Alumni/ae

Area Coordinators oversee CPIC programming within their metro area and serve as the primary liaison to CPIC staff in Cambridge.

Time commitment: 5 - 10 hours per month

Core Responsibilities for Area Coordinators

• Working with CPIC staff to identify potential job and internship leads for students
• Overseeing communication and volunteer management
• Overseeing planning of monthly seminars and social events
• Leading CPIC strategic planning meetings (frequency varies by city, but generally 2-4 meetings per year)
• Serving as a liaison to the regional Harvard Club
• Assisting CPIC staff with addressing job or internship placement challenges (if they arise)

Benefits for Area Coordinators:

• Providing insight that will shape the direction of public service at Harvard College
• Opportunities throughout the year to build relationships with Harvard alumni/ae and leaders of nonprofit, public interest, and private sector organizations
• Opportunities to participate in monthly seminars, social events, and other programming.
• Opportunities to share knowledge and expertise with Harvard students, which further supports Harvard's mission to advance knowledge, promote understanding, and serve society

Area Committee members agree to serve as a resource to current CPIC post-graduate fellows, summer interns, and students interested in the program.

Time commitment: 1 - 3 hours per month.

Core Responsibilities for Area Committee Members:

• Assisting CPIC staff with identifying potential job and internship leads for students
• Serving as a mentor to program participants or helping CPIC staff and Area Coordinators to identify / train mentors for program participants (if needed)
• Assisting CPIC Staff and Area Coordinators with contacting agencies to host monthly seminars
• Assisting CPIC staff and Area Coordinators with organizing social events for program participants and volunteers
• Participating in CPIC strategic planning meetings (frequency varies by city, but generally 2-4 meetings per year)

Benefits for Area Committee Members:

• Opportunities throughout the year to build relationships with Harvard alumni/ae and leaders of nonprofit and public interest organizations
• Opportunities to participate in monthly seminars, social events, and other programming
• Opportunities to share knowledge and expertise with Harvard students, which further supports Harvard's mission to advance knowledge, promote understanding, and serve society
• Opportunities to meet volunteers from public interest programs at affiliated colleges and universities

Mentor – Internship Program

The mentoring component of the CPIC Internship Program is designed to improve the Intern’s summer experience, while allowing the Mentor to learn about Harvard students interested in entering the public interest sector.  Mentors volunteer for 10 to 12 weeks during the summer, providing encouragement or support for their summer Intern.

Time commitment: 2 - 3 hours per month from mid-June to mid-August

Mentor – Fellowship Program 

The mentoring component of the CPIC Fellowship Program is designed to improve the Fellow’s yearlong experience, while allowing the Mentor to learn about recent Harvard graduates interested in entering the public interest sector.  The CPIC Fellowship Program seeks to provide each Fellow with an experienced professional who can offer advice regarding a particular public interest-related issue area; this allows the Fellow to gain professional and personal guidance by meeting one-on-one with an alumnus/a working in or familiar with this area of interest.  The relationship between the Fellow and his/her Mentor depends entirely upon the goals, preferences, and availability of the two individuals.

Time commitment: 2 - 3 hours per month for one year

Each Area Coordinator creates a seminar series for the Interns and/or Fellows in that city.  These seminars are an integral component of CPIC, exposing Interns and Fellows to issue areas and positions outside of their current placements.  Seminar Speakers are engaged or have experience in the public interest sector, and spend an evening sharing their knowledge with our passionate program participants.

Time commitment: 2 - 4 hours per year

Nonprofit Liaisons help to identify and recruit nonprofit organizations that will host – and provide the salary for – CPIC Interns and/or Fellows.  The Liaison builds on connections s/he has with other alumni/ae or volunteers, Board Members, or staff members at public interest entities.  The Nonprofit Liaison works closely with the local Area Coordinator to ensure that Host Organizations for the particular region include a broad range of opportunities.  The Nonprofit Liaison’s local knowledge – and connections – is an invaluable resource for CPIC.  This role can be fulfilled by a one-time referral or consistent contact with the local Area Coordinator.

Time commitment: from 3 - 5 hours per organization to 3 - 5 hours per month

Alumni/ae Contacts agree to speak with summer Interns and/or yearlong Fellows who desire one-time informational interviews or career advice.  These exchanges allow our participants to gain insight into your career path and current position, and assist them in building their networks of professional connections in the public interest sector.

Time commitment: 2 - 4 hours per year