NIU Volunteer Opportunities
Many of the volunteer opportunities to get involved with NIU are featured below. Simply click on each category to learn more about them.
If you'd like to receive information about new volunteer opportunities, and opportunities geared toward your specific interests, please remember to complete your NIU Nexus Volunteer Interest Form.
**All in-person volunteer opportunities are currently suspended, but there are plenty of opportunities to engage virtually.
On Campus Volunteer Opportunities >
NIU College of Business Alumni Meet and Greet Tables (Temporarily Suspended)
Expose NIU COB students to a wider range of opportunities in business by hosting an informal meet and greet table. Provide students with the opportunity to practice their networking skills while learning about career paths in your industry/firm in a casual environment. Secondary benefits of participation are meeting students who are perfect fits for current openings and keeping your organization top of mind when students are on the hunt for internships and full-time employment. Alumni Meet and Greet Tables can be scheduled Monday – Thursday during peak traffic times, generally 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Alumni will interact with all business undergraduate, Master of Accounting Science, Master of Management Information Systems, and full-time MBA students. Contact Liz McKee at Lmckee1@niu.edu or 815-753-7400 to begin the application process.
Living-Learning Communities (LLC) Alumni Career Network Series (Temporarily Suspended)
Share your professional expertise with students through the Living-Learning Communities (LLC) Alumni Career Network Series at NIU. Through this unique opportunity you can choose to bring LLC students onsite to your company or visit NIU and share your real-world experiences with LLC students. Visit the Living-Learning Communities webpage and learn more about LLC, and apply for the LLC Alumni Career Network Series here! We will begin reviewing applications on July 1, 2020. The application deadline is October 6, 2020. Contact Jeanne Baxter at jbaxter1@niu.edu or call 815-753-5062 with any questions.
Become a volunteer advocate for NIU! (Ongoing)
Add your voice to the conversation and share NIU's legislative priorities with legislators in your district. Click here to learn more, or register for our advocacy platform and become an advocate!
NIU Esports: Volunteer Coaches and Content Experts Needed (Ongoing)
Get involved in esports at NIU! Our fast-growing esports club program needs knowledgeable volunteers to support coaching students, presenting in esports classes, and organizing esports tournaments. There are so many opportunities for students, alumni and community members to have fun, play video games and help build our exciting esports program. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Jeannine East or Aline Click at esports@niu.edu.
Department of Accountancy "Helping Huskies" Mentor Program (Ongoing)
"Helping Huskies" connects accountancy alumni with students for one-on-one conversations about careers, academics, business and start-ups. Set your availability and choose the areas you’d like to mentor in. Then you'll be matched with students looking for assistance in those areas. Matches don't always occur instantaneously, but your participation in the mentoring network will greatly enhance the department's ability to provide accountancy students with strong mentors. Click here to join.
Communiversity Gardens (Ongoing)
The NIU Communiversity Gardens are part of a community-wide approach to end food insecurity in DeKalb County by providing access to fresh organic vegetables that are locally grown for anyone in need. Volunteers have the opportunity to plant, weed and harvest for this cause while improving their gardening skills. Volunteers are typically needed for shifts a few days per week. Click here and sign up to volunteer for hours that fit your schedule.
Huskie Food Pantry (Ongoing)
The Huskie Food Pantry is an amazing NIU program that serves students who lack access to adequate food sources. The pantry is a nonprofit organization that relies on the support of generous donors, volunteers, interns and university partners to maintain the program. During the summer months, the pantry is in great need of volunteers to fill the roles left vacant by dedicated student volunteers who have gone home for the summer. Alumni volunteers can help by donating food, stocking shelves or serving on a pantry night. Click here and sign up to volunteer.
Off Campus Volunteer Opportunities >
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Living-Learning Communities (LLC) Alumni Career Network Series (Temporarily Suspended)
Share your professional expertise with students through the Living-Learning Communities (LLC) Alumni Career Network Series at NIU. Through this unique opportunity you can choose to bring LLC students onsite to your company or visit NIU and share your real-world experiences with LLC students. Visit the Living-Learning Communities webpage and learn more about LLC, and apply for the LLC Alumni Career Network Series here! We will begin reviewing applications on July 1, 2020. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and the application deadline is October 6, 2020. Contact Jeanne Baxter at jbaxter1@niu.edu or call 815-753-5062 with any questions.
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Become a volunteer advocate for NIU! (Ongoing)
Add your voice to the conversation and share NIU's legislative priorities with legislators in your district. Click here to learn more, or register for our advocacy platform and become an advocate!
Online Volunteer Opportunities >
Remote Interview Feedback Needed (Mar. 1 - Mar. 14, 2021)
The NIU Finance Department is looking for finance, accountancy, OMIS and MBA graduates currently working in business to help current students practice their interview skills. Alumni volunteers will be able to provide feedback, via an online platform, to students on their video responses to commonly asked interview questions. Find out more or register here!
BELIEF Ethics Program Week (Mar. 8 - Mar. 12, 2021)
Meet with the Director of the BELIEF Ethics Program and record your experience navigating ethical situations in the workplace so that students can benefit by learning from your experience during BELIEF Week. These recordings will be provided to faculty to share in their classrooms during BELIEF Week, or through other BELIEF program activities. Spots are limited. Click here to register now.
Mock Trial Tream Opening Round Championship Tournament (March 20-21, 2021)
See our very talented NIU Mock Trial Team in action at the American Mock Trial Association's Opening Round Championship Tournament. They will compete virtually against twenty-four of the top teams in the country for the opportunity to advance to the National Championship Tournament. Volunteers are needed to serve as judges for one or more of the four trials. Lawyers, law students and others with experience in a related legal field are eligible - trial experience is not necessary and a training will be provided ahead of the event. Sign up here!
Meet the Alumni Mock Networking Opportunities (Various Dates)
Making Connections Through Conversation (formerly First Impressions Count) (Feb 16 or April 6)
Help students practice essential networking and conversation skills before they can apply them in the real world and serve as a valuable key to them securing internships, building their networks, and seeking employment after graduation.
Cohort Conversations
Graduates of the University Honors program, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or former residential/community advisors can connect with current students about their shared experiences. A cohort will require about 1.5 hours of volunteer time over the span of a week, which is about 15 minutes per night.
Click here to register for one of these two mock networking volunteer opportunities. Contact Liz McKee at Lmckee1@niu.edu or 815-753-7400 with any questions.
LEAD Ethics Case Competition (Apr. 10, 2021)
Join us for the Annual LEAD Ethical Case Competition! This event will be hosted by the NIU COB BELIEF Program on Saturday, April 10. The competition will be held virtually, and we are currently looking for volunteer judges. More information about the event can be found on here. If you are interested, please submit your name, job title, company name, graduation year, major, phone number, and e-mail to Tera Lima (limatera1996@gmail.com) by the March 1 application deadline.
Huskie Postcard Project (Spring 2021)
Completing final projects. Pulling all-nighters. Worrying over exams. You may remember the stresses of University life like they were yesterday. Now you have the opportunity to bring some positivity to current Huskies during finals week by participating in the Huskie Postcard Project! Find out more or register to participate here!
Share your NIU Huskie story! (Ongoing)
Alumni stories are inspirational. They inspire current and prospective students who can see living proof that an NIU education will help them to be successful. Alumni stories also highlight the many things of which we can be proud and bolster the community. Help NIU tell its story by sharing yours. Take 5-10 minutes to record how NIU impacted your life by completing the Huskie Spotlight Profile Survey. Then, use your social media to share a favorite memory of time spent at NIU events such as Homecoming or Welcome Days. To make sure we see your stories and experiences on social, simply tag NIU and the NIU Alumni Association, or use the hashtag #HuskiePride.
NIU Social Media Accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
NIU Alumni Association Social Media Accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
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Become a volunteer advocate for NIU! (Ongoing)
Add your voice to the conversation and share NIU's legislative priorities with legislators in your district. Click here to register for our advocacy platform and to become an advocate!
NIUniverse: A Social Media Ambassador Program (Ongoing)
Join the NIUniverse to share your Huskie pride through your social networks! NIU social media ambassadors have first-look access to exciting content, can share and recommend stories on behalf of the NIU Alumni Association and can win Huskie swag by participating in contests and challenges. All you have to do is join, take a few moments each week to share our stories with your networks and participate in our contests! The more you participate, the better your chances at winning awesome NIU swag. Sign up here.
Department of Communication Alumni: Share your Success Story! (Ongoing)
The Department of Communication, which includes Communication Studies and Journalism, seeks to celebrate their graduates' career accomplishments by featuring their success stories online. If you are an alumnus of the program who is interested in sharing their story, contact Laura Vazquez at lvazquez@niu.edu to have your profile added to the Department of Communication webpage.
Refer a Huskie (Ongoing)
Remember, you can always use the NIU Alumni Association's online form to refer a student that would make a great Huskie. Students referred this way receive a promotional code, which covers the application cost.