Badger Volunteers (BV) is a semester-long program (11-week commitment) that pairs teams of students with community organizations to volunteer 1-4 hours each week at the same organization. The program is designed to foster meaningful and consistent connections between community partners and students over the course of an entire semester.
Badger Volunteers provides logistical support, transportation, training and educational workshops for student volunteers in the program.
Volunteer opportunities fall into three categories: education, sustainability and public health. Badger Volunteers is open to any UW–Madison student (including graduate students) in any major and any interest! You do not need any special skills or prior experience to join Badger Volunteers!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Dashboard and Registration
- Volunteer Expectations
- BV Leaders
- BV Executive Board
- Community Partner Sites
Click here to access your Badger Volunteers Dashboard.
This is where you register for a volunteer site and can see when BV events are taking place.
For students interested in participating in summer BV, please fill out this interest form.
For students interested in serving as team leaders for BV Fall 2021, please fill out this interest form. Due to the pandemic, we will open Team Leader Registration mid-August.
- Commit to volunteering once per week for the entire semester
- Attend BV Orientation
- Volunteer with the same organization at the same day and time each week.
- Participate in at least one education session and one workshop
- Complete reflection components.
- Represent the Morgridge Center, UW–Madison, and themselves respectfully.
- Optional: Attend BV-sponsored socials and follow our social media!
Each Badger Volunteers team is assigned a leader. This experienced BV is the main point of contact with the Morgridge Center staff and the community partner site liaison. In order to serve as a Leader, you must have completed at least one previous semester with the Badger Volunteers program. BV Leaders volunteer weekly with their teams, track weekly team attendance, coordinate transportation, and support and guide BVs in engaging with and problem solving at their site.
Note: While BV is remote, members of the BV Executive Board will act as BV Leaders.
The Badger Volunteers Executive Board is a group of Badger Volunteers that support the program in an expanded and dedicated role. Students engage in a heightened leadership position and serve as a student voice to help guide decisions, generate ideas, and provide feedback for the program. The group also supports program operations such as leading orientations, providing peer support, as well as planning educational components, socials, and media content. Click here to see the current Executive Board members.
Executive Board applications open in the spring, and the appointment is for an entire academic year, with an option to renew. Those eligible include:
- Have previously been a Badger Volunteer
- Attended an additional education session or workshop, and one social in their last semester of service
- Plan to continue to serve the community via Badger Volunteers
Badger Volunteers has relationships with over 80 community organizations in the fields of education, public health and sustainability.
Click here to see our community partners.
Badger Volunteers Summer 2021
Timeline and Registration
Badger Volunteers will remain virtual for our summer program and return to in-person, team-based volunteering for the Fall 2021 semester. For students interested in participating in summer BV, please fill out this interest form.
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Important Dates
Registration opens for returning volunteers — 5/24
Registration opens for new volunteers — 5/25
Registration closes — 6/6
Orientation week — 6/7 – 6/11
Volunteering begins — 6/14
Volunteering ends — 8/6
Badger Volunteers Celebration — 8/12
How to Register and Use the Dashboard
If you are new to Badger Volunteers, please create a profile before registration opens to ensure you are able to register right away. If you are a returning Badger Volunteer who has used the dashboard, you do not need to do anything prior to registration opening on January 25 for returning BVs.
When registration opens, each volunteer site on the online listing of opportunities will have a “volunteer on this team” button. Click this button and it will prompt you to register. You will then receive an automated email with more details and expectations.
Registration accommodates those on first come, first serve basis. Volunteer opportunities fill up very quickly, so register as soon as possible!
Orientation
All Badger Volunteers are required to attend an orientation prior to volunteering. Sign up for an orientation time here.
Link to this semester’s orientation slides.
Education Components
BVs are required to attend one education session and one workshop. Education sessions are one-hour presentations and discussions that deepen the context of your service in one of BV’s focus areas: education, public health, and sustainability.
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Education Session Themes
Workshops focus on themes of identity development, intersectionality, anti-oppression, asset-based community development and pathways of civic engagement.
How to Register and Attend Internal Sessions
Internal sessions are planned by the BV executive board. You can register for internal education components via the Master Google Sheet that is sent out in the fifth week of the semester.
Your attendance will be tracked via the education component Google reflection form you will submit at the end of the session.
About External Sessions
If internal sessions don’t work within your schedule, you can take advantage of the many external opportunities on campus and in the community. If you are unsure an external education session or workshop will count, please send a description of the event to the BV Educational Programming Intern at bved@morgridge.wisc.edu.
We track external education session attendance via the education component Google reflection form. This form is used for both internal and external education component attendance and reflection.
More Information and FAQs
Connect
The BV Executive Board plans social events for Badger Volunteers to connect. We hope to see you at our upcoming social!
Contact
Contact Badger Volunteers Coordinator Anya Piotrowski
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History of Badger Volunteers
Check out our Badger Volunteers 10-Year Yearbook or watch “Celebrating 10 Years of Badger Volunteers”
Can I Volunteer for More Than One Site in a Semester?
Yes, however we strongly encourage you to make sure you can keep multiple commitments for the entire semester.
Keep in mind each volunteer opportunity has a cap on capacity. If you are interested in that opportunity but the capacity is full, you are welcome to join the waitlist and we will let you know by the end of registration if there is room.
We encourage students who join a waitlist to also register for a second-choice opportunity in case they don’t get their first choice.
How do I get to my Community Partner Site?
Badger Volunteers provides logistical support, including transportation. BVs can walk, use their ASM-provided city bus pass, or sign up for a BCycle membership paid for by BV.
If a community partner site is over a 35-minute bus ride, BV has previously provided transportation via Lyft, ZipCar, Union Cab, and UW fleet vehicles. BV Leaders are responsible for determining their team’s transportation methods. Please note, the time listed for volunteer hours does not account for transportation to and from the site. Make sure your schedule can accommodate extra time before and after volunteering.
If you are volunteering virtually this semester, work with your community partner to access the appropriate web tools to complete your service. Please contact Badger Volunteers Coordinator Anya Piotrowski if you need additional accommodations or have access issues.
What Happens if I Fail to Adhere to Volunteer Expectations?
Community partners rely on Badger Volunteers to serve as dedicated, responsible and engaged volunteers. Failing to meet any of the following expectations will prohibit a volunteer for participating in the program the following semester:
- Missing more than two volunteer sessions
- Dropping out of the program mid-semester
- Failing to complete an education session or workshop
What if I couldn’t join Badger Volunteers this semester?
No worries! The Morgridge Center has peer advisors who will help connect you to other volunteer opportunities that match your interests.
You can also sign up to receive Morgridge Mail, our weekly e-newsletter which includes volunteer opportunities, events, jobs and internships.
Badger Volunteers is generously supported by UW–Madison Facilities Planning & Management