A survey of college clubs shaping our future
Press Release – August 24, 2017: Charity Navigator recently surveyed highly rated (3- and 4-star) organizations with large campus followings across the United States. Through this survey, we sought to understand when students choose to engage with charities and which organizations. These ten organizations included Amnesty International USA, Young Life, Southern Poverty Law Center, Habitat for Humanity International, Best Buddies, UNICEF USA, National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Red Cross, Junior Achievement USA, and American Association of University Women. All ten organizations are among Charity Navigator’s most highly rated nonprofits in America.
According to a study done by Gallup with 30,000 colleges graduates, twenty percent of all students were extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations prior to employment.
Campus Chapters Support National Priorities
For Students
In case you’ve missed it, campus club chapters are great places to meet people with shared interests, make professional connections, and build your resume with real-world skills. We surveyed these ten great organizations with well-established and well-earned reputations, and there are many more highly-rated groups with campus chapters to fit your interests. If it’s your first year at college, you’ll be able to sign up for many of the incredible clubs that your school offers. Often, your school will hold an event where you can meet all of the leaders of these clubs and learn more about the activities you can participate in. Check with your student center to see which organizations operate chapters on your campus. Remember to research them on Charity Navigator to ensure they are a high-performing organization who is known to use donor time and money well.
For Parents
Even though most parents aren’t going through college with their kids, rest assured that there is definite value in understanding the leveraging point that a college club becomes for your kid! There are great opportunities for your student to supplement their academic education with practical skills, network connections, and post-graduate opportunities — most kids have started building their LinkedIn connections the first week of school. They’ll be sure to have 500+ by the end of their first year!
Well-established organizations help to keep students engaged and safe — outside of juggling the numerous academic requirements that four years of college poses, students can find a place to belong. It can be a great conversation-starter for your Thanksgiving table when your kid returns home!
Over 100 Years of Student Participation on Campus
For Grandparents
It’s likely that you have favorite organizations that you have been generously supporting for decades. The students in your family may be struggling with student debt and the other expenses that accompany college, but you can still share your love for your favorite organizations by inspiring young adults to get involved with the campus chapters of highly rated organizations you love. Dozens of leading charities have chapters that engage students to support their work. Encourage your grandkids to get involved, they’ll thank you for it and will likely do the same for their grandkids.
For Employers
According to Fortune, 92% of hiring managers see volunteer activities as building leadership skills and 85% of hiring managers said that skills-based activities made candidates better at communicating. A Gallup poll found that students are eighty percent more likely to be engaged in employment if they were extremely active in extracurricular activities or organizations. Keep an eye on the campus groups to which your candidates belong and the impact they had on those charities.
