Volunteer Opportunities

Parents are invited to engage with the school by attending Family Homecoming Weekend and by receiving the bimonthly electronic newsletter and the quarterly Colby magazine. Parents can volunteer in the following ways:

• offering student intern and career opportunities;
• joining the Career Center's affinity groups;
• signing up for the Colby Alumni Network (CAN);
• attending, helping plan, or hosting events in your area;
• contributing ideas or stories to the parent newsletter, Parents Out of the Blue, or advising Colby on its communications with parents;
• calling the parents of incoming students through the Welcome Committee; and
• supporting the College through the Colby Fund for Parents.

Share your ideas, resources, and expertise through the following programs.

Internships and Career Services
Parents are valuable resources for the Career Center, forwarding employment opportunities and information about entry-level job positions to the College, mentoring students in their places of work, and sharing valuable career advice with students and young alumni. In 2008, the Career Center launched affinity groups around common vocational interests and skills. These affinity groups are part of the Career Center's Colby Connect program, which engages students and connects them to fellowships, internships, job shadowing, and employment opportunities and prepares them for graduate study. In addition the Career Center welcomes parent participation in career symposia on and off campus.

Welcome Committee
Colby parents are invited to make personal phone calls to the parents of incoming first-year students and welcome them to the Colby community. Welcome Committee members answer questions about the College and provide valuable insight into the Mayflower Hill experience. The committee’s goal is to create an ongoing dialogue among parents and, in turn, build a stronger, more vibrant parent community. The Welcome Committee also hosts sendoff events in different areas throughout the country before parents send their students to Colby for the first time. If you would like to become a member of the Welcome Committee, please contact the Office of Parents Programs.

Parents Executive Committee
The Parents Executive Committee (PEC) was formed in 1981. It comprises parents who have agreed to serve as liaisons with the College and to advance the goals of the Parents Association through supporting the Colby Fund for Parents. The committee is led by the PEC co-chairs and two class co-chairs representing each class.

The Colby Fund for Parents is an annual fundraising campaign, under the umbrella of the Colby Fund, that raises unrestricted dollars from current parents and parents of alumni to help facilitate the Colby experience—from educational, athletic, and artistic programs to faculty hiring and retention and bricks and mortar. The College asks every parent to consider making a yearly gift, regardless of its size, to the fund. Parents of seniors can make a gift in honor of their student or a coach or faculty or staff member who has had an impact on their child. The cumulative gifts from parents ensure that Colby is able to continually offer the exceptional programs that make it one of the preeminent small liberal arts colleges in the nation. In 2008-09, the Colby Fund for Parents raised $1.1 million.

Members of the Parents Executive Committee and the Senior Parent Gift Campaign Committee reach out to current and past parents throughout the year and encourage them to make gifts in support of the College. Through their time, effort, and philanthropic leadership, Parents Executive Committee members both secure the capital necessary to underwrite the College’s immediate expenses and advance the goals of Colby and Colby parents.

Please contact the PEC member nearest you if you have questions or feedback for Colby.

Senior Parent Gift Campaign Committee
The Senior Parent Gift Campaign, an annual fundraising campaign, was formed in 2007. The Committee comprises parents who have agreed to serve as liaisons with the College and to advance the goals of the Parents Association through supporting the Parents Fund. The Committee is led by the Senior Parents Executive Committee class co-chairs.

The Senior Parent Gift Campaign recognizes the tremendous impact Colby has had and will continue to have on our children. This campaign is a way for senior parents to express support and gratitude to the College or to a faculty or staff member who has been especially meaningful in your student’s life.

Members of the Senior Parent Gift Campaign Committee reach out to senior parents throughout the year to encourage them to make gifts in support of the College. If you are interested in serving on the Senior Parent Gift Campaign, please e-mail parents@colby.edu or call the Office of Parents Giving and Programs at 207-859-4322.

Local Colby Clubs and the Colby Alumni Network
Colby clubs offer a variety of activities to parents, alumni, and current students throughout the year, including sponsoring colloquia by members of the faculty, hosting forums attended by the president and other members of the administration, holding receptions at varsity athletic events, and organizing sendoff events for recently admitted students and new Colby students. We invite parents to participate in any and all of these activities. You will receive notices of all local Colby club events, or you can visit the club Web site. Do not hesitate to contact local Colby club leaders if you wish to become involved.

Colby parents are members of the Colby Alumni Network (CAN). The CAN Web site contains personal and professional data in a secure environment and can be searched by name, city of residence, occupation, or other criteria. It allows you to make yourself available, if you wish, to students looking for summer or Jan Plan internships or information about particular career fields. You may update your directory information online at any time.

This password-protected site is accessible only to Colby alumni, students, and parents. Parents who wish to gain access to the site should visit www.colby.edu/parents. Here you can register by following simple instructions. Parents who prefer not to be included in the directory may contact the Office of Alumni Relations at bluelight@colby.edu. CAN members may provide as much or as little personal and business information as they choose. The omission of certain information, however, may limit the value of the CAN experience.