Volunteer

Alumni support the School and the alumni community by volunteering in a wide range of important roles. Whether Yale SOM Alumni are looking to offer their time or talents, there is a volunteer opportunity to fit every schedule.

Alumni Volunteers

3,913 Yale SOM Alumni volunteer for the school in some capacity (2023-2024).

Admissions

Yale SOM alumni are an integral part of the Admissions process and assist the Admissions team in their recruiting and yield efforts. There are many opportunities to volunteer throughout the Admissions cycle including contacting admitted students, attending or even hosting a yield event, and referring candidates. Alumni expertise and experience can help the Admissions team find and recruit top talent to join the Yale SOM community.

Career Development

The Career Development Office (CDO) is dedicated to supporting Yale SOM students and alumni through every phase of their careers. Alumni volunteers can support the CDO by helping current students navigate their job search and to secure a position upon graduation. Alumni can recruit on campus, review resumes, participate as a mock interviewer (in person or virtually), and much more.

Development and Alumni Relations

Fundraising for Yale SOM

Gifts to the Alumni Fund directly support Yale SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society. Class Agents are responsible for spearheading fundraising efforts of his or her class each year. They play a vital role in encouraging annual support and in keeping classmates connected with Yale SOM.

Global Chapters

One of the best ways to connect alumni to one another and enhance their rich and rewarding lifelong relationship with Yale is through active and effective alumni chapters. Global Chapters exist to connect alumni, promote Yale SOM around the world and to strengthen ties between alumni and their communities. Chapter leaders are responsible for strengthening regional alumni communities through event planning and activities throughout the year.

Classes and Reunions

There are many ways alumni can help keep their classmates connected. Class Secretaries enable a sense of class identity and community. Reunion Planning and Outreach Committee members help get classmates excited to attend Reunion Weekend. Reunion Giving Committees help to boost participation in giving to the Alumni Fund.

I loved my time at Yale. As I’ve met other alumni through chapter activities, I’ve come to see that SOMers of all eras share a certain collegiality and set of values. For example, our chapter organized the regional Yale Day of Service the past two years, inviting all Yale alumni and their families to volunteer at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. To me, that is a quintessential SOM activity. I hope current SOMers know they can settle almost anywhere and find a supportive group to help them maintain the Yale SOM spirit.

—Sara Maffey ’10, Yale SOM Atlanta Chapter Leader

I give guest lectures in classes, mentor students over coffee, and have them to dinner at my house. I share a practitioner’s perspective of private equity, and they see I love what I do. I also help them think through career decisions and even personal issues. I live just 20 miles from SOM, and my wife says, “We can never move, because you’d have to give up SOM.” She’s right—the chance to work with students is really invigorating, both intellectually and personally.

—Robert W. Davis ’97, Yale SOM International Center for Finance Advisory Board Member, Career Development Office Volunteer