Volunteer

Polar Bears spend four years as students and the rest of their lives as alumni. The College offers countless opportunities for lifelong involvementwith your classmates, friends, and alma mater.
Volunteers on Quad

Volunteer Opportunities Include:

1794 Membership Committee

This dedicated group of Alumni Fund volunteers is committed to growing a network of leadership annual donors who represent the 1794 Society in the Bowdoin community and champion its mission through education, retention, and recruitment. Committee members are currently 1794 Society leadership-level donors who are recruited by the Office of Annual Giving.

Admissions

Bowdoin Regional Admissions Volunteer Organization (BRAVO)—a cohort of alumni volunteers from across the world—supports and expands the outreach of the Admissions Office in the recruitment of qualified students for Bowdoin. BRAVO members interview local students, correspond over email, participate in college fairs, attend regional events hosted by Admissions staff, and serve as an important link between high schools, prospective students, and the College.

Alumni Council

The Alumni Council is the primary representative voice of the alumni body, working to encourage and celebrate lifelong engagement with Bowdoin, helping build relationships and loyalty among alumni, and between alumni and the College.

Alumni Fund Class Agents

Class Agents—both Leads and Associates—are the heart of Bowdoin's Annual Giving program. These dedicated volunteers support their class gift and participation efforts, build relationships and networks, and encourage engagement with the College. Alumni who are assigned to Class Agents are two times more likely to make a gift to Bowdoin. All alumni are eligible to serve as a Class Agent.

Alumni Fund Directors

The Alumni Fund Directors are a cross-generational group of twenty Class Agents who help shape the Alumni Fund volunteer experience and provide feedback and expertise on current projects and initiatives. This leadership group visits campus twice annually to participate in a conference with the Alumni Council and BRAVO National Advisory Board and meets several times virtually during the fund year. Fund Directors are selected by the Director of Annual Giving, Fund Director Chair and Vice-Chair.

Black Alumni Association

Founded in Fall 2021, the Association will strive to correct the historic wrongs against and obviate the inequities experienced by the Black community of Bowdoin. We will provide and promote effective leadership regarding the well-being of the Association’s alumni members, as well as Bowdoin students, faculty and staff, and the greater common good of African diaspora. This endeavor will be accomplished through education, mentoring, advocating, pro bono initiatives, business development, and community building. Look for more information in 2022.

Career Exploration and Development

CXD leverages alumni volunteers to share information and insight with students and other alumni regarding their career path, job-hunting strategies, and other useful career-related advice. Alumni are encouraged to post jobs and internships, as well as join the Bowdoin Career Advisory Network on LinkedIn to connect with current students and alumni.

Parents Executive Committee

Bowdoin’s Parents Executive Committee (PEC) is made up of parents of current students and parents of graduates who volunteer to support the Parents Fund and the College community. Students from around the globe come to Bowdoin and form a diverse, vibrant, and strong community—so do our parents.

Regional Networks

Do you like planning social events? Lead or be part of a committee that organizes events for alumni and parents in your area. Activities are planned for each regional network by committees of alumni volunteers working with the Office of Alumni Relations.

Reunion Committees

Class Reunions are held every five years and are planned and hosted by volunteer Reunion Committees, who assist with shaping Reunion class programming and help the class achieve its goals around Reunion Weekend attendance, class gift totals, and donor participation rate.