The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement facilitates experiences for students, faculty, and staff that allow them to engage with the Philadelphia community and develop values and skills consistent with responsible citizenship. Community organizations play a vital role in carrying out our mission; we seek to develop mutually beneficial relationships that both draw on the assets of the community to educate and engage our students and share University assets to positively affect Philadelphians. Our partners include non-profits, public and private schools, and local government agencies and they are involved in a variety of ways, from requesting volunteers to co-creating courses. 

In addition to services and programs provided by the Lindy Center to organizations, we also connect community organizations and individual community members to resources offered by the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.

Let's Partner!

• Request students and employees for one-time and long-term volunteer opportunities. We are always looking for quality opportunities for our students and employees to serve with Philadelphia-based non-profit organizations. We have an easy-to-navigate civic engagement database called Galaxy where organizations can create a profile and post volunteer opportunities and events to all Drexel students. If you'd like to create a profile, click here to submit a request; one of our staff members will either approve or reach out with more information. We put together a short introductory video about using our site which can be viewed here. You can also contact lindycenter@drexel.edu for more information and with any questions about the database. Click for FAQs about Galaxy, our civic engagement database.

  Drexel also has a staff-specific program called Dragon Volunteers that gives staff 16 hours/year of paid leave for volunteering. If you have group or individual volunteer opportunities that would be suitable for staff members in addition to students, please send the following information to LindyCenter@drexel.edu: 

1. Name of the Community Partner 
2. About the Community Partner (mission statement and/or description of what the organization does)
3. Community Partner Website
4. Contact Full Name, Email Address, and Phone Number
5. Location(s) Where Services Will Take Place (Please include building name, floor and room #s if applicable)
6. Please describe in detail the time commitment that you need volunteers to make. Indicate whether you need a long-term commitment or if it's a one/multi day event. (Examples: Volunteers must commit to at least 3 hours per week between the hours of 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday, at least 2 shifts per month on Saturdays from 9am-12pm, Saturday June 1 from 8am-2pm, etc.)
7. For one/multi day events, how many volunteers are you hoping for at a time? (Example: a clean-up activity might want 30 volunteers at once) 
8. Please describe in as much detail as possible the volunteer position and any necessary qualifications.
9. How can volunteers sign-up or apply?

• Host a Drexel Community Collaborator. Drexel Community Collaborators (DCC) is a community-based student engagement program that provides students the opportunity to work in collaboration with a local non-profit community organization based on eligibility, interest, and availability. DCC provides 5-15 hours per week of either direct service or capacity building to a non-profit organization. Focusing on direct and/or indirect service projects; positions range in scope but may include duties such as tutoring elementary school youth, serving meals to homeless individuals, or providing administrative support through projects focused on capacity building and/or sustainability. In addition to their work at their placement sites, DCC engage in leadership development and team-building activities. For a more detailed description of the DCC Program, please click here. To apply for a Drexel Community Collaborator, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact LindyCenter@drexel.edu. 
  

• Collaborate with us to run a large-scale "Day of Service Opportunity". For more information, please contact LindyCenter@drexel.edu. 

• Explore the path to becoming a service site for CIVC 101, Drexel’s first year required community-based learning course. Students enrolled in this course complete volunteer hours throughout the term and we partner with several organizations around the city to provide students with opportunities. CIVC 101 is a good fit for organizations that:

1. Can offer 2 or 3 hour service shifts on a consistent basis throughout the term (one-time or short-term volunteer requests do not usually fit our needs).
2. Can host 2 or more students per volunteer shift and are okay with different volunteers on each shift. 
3. Are located within the city of Philadelphia and accessible from West Philadelphia by SEPTA subway, bus, and/or trolley. We prefer not to make students travel longer than 30 minutes to get to service.
4. Do not require volunteers to attend separate training sessions.
5. Provide supervision and guidance for volunteers. 

If you feel your organization might be a good fit, please email Cara Scharf at ces337@drexel.edu. 

• Collaborate with a faculty member to offer a Community-Based Learning Course. For more information, please email Cara Scharf at ces337@drexel.edu.