Today’s students are looking for advocates and ambassadors – and a small amount of your time can make a significant impact on students. If you’ve been interested in giving back to your alma mater, and want to help today’s students receive a world-class education, please consider becoming a Patroon Society Volunteer.
ABOUT THE PATROON SOCIETY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The Patroon Society Volunteer Program consists of alumni and alumnae volunteers who are willing to connect with other alumni and alumnae to ask for their support of the Rensselaer Annual Fund. As a Patroon Society Volunteer, you will have the opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni and alumnae by making calls, sending emails and letters actively soliciting support for the Annual Fund. Volunteers are provided with training, tips, scripts and staff support for best outcomes. The commitment is as little or as much as you want and based entirely on your schedule.
WHY CHOOSE TO BE A PATROON SOCIETY VOLUNTEER?
There are many benefits to becoming a Patroon Society Volunteer.
Here are just a few of the ways you will make a difference:
- NETWORKING – By becoming a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to meet and talk to other Rensselaer alumni and alumnae about their Rensselaer experience, and encourage them to support your alma mater. If you prefer, you will be given the option to focus your energies on classmates, fellow fraternity/sorority members, or other graduates in your geographic area.
- STAY UPDATED ON RENSSELAER NEWS – As a volunteer, you will be educated on how to provide information about what’s new at Rensselaer, options for supporting the Annual Fund, and how the Annual Fund supports Rensselaer and its students.
- FLEXIBILITY – Volunteer activities are done in your own home and on the schedule that is most convenient for you. You choose the level of volunteer work that you can accommodate with your schedule.
- VOLUNTEER TRAINING – Training and coaching is available to help you craft conversations that will yield results!
- HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION – Know that your ambassadorship is adding value and opportunity for Rensselaer students – our future alumni and alumnae.
“I am thankful that I have the ability to give to RPI, to help to sustain RPI and to provide for the future of RPI. I strongly encourage RPI alums to also give to sustain and grow the experiment started 200 years ago.
In some small way my giving serves as an ongoing thanks and recognition to those at RPI who helped me and worked with me so that I could have the opportunity to attain my goals, and also to make it possible for future students to achieve their dreams.”
– George Pierce ’69, ’76 Ph.D.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
All volunteers will get personalized training and coaching on best practices for solicitation.
We suggest starting with five to 10 assignments, but you can take as many as you like.
We recommend a mix of phone calls, emails and written letters or notes. Best practices will be covered in training.
Weekends and evenings work best, and in some cases, during the day depending on where in the country your assignments are. You fit the assignments into your schedule when it is convenient for you.
We ask that all of our volunteers report results back to staff. This is another aspect that will be covered in training.
All members of the PSV program will make an annual contribution that directly supports some aspect of Rensselaer, preferably the Annual Fund (or gifts to the Dean’s or departmental excellence funds, supporting a Patroon Scholar in a school, gifts for specific needs such as equipment purchases, etc.) An annual gift level will be individually suggested, but a contribution at the Patroon Level ($2,500) or more is preferred. One hundred percent participation is expected to lead by example.
“