of Family Weekend
  • Spring Semester Meeting: The end of February or early March
• Commit to engage with fellow parents in one or more of the following ways:
  • Contact and engage with 6 to 10 fellow parents during the academic year regarding their support of the Annual Fund. Our goal is to reach these parents with a personal email from a fellow parent and follow-up interactions with a personal note of thanks.
  • Host a reception/cultivation event in your home or community in coordination with Denison staff.
  • Offer support to programs such as the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration, the Admission Office, or another area of interest to you and others as opportunities arise.
• Be supportive, positive advocates of Denison and the college’s processes.

Time commitment: At least one weekend per year in addition to participation as an event host, parent contact or career program support.

Benefits: You will help build a stronger college experience for your student, as well as increasing the value of a Denison education. In addition, you’ll meet other Denison parents who are equally committed to creating exceptional experiences for students.

Volunteer here!

For alums and family members

Alums and family members are an essential part of the Denison network and can make a real difference in a Denison student’s life. If you are interested in helping Denison students as they explore career opportunities, here are some ways to get involved. Learn more about the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration.

• Be a Knowlton Connect contributor — Volunteers can help the Knowlton Center broaden its reach of influence to students by contributing valuable content and resources via the Knowlton Connect platform. The guest contributor portal on Knowlton Connect allows alums, parents, and friends of Denison to post announcements, events, resources, jobs, internships, and blog posts. This integrates the voice of alums and parents directly into the Knowlton Center’s content. Alums are welcome to share stories about your own career journey, industry advice, resources, and general career guidance.
• Offer a job shadow experience — Alums and parents willing to spend a day or half day with students to help them test career interests are encouraged to offer a job shadow opportunity.
• Offer an internship or a full-time position — Interested in providing an internship for a student or posting a full-time position for students or recent graduates? Email career@denison.edu.
• Join Denison LinkedIn — the official group of Denison University. Open to all students, current or former parents, alums, faculty and staff of Denison University for career networking, job research and social networking. Current or prior affiliation with Denison University is required and will be verified.
• Families of current Denison students: To keep informed about the opportunities available through the Knowlton Center, sign up for the Knowlton Note newsletter, sent weekly to students. Sign up for the Knowlton Note.
• Follow the Knowlton Center on Facebook and Instagram or check out their blog.

Time commitment: As desired.

Benefits: You’ll help a student or recent graduate build a strong career network!

Volunteer here!

Be the spark that inspires giving!

Want to make a real impact on students and the future of our university? Becoming an Annual Fund Ambassador is your chance to help grow the Annual Fund through the power of peer-to-peer fundraising.

As an ambassador, you’ll inspire others in your network to give back by sharing your Denison story and encouraging participation. It’s simple: you connect with fellow alumni, spread the word, and help build momentum. Every ambassador plays a key role in expanding the reach of the Annual Fund, which fuels scholarships, internships, student organizations, faculty initiatives, and so much more.

Choose the opportunity that excites you most! Ambassadors can serve from anywhere in the world and on their own schedule:

1831 Day Ambassador

• Energize Denison’s Founders Day and rally support
• One hour per week, November to December

Day of Giving Ambassador

• Spread the word and encourage participation in this exciting global fundraising push
• One hour per week, March to April

Reunion Committee

• Mobilize your classmates and celebrate your class’s impact
• Up to two hours per week, August to June, leading up to your Reunion celebration

Affinity Fundraising

• Connect alums through shared interests or organizations to support Denison
• One hour per week, on an ongoing basis

Young Alumni Philanthropy (YAP) Network

• Connect with a select group of classmates and rally support through personal outreach
• Up to four hours per month, on an ongoing basis

How it works

Every ambassador receives a custom toolkit with ready-to-use content, so all you need to bring is your enthusiasm and your network.

• Share content across your personal social media accounts to boost participation.
• Reach out directly to fellow alumni by phone, text, or email to encourage giving.
• Tell your Denison story, highlight how your experience on The Hill shaped your life.
• Be a vocal advocate for Denison and the Annual Fund

Why it matters

Here’s the reality: Tuition covers only about 65 percent of what it costs to educate a Denison student. The Annual Fund bridges the gap. As President Weinberg puts it:

“The Annual Fund is one of the ways Denison alums and other supporters of the university help fund the gap between tuition and what it takes to give people a life-shaping education.”

That means every ambassador is helping fund internships, student organizations, emergency assistance, innovative faculty projects, and countless opportunities that define the Denison experience.

Interested in volunteering? Contact the Annual Fund team at annualfund@denison.edu or 740-587-6292 and visit support.denison.edu to learn more about how the Annual Fund shapes Denison’s future.

For alums and family members

It’s one night each year when Denison alums, family, and friends gather to celebrate our college and one another in cities across the country and around the globe. Alums, families, and friends in 90+ locations participate annually.

Denison Everywhere volunteers will serve as local experts and hosts for their Denison Everywhere gathering, partnering with the Office of Alumni & Family Engagement to secure a venue, invite local alums, and host an incredible event.

Volunteer here!

For alums

Being a member of your Class Reunion Committee is a great way to reconnect with your classmates!

The basic role includes contacting classmates and inviting them to Reunion events, as well as acting as a Denison advocate throughout the year. We also ask all alums to support Denison with a contribution to the Reunion Class Gift and encourage their classmates to do the same in celebration of their Reunion year.

The primary responsibilities of Reunion volunteers include contacting at least 15 to 20 classmates to ask them to participate in class fundraising efforts and to make plans to attend their Reunion.

In addition, Reunion Volunteers communicate regularly with one another and with Denison’s offices of Alumni & Family Engagement and the Annual Fund.

Time commitment: Participation on your Class Reunion Committee will run from September to June. We hope you will find time to join us at our annual Volunteer Summit in the fall to help plan for Reunion.

Benefits: An opportunity to get in touch with old friends — and make some new ones! And you’ll be filled with pride during the Alumni Convocation event in Swasey Chapel, where each class’s participation is highlighted.

Volunteer here!

For alums and family members

Around the globe, special events take place that give Denisonians of all ages opportunities to connect with one another beyond The Hill. Alums and family volunteers work together in small groups within their regions to plan social gatherings, networking events, arts and cultural programs, and more.

Our regional events are open to all Denisonians — alums and friends, parents of current students and graduates, and current and former faculty and staff members.

Time commitment: Time needed to plan and execute an event. We’ll support you through every step of the process.

Benefits: Enjoy the company of fellow Denisonians, increase your network, and have some fun.

Volunteer here!

For alums

The VIP program is a peer-to-peer outreach effort for Denison’s most loyal alums. This volunteer program serves to strengthen alumni engagement, so loyal donors are inspired to stay involved and contribute leadership-level gifts to the college. Leadership giving, which consists of gifts of $1,000 or more, makes up approximately 75 percent of Annual Fund revenue.

Volunteers are responsible for raising awareness about Denison’s profile and emphasizing President Weinberg’s charge to strengthen alumni engagement. We ask VIPs to educate fellow alums about the importance of philanthropy and encourage their interest in leadership giving.

Time Commitment: Conduct 15 to 20 focused alumni calls quarterly. Assignments are made by the Annual Fund and based on a strategy designed to include engagement, solicitation, and stewardship. Assist with Annual Fund outreach, sending handwritten notes after calling and/or meeting with your alumni contacts to thank them for their support. Initial training is provided in person or by phone. We host conference calls throughout the year to keep volunteers apprised of the latest happenings at the college and additional volunteer tips.

Benefits: Keep in contact with your Denison friends while helping to strengthen the college.

Volunteer here!

There are several fitting ways for our most recent alums (defined as 0 – 10 year graduates) to give back, while also staying connected to their alma mater. Young alums are more than welcome to fill volunteer roles outside of what is listed here as well.

• Destination Series Speakers
  In collaboration with the Knowlton Center, the Alumni and Family Engagement office offers a number of destination series events for current students to attend virtually and in-person. These events focus on a different city and feature a panel of three-to-four alums who have moved to that city after graduation. The alumni volunteers are there to share their first-hand experiences, insights, and advice with students about transitioning to a new city following life at Denison.
• Big Red Weekend Young Alumni Planning Committee Volunteers (o-4 year alums)
  Alumni and Family Engagement consults with a group of approximately 15 recent alums each year to discuss young alumni programming held during Big Red Weekend. The staff will gather input and ideas from volunteers in order to create an experience that is tailored to Denison’s most recent graduates. Committee meetings are held virtually on a monthly basis.
• Reunion Committee Volunteers (5 and 10 Year Reunions)
  Committee volunteers are responsible for reaching out to classmates to invite them to Reunion and advocate for Denison events throughout the Reunion year cycle. Committee members meet on a monthly basis and discuss class-specific events and programming.

For alums and family members

Here are even more ideas for how you can stay connected to Denison.

From volunteering your time to raising the college’s visibility, everything you do can make a positive difference for Denison.

• Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
  • • Follow alumni-focused channels on Facebook and Instagram.
• Use #OnTheHill or #DenisonU when posting about Denison on your own social media.
• Keep track of your classmates through your class page on Facebook.
• Download the official Denison App to follow all the latest news from The Hill.
• Contribute stories or updates that could appear in the Denison Magazine or in the alumni newsletter.