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Whether you are a recent grad, a seasoned Smith volunteer or just reconnecting with the college, there are numerous ways you can be involved with Smith by tapping into your talents and getting plugged in. Always loved Reunion? Help us pull it off. Excited to support connections with other Smithies where you live? Host events through your local Smith Club. Charged up to help us meet a fundraising goal? Appeal to your class about The Smith Fund. We can find a great fit for you and, along the way, you’ll pick up new, invaluable skills, grow your network and feel connected to a community you cherish.

Alumnae volunteers sitting around a table

When You Volunteer...

  • Have fun working with a great team of alums.
  • Build your Smith community.
  • Enhance your leadership skills.
  • Gain behind-the-scenes insights into Smith.
  • Give back to an institution you love.
  • Broaden your social and professional networks.
  • Receive ongoing personal development and fundraising training.

Get Involved

Interview the Next Class of Smithies!

Looking for volunteer opportunities focused on engaging with future Smithies? The Office of Admission is recruiting volunteers to help interview our next class!

Your perspective as an alum is incredibly valuable, both in relaying the authentic Smith experience to prospective students and in helping our office determine whether someone is a good fit for Smith. As an interviewer, you will have the exciting chance to meet applicants from all over the globe! 

Learn more about this opportunity by emailing admissionvolunteer@smith.edu or visiting smith.edu/admvolunteer

Smith clubs as well as affinity and special interest groups around the world host a variety of events—book clubs, community service projects, museum visits—that provide opportunities to connect with the college, alums, faculty and students.

What You Can Do

  • Help plan programs and events for alums and prospective students.
  • Reach out to alums in your local area.
  • Host a book group.
  • Solicit support for the college.

Club, Corp, & Group Volunteers

Help alums connect with Smith and one another as a class volunteer.

What You Can Do

  • Help plan your class Reunion celebration.
  • Manage your class Facebook page.
  • Collect and write class notes for the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.

Class Volunteers

Reunion volunteers have an opportunity to plan programs, get to know classmates and enjoy being a part of this special annual event.

What You Can Do

  • Plan programs.
  • Reach out to classmates to encourage attendance.
  • Become a house rep.

Reunion Volunteers

One Hour to Spare

Volunteers make Smith stronger—plus, it’s rewarding to connect with fellow alums. Learn how you can get involved and find tools and resources to get the job done.

  • Share a positive post about Smith on social media using the Alumnae Facebook page.
  • Join your local Smith Club, where you send care packages to students, organize an event or participate in community service.
  • Nominate an alum for the Smith College Medal.
  • Lead a webinar. Email Lindsey McGrath at lmcgrath@smith.edu.
  • Help plan your class Reunion. You might call classmates to encourage them to attend, make a gift to Smith or host a virtual or in-person mini Reunion. Contact your class Reunion chair.

Communications

There are a variety of ways for classes, clubs and groups to share their Smith-related news and communications. Be sure to use your class website and local Smith club for your communications.

Broadcast Emails & Newsletters

Smith can send broadcast emails on behalf of your class, club or group. Emails must adhere to our established standards, and cannot contain offensive or libelous content. Email messages must refrain from editorializing or making judgments about Smith College programs or policies. The content of emails must be related to Smith College or alum business or events. External links in emails must direct to appropriate websites.

Classes

Please reach out directly to your class manager with questions related to class communications and newsletters. Class managers will work with class presidents to ensure that each class has the opportunity to send an email newsletter twice each year.

Clubs

Email Request Guidelines

Emails are sent on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays whenever possible, as these days generally garner the best open rates. If you would prefer to have your email sent on a specific day and time, feel free to indicate that. Due to the volume of email requests, please provide at least one week notice for emails to be designed and proofed before sending.

In your email request, include:

  • A subject line for the email.
  • The address to which the replies should be sent. The email must come from alumnae@connect.smith.edu as it has gone through a specific vetting process so it won’t get blacklisted.
  • The final text of the email, either in a Word or Pages document.
  • Any images that you want to be included. The larger the image, the easier it is to resize it to the correct proportions without distorting the image.
  • Submit your email request using this Google Form.

If you need assistance please contact alumclub@smith.edu

Websites

The Office of Alumnae Relations and Development offers a free, easy-to-use template-based system for classes, clubs and groups. This system is built on the WordPress publishing platform. All pages share a common look and feel and the maintainer simply needs to add text and images to create or update any of the pages.

Social Media

Consider using social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter to increase your group’s visibility. The college does not offer support for class, club or group social media pages.

E-Communication Best Practices

Encourage Updated Information

Encourage alums to keep their information current in the Smith College Network, as this is the resource for email and home addresses used by clubs, affinity groups and classes. Alums can log in to the The Network to update their own contact information and stay connected with friends, classmates and other alums.

Keep Your Website Fresh

Create a vibrant and robust website that shares news and information about your class, club, group and the college. Update your website regularly with member profiles, class/club/group news, news from Smith, event announcements or audio and video. Many classes use their websites effectively during the year leading up to Reunion, sharing plans for the weekend and requests for volunteers.

Maintain News

Whenever appropriate, collect your news in an email message and send it to classmates or club or group members. Draw news and information from Smith’s news outlets:

Volunteer Resources

Treasurers should make clear to other class officers the system for reimbursing expenses. All invoices should be in the name of the organization. Invoices are payable only after they have been approved by the authorizing officer. The treasurer should also make clear to all officers the amount of discretionary money that is available for them to spend on a particular project.

The executive committee of officers generally determines the guidelines concerning the expenses of volunteers. The AASC offers the following suggestions:

  • Develop a routine system for reimbursing volunteers.
  • Include receipts for all reimbursement requests, accompanied by an explanation of how/when the expense was incurred.

Forms

Reimbursable Expenses

  • Travel expenses: airfare, train, bus, automobile mileage, cab fare, parking fees, tolls, shuttles, public transportation, car rental
  • Accommodations: hotel, motel, bed and breakfast
  • Meals: reimbursed with receipt. Establish guidelines based on a set meal allowance (e.g., $5 for breakfast or $25 per 24-hour period)
  • Tips: baggage handling, room service, waitperson
  • Organization business: telephone calls, postage, copying, faxing
  • All previously authorized expenses: supplies, stationery, envelopes, etc.

Nonreimbursable Expenses

  • Parking tickets or speeding fines
  • Personal services such as dry cleaning, manicures, shoe shining
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal gifts
  • Child care while on organization business. (This is an expense that an organization may decide to develop a policy on for reimbursing volunteers.)

Smith clubs and groups are automatically covered by the college’s general liability policy; however, organizations may be asked by a vendor (such as a hotel) to provide evidence of insurance to comply with a specific contract. In this case, a certificate of insurance can be issued on the organization’s behalf. These requests may be sent to alumclub@smith.edu.

Please supply the following: organization name, contact person, description of event, date, time and location.

Smith College’s Liability Policy

Smith College’s general liability policy covers each Smith organization for amounts it may be legally obligated to pay as compensation to an injured party for bodily injury, personal injury, property damage or advertising injury.

There is no coverage for taxes, fines, civil or criminal penalties, cost of compliance for non-monetary awards or any other uninsurable matter.

An individual alum is covered under the college’s general liability policy “while acting within the scope of her duties or while acting at the direction of or performing services for or on behalf of that Included Entity (Smith College).”

There is no territorial restriction in this policy and coverage is worldwide. There is also no exclusion of coverage for a claim brought because of an accident resulting from alcohol being served at an event. The AASC does, however, have clear guidelines around the service of alcohol at a club event.

Accidents & Claims

Any demand in writing is considered a claim by our underwriters (it does not have to be a suit). Any claim, regardless of cause of loss, should be immediately telephoned and sent to the Five College Risk Management Office (see address below) and to the AASC. A copy of the claim should also be sent to the treasurer or CFO of the college.

Auto Accidents

The college has extended its auto policies so that organizations have non-owned auto coverage. This provides coverage over members’ personal auto policies.

Additional Coverage or Claims

Smith clubs with specific questions regarding policy exclusions or claims, please contact:

Ruth Rauluk
Director of Risk Management
Five Colleges, Incorporated
rrauluk@fivecolleges.edu

Statement of Liquor Liability

The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 (PL 101-226) requires that all institutions of higher education adopt and implement a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use and distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by members of the Smith community as a condition of receiving funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program.

Although the general risk insurance coverage provided through the college’s policies to class, club and affinity group events includes host liquor liability coverage, please note that criminal malfeasance is not covered—serving liquors to minors (under age 21 in Massachusetts) is a criminal offense.

On-Campus Service

College Dining Services holds the liquor license for Smith College. Under Massachusetts State Liquor Laws, Dining Services is the only entity on campus that is licensed to sell alcohol. Alcohol may only be provided as part of an event involving Dining Services. Under no circumstances may a group planning a function provide their own liquor. Dining Services is required to provide servers that are trained in serving liquor and are familiar with Massachusetts Liquor Regulations.

Off-Campus Service

Organizations serving alcohol at an event must be in compliance with all state regulations concerning the service and consumption of liquor. When working with caterers, ensure that they are properly licensed to serve alcohol.

General Statement on Serving Liquor

The liability in Massachusetts for a person or organization serving alcohol to someone who is intoxicated and has an accident, injuring themselves or others, is enormous. In Massachusetts, the place/institution/person who last served liquor to that individual is liable. On campus, Dining Services personnel refuse to serve alcohol to anyone they deem intoxicated. Please be aware of the liquor laws in your community when serving alcohol at an event. Be careful in all situations where alcohol is present.

The Volunteer Partnership Agreement affirms and upholds the work we do together as partners for Smith, serving as a resource for all Alumnae Relations and Development volunteers. We encourage every current Alumnae Relations and Development volunteer to become familiar with its content; each new fiscal year volunteer liaisons will share the Agreement with anyone who is new to their volunteer role.

Volunteer Partnership Agreement

Thank you for being a Smith College volunteer. We appreciate your leadership and passion for Smith. Smith College alums, students, faculty, staff, and friends benefit greatly from your contributions.

Volunteers of Smith College play an important role in advancing the mission and core values of the institution. The Volunteer Partnership Agreement upholds those core values with best practices that support an inclusive and welcoming space for all of us. The expectations below are essential to the success and safety of all engagement activities and apply to all volunteers. 

As an Alumnae Relations and Development volunteer I will:

  • seek opportunities to engage and connect alums with the college and with one another, such as sharing information about news and events.
  • maintain current information in The Smith College Network directory and encourage others to do so as well.
  • know the expectations of my role(s) and serve as a responsible ambassador of the college when fulfilling the duties of my role(s) by adhering to this Volunteer Partnership Agreement. 
  • communicate with care and respect in email, print, social media, and in person to all members of the Smith community, including students, faculty, staff, alums, parents, and friends of the college. 
  • engage responsibly with the media. If approached by any media outlet, I will refer the outlet to Smith’s Office of College Relations. I will preface any conversation I do have with the fact that I am not a Smith employee or official representative.  
  • handle confidential information with respect for constituents’ rights to, and expectations of, privacy. For guidance, please see the Alumnae Relations and Development Policy on Confidentiality and Constituent Information and the use of personal data, shared with you by your Alumnae Relations and Development Office volunteer liaison. 
  • respect the diversity of Smith and help all feel welcome and included by being inclusive and considering issues of diversity (e.g. ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, geography, race, religion, sexual orientation) in all facets of your volunteer work
  • practice mutual respect and appreciation of differences by abiding by Smith College’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.
  • show that Smith is a philanthropic priority by making an annual donation of any size to an area of the college of your choosing.Your annual gift provides critical support to programs that keep Smith a top pick for the most diverse and talented students and demonstrates your confidence in Smith’s mission to your fellow alums. 
  • seek support from the Alumnae Relations and Development Office as soon as possible if you find yourself in situations or conversations beyond the limits of your knowledge or experience, outside the scope of your volunteer role, or unresolveable through your club board or leadership team practices.

The Rewards of Volunteering

As Fund Team Coordinator, Mary Grant ’70 plays an instrumental role in inspiring classmates to support financial aid. “I want people to have the same opportunity that the women in my family have had. I don’t want any more dreams to be dashed by the barrier of college costs.”

Read the Profile
Kathleen McCartney, Mary Grant and Susan Greene at an event on campus

Contact Alumnae Relations & Development

Alumnae House
33 Elm Street
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01060

Phone: 800-526-2023 (option 4) or 413-585-2040

Staff Directory

Get in Touch! Share your story, brag about a classmate or let us know how we are doing. Send us an email.