Their ages cover the spectrum from teenager to over 90. Some get involved for a week or a month, some for years — and a special few for a lifetime. They’re the Carleton corps of volunteers: generous, dedicated, and giving back to the college they love.
Nosipho Beaufort ’01
Alumni Admissions Representative, Career Volunteer, Alumni Council Member
“You are a part of Carleton and Carleton is a part of you” is more than just a marketing slogan — it drives my role as a volunteer, whether I am talking to a prospective student, helping current students explore careers in public health, or working with the Alumni Council to strengthen alumni engagement.”
Chet Haase ’87
Reunion Committee Volunteer
“I do a lot of the outreach to the class: letters, emails, and social media. One of the most important elements to me of our Carleton experience is the sense of humor and irreverence we all enjoyed. I try to imbue the communications with that same spirit.”
Nancy Furby Hamlin ’55
Alumni Admissions Representative and Team Leader, AAF Class Agent, Past Alumni Council Member, Reunion Volunteer
“I do this all because of my love for Carleton, which is at least as strong today as the day I graduated. I take particular pride in watching students whom I have interviewed as prospectives come to Carleton and find their own path into the world.”
Shaun Scott Mason ’89
OAC Leadership Committee, Career Volunteer
“The Carleton experience is the foundation of who I am today, intellectually and personally. The college’s forward-thinking spirit, that push to always do better, goes to the very heart of what makes my volunteerism with them worthwhile.”
Dilara Akgunduz ’15
AAF Class Agent
“There is nothing that’ll beat my first CAVE experience, when all the volunteers (of literally all ages) huddled into the Rueb to sing karaoke and grab beers. Colby Seyferth ’15 and I decided to give an Adele-level performance of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’ and now it’s a tradition.”
Marcus Ly Lee ’99
AAF Class Agent, AAF Board of Directors, Alumni Admissions Representative
“My fierce loyalty to Carleton goes back to the opportunity the school provided when I needed it the most. I take great pleasure in contributing to that ongoing stewardship that helps to support the life-changing education of current students.”
Volunteer Roles
Alumni Admissions Representatives
AARs help prospective students learn more about Carleton by sharing their own experiences.
- Contact prospective students
- Interview students
- Represent Carleton at college fairs and high school visits
- Attend or host gatherings for prospective students and their families
Alumni Council
Chosen by nomination or invitation, alumni council members strive to encourage connections, communication, and stewardship within the entire Carleton community.
- Strengthen ties between alumni and the college
- Develop and affirm the culture of alumni stewardship and volunteering
- Engage in relevant issues facing the college and its faculty, students, and alumni
- Promote collaboration among all alumni stewardship efforts
Career Volunteers
Alumni and parent volunteers work with the Career Center in a variety of programs, offering valuable advice and expertise to students.
- Share a career profile with students online
- Network with students through informational interviews in person or via Skype
- Give a campus talk on a specific career or industry
- Offer an internship or host an externship
- Recruit on campus
Club Volunteers
Regional club volunteers connect alumni, students, parents, and friends who live or work in a shared geographic region.
- Help alumni of all ages stay connected to Carleton
- Organize, promote, and host events and gatherings
- Arrange alumni or faculty presenters
- Celebrate newly admitted students from nearby areas
Giving Volunteers
Alumni, parent, and student volunteers are essential to the success of the annual fund.
- Keep in touch with classmates and encourage support of Carleton
- Solicit gifts for the annual fund
- Join the gift committee for an upcoming class reunion
- Recruit and manage other volunteers
Multicultural Alumni Network (MCAN) Volunteers
MCAN volunteers strive to create a circle of mentorship on behalf of students and alumni of color.
- Support the recruitment and retention of students of color
- Mentor current students of color
- Encourage increased faculty and staff diversity
- Build a multicultural community of support and engagement
Out After Carleton (OAC) Volunteers
OAC helps mobilize LGBTQA+ alumni, students, and friends of the college as a community.
- Network with and mentor LGBTQA+ students and alumni
- Help create an inclusive, welcoming campus environment
- Plan OAC events at Reunion and other campus celebrations
- Encourage gifts to specific funds that support LGBTQA+ students
Reunion Class Volunteers
Reunion reconnects alumni with campus and one another, and class volunteers help make it all happen.
- Contact classmates about attending Reunion
- Help with class website or Facebook page
- Suggest and organize Reunion programs
- Encourage classmates to participate in the class gift