If you are looking to promote a service opportunity, recruit volunteers for a semester or year-long commitment, or are seeking to define a longer term volunteer related relationship between your organization and UIS we would like the opportunity to help you be successful in connecting with the UIS Campus. Below are some resources to help in that process. We encourage you to read our brief guide on how to be effective in recruiting and working with our volunteers.

Connect with UIS Students

If your organization is hosting a singular event or an ongoing volunteer opportunity we would like to help you promote and implement those ideas with our volunteers.

Establish a Campus Presence

If you have already established a relationship with UIS you can consider taking the next step in solidifying your connection to our campus. We can help you establish a campus presence. This can take many forms including temporary office space to conduct on-campus business or the establishment of a student organization associated with your service opportunity, or the use of campus space to host events aimed at UIS Volunteers. If you are considering this level of engagement please contact us directly to arrange a meeting to discuss your ideas.

Volunteer Recognition

In addition to connecting community partners to the campus, we pause each year to recognize the efforts of volunteers throughout the Springfield community via the Good as Gold Volunteer Recognition Ceremony. Visit the links below to learn more about the event and to nominate someone that has given their time and talents to better our community.

Create an Ongoing Opportunity

If you are interested in partnering with us to develop a longer term (semester or year-long) opportunity or program where volunteers would commit to attending multiple events on a regular basis (i.e. weekly) please email us directly to arrange a meeting to discuss your concept and how we can best support it on campus. We currently support two ongoing service opportunities and are interested in expanding this number by adding programs in the areas of public health, hunger and homelessness, civic engagement, and/or sustainability. Below are the descriptions of our two current ongoing service opportunities.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Illinois Capital Region – Mentorship Program

Mentors are role models. Mentors do not act primarily as teachers, parents, coaches, or friends. Though they may take on different aspects of these roles at times, their primary job is to support and guide young people and to provide them with a positive perspective on life. Mentors are usually matched in September and meet with their mentee once a week for the rest of the academic year. Studies show that mentoring relationships that last 6 months or longer are far more likely to have positive impacts.

Springfield District 186 AVID Tutoring Program

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) tutors are college students who receive training in methodologies used in AVID. They are in the classroom every Tuesday and Thursday to serve as models and to help students achieve success in rigorous classes. They are trained not to give students the answers, but rather to guide them toward answers. They may even ask permission to “shadow” students in their classes to help them learn how to take notes more effectively.