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 Profile.
**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.
University Honors Externship Program (Spring 2021)
Each year, the NIU University Honors Program seeks to provide its students with the opportunity to earn Honors credits as they explore career paths through an unpaid job shadow opportunity called the Honors Externship program. Consider being a virtual or on-site host one of these students. Host sites have flexibility in choosing what the job shadow looks like and can choose from a variety of time frames during the spring semester. Learn more or register here.
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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University Honors Externship Program (Spring 2021)
Each year, the NIU University Honors Program seeks to provide its students with the opportunity to earn Honors credits as they explore career paths through an unpaid job shadow opportunity called the Honors Externship program. Consider being a virtual or on-site host one of these students. Host sites have flexibility in choosing what the job shadow looks like and can choose from a variety of time frames during the spring semester. Learn more or register here.
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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 >
NIU Jobs PLUS First Impressions Count Workshop (Sept. 29 , 2020)
Now, more than ever, learning how to make virtual connections is important for NIU students. Help current students practice their virtual communication and interpersonal skills through the virtual First Impressions Count Workshops and prepare the next generation of Huskies for greater success upon graduation. Register here for the session on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 6-7 p.m. CT. Contact Liz McKee at Lmckee1@niu.edu or 815-753-7400 with any questions.
NIU Jobs PLUS "Meet the Alumni" Cohorts (October 2020)
Do you remember what it was like when you were a student at NIU? Did you wish you could have connected with others who had once been in your shoes? If you were either a graduate from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, an honors student, or have served in a public service leadership position, you can play that role for a current NIU student. Learn more and register here. Contact Liz McKee at Lmckee1@niu.edu or 815-753-7400 with any questions.
Student Recruitment and Retention Opportunities (Fall 2020)
We’ve teamed up with the Office of Undergraduate admissions to offer activities for volunteers, such as being a conversation starter during an upcoming Admissions Virtual Open House chatroom in October, November and December, or being a caller for the Huskie Pride Student Recruitment Phone Drive on Nov. 17. You can also support current Huskies by writing our newest students letters of support that they will receive during their first semester or sending encouraging notes to students during finals. Learn more or apply here. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Baxter ’96, at jbaxter1@niu.edu or 815-753-5062.
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University Honors Externship Program (Spring 2021)
Each year, the NIU University Honors Program seeks to provide its students with the opportunity to earn Honors credits as they explore career paths through an unpaid job shadow opportunity called the Honors Externship program. Consider being a virtual or on-site host one of these students. Host sites have flexibility in choosing what the job shadow looks like and can choose from a variety of time frames during the spring semester. Learn more or register 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!
Graduate Career and Professional Development Connections (Ongoing)
The NIU Graduate School Career and Professional Development Portal provides professional development programming through use of educational strategies that engage graduate students in job discovery and diverse career opportunities. Alumni are key in helping students gain insight on what their field is demanding and how the job market is changing. To develop connections with alumni, workshops through the program show graduate students how to use LinkedIn as a networking tool to find alumni who have jobs of interest to them. Graduate students are then encouraged to conduct 15- to 20-minute online interviews with these alumni. Program staff seek alumni who are interested in participating in these interviews. Alumni can sign-up here to participate.
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.