Proposal

• The Non-Profit Internship and Post-Grad Volunteer Fair •

Event Team:

Catherine Conway
Cconway18@jcu.edu

Allie Lalli
Client: Alalli19@jcu.edu

Julie Myers Laura Matteo
jmyers@jcu.edu Lmatteo18@jcu.edu

Molly McNeeley
Mmcneeley18@jcu.edu

Liz Polomsky
Epolomsky18@jcu.edu

Emma Schapp
Eschapp18@jcu.edu



Date/Time/Venue

The Non-Profit Internship and Post-Grad Volunteer Fair will take place on Monday, October
23rd from 5:30-8:00pm. Additionally, there will be a dinner for the recruiters from 3:00-5:30.
Set-up for the event will start around 2:00 and clean-up will end around 9:00pm. It will take
place on campus at John Carroll University in Murphy and LSC conference rooms.



Summary of Event Objectives

The main goal of the fair is to expose students to the opportunities that exist in the non-profit
organization and volunteerism fields. Seniors who are graduating can look into committing time
after graduation to a year of service. Underclassmen who have an interest in non-profit
organizations can look into interning for one of these institutions. Students will have the
opportunity to interact with many different agencies in order to grow a relationship with them
as well as learn of the benefits these internships and volunteer opportunities have to offer.
 Summary of Expected Outcomes

In the past, this event has been attended by approximately 60-80 students. During the 2017-
2018 academic year, there are 13 students doing a year of service with organizations
represented at the Post-Graduate Service Fair. This year, with the addition of the non-profit
internships, it is expected that attendance will increase to 100-120 students, which will then
lead to increased enrollment in post-graduate service programs and non-profit internships that
support John Carroll’s values of social justice and service. Along with increasing attendance, we
are hoping to increase student engagement with the recruiters.
 Target Audience

This year’s expansion of the Post-Graduate Service Fair to also include a Non-Profit Internship
Fair has created an expanded target audience. Students who attend this event will be from all
grade levels; year of service programs are targeted specifically for seniors, but all grade levels
can take part in the internships available. There will be recruiters and programs that apply to a
number of different majors, specifically all levels of Education, Sociology, and Peace, Justice,
and Human Rights. Still, people of all majors participate in these service or non-profit programs.
The people who attend this event will likely be involved in CSSA weekly service, Campus
Ministry and Immersion experiences, Students for Social Justice, Labre, and other programs
working with children.
 Research and Resource Considerations

Behind every event there is research involved that helps planners to form a better
understanding of their main objectives and what type of strategies would be best in order to
meet them. Researching different trends within our target audience and applying them to
planning strategies could be helpful to attract more students. Non-profit / volunteer fairs are
not uncommon, so it is helpful to research suggestions and tips for running a successful event
that will make it stand out to students. John Carroll provides personal reflections on post-grad
service that would be useful to advertise to interested students. This could show how beneficial
the experience is and all around look good for the program as a whole. Another consideration is
to view other school's non-profit functions to form and include new ideas in the event planning.
It is also important to research and recognize the different resources available that would be
beneficial to utilize throughout the event. In order to get the word out about the fair, using the
John Carroll news would be a great resource that will not only get the word out but is also easily
accessible. Including advertisements in the newspapers, radio and promoting the event
throughout campus could be beneficial towards increasing our awareness and attendance
rates. John Carroll also offers a lot of non-profit resources that help with funding and marketing
that should be considered.
 Budget

Total – Around $800 from Campus Ministry only

o Hoping to receive more and split with the other organizations
• Ready to cover the other expenses if we go over
o Marketing Materials - $50
o Food and Beverages - $600
• Special dinner
• Cookies for visitors
• Drinks for visitors
o Games and other activities for visitor engagement - $40
 Division of Responsibilities

o Research & book venue: Molly

o Research & book entertainment, speaker, etc.: Liz
o Research & book catering & food service (if not provided through venue): Emma
o Venue decorations: Catherine
o Create & distribute marketing/promotional materials: Allie
o Risk management: Molly, Liz, Emma, Catherine, Laura, Allie -- it’s important for all team
members to understand & be aware of safety procedures, liabilities, etc.
o Representative to communicate primarily with the client: Laura
 Client Communication Plan and
Schedule
September 25th - October 1st
o Weekly status meeting (in person or conference call): discuss accomplishments,
issues, progress for the week, etc.
o Status report: written report on progress of event materials, resources, etc. to be
emailed to team and client by 5:00pm on Friday

October 2nd - 8th
o Weekly status meeting (in person or conference call): discuss accomplishments,
issues, progress for the week, etc.
o Status report: written report on progress of event materials, resources, etc. to be
emailed to team and client by 5:00pm on Friday

October 9th - 15th
o Weekly status meeting (in person or conference call): discuss accomplishments,
issues, progress for the week, etc.
o Status report: written report on progress of event materials, resources, etc. to be
emailed to team and client by 5:00pm on Friday

October 16th - 22nd
o Weekly status meeting (in person or conference call): discuss accomplishments,
issues, progress for the week, etc.
o Status report: written report on progress of event materials, resources, etc. to be
emailed to team and client by 5:00pm on Friday

October 23rd - 25th (event date)
o Weekly status meeting (in person or conference call): review status of the project -
are there last minute tasks, problems, anticipated issues, etc.
o Team meeting (in person or conference call, if necessary): review plan for the event
 Timeline

September
During the month of September, we will continue to brainstorm and meet with Julie in order to
finalize ideas and details regarding the Post-Grad Volunteer and Non-Profit Internship Fair. One
month out, Julie will send an email reminder to the original list from last year reminding them
to sign up for the event. We will answer questions from organizations and students as they
arise. In September, we will check the Campus Ministry Conference Room closet for the
professional sign that will be hung in the Student Atrium. Due to the change in the event’s
name, we may need to get a new sign so it is important we look early enough to purchase a
new one if need be. We will continually update the event’s webpage to make sure the
organizations attending and parking information is up to date. We will send save the dates to
the Center for Service and Social Action as well as Career Services. We will reach out to
Financial Aid to see if they will be sending someone to be present at the event or just send
materials for interested students. Throughout the month of September, we will look up
different John Carroll classes that may be willing to have us come talk to students, or who
would be willing to mention it in class. We will brainstorm an incentive to get students to
attend and engage with recruiters during the actually event. We will create a PowerPoint that
has pictures of Post-Graduate volunteer work and students participating in non-profit
internships. We will highlight the various organizations coming to the fair, as well as JCU
students that have participated in them. Additionally, we will design promotional flyers and
materials that will be hung around campus and in residence halls the weeks prior to the fair.

3 weeks prior to Fair
Three weeks prior to the fair we will focus on increasing campus awareness about our
event! We will craft notices for InsideJCU, the Campus Ministry eBulletin, and the CSSA
newsletter to send out to students. We will include current info and the link to the
webpage. We will also submit a promotion request for Lobovision in the atrium and hang flyers
in various places on campus. A Facebook event will be created through the Campus Ministry
Facebook page that we can invite students to the Post-Grad Volunteer and Non-Profit
Internship Fair. Additionally, we will make other universities aware of our event. We will send
flyers and invites to Ursuline College, Notre Dame College, and Case Western Reserve. Three
weeks prior to the fair we will submit the catering order for the recruiters dinner and make
them aware that it should be ready by 3:30pm and cleaned up around 7:30pm. We will also ask
Career Services to bring their poles and stands for the name signs behind each table. We will
reach out to Campus Ministry staff, resident ministers, and work study students to volunteer
the day of the event. Beginning three weeks prior to the fair, we will promote the event at the
table outside of the CSSA office with candy and flyers. Our group will also contact Patti Taylor
about event parking information and receive passes for recruiters to put on their cars the night
of the event.

2 weeks prior to Fair
Two weeks prior to the fair, with Julie’s assistance we will update the chart and handouts for
the fair using previous years and update. We will send targeted emails to different groups on
campus that may be interested in this event. This will include immersion participants, students
who have participated in service through CSSA, Arrupe Scholars students, Peace Justice Human
Rights students, and other service lists. We will hang the professional banner in the atrium of
the Student Center. We will order refreshments for LSC for about 90 people to be available by
5:15pm the evening of the event. If we choose to order refreshments from a local bakery, we
will ask for an exemption from Aramark two weeks prior to the fair. We will confirm the room
setup diagram and give the completed diagram to Rory Hill. Two weeks prior we will confirm
volunteers from CSSA and Career Services and find a photographer for the event. We will also
email Career Services the list of organizations so they can create and update name signs for the
table.

1 week prior to Fair
One week before the fair, we will send reminder emails to Ursuline, Notre Dame and Case. We
will also email all recruiters with directions and reminders. We will create a sign in sheet for the
organizations; we will use this to initial when they have arrived and use it as a way to see who
registered and did not come. We will also create a sign in slip for student
attendees. Directional signs will be created for the day of fair to lead recruiters from the Belvior
lot to the Murphy and LSC Rooms. The week prior we will make an announcement at mass to
encourage students to come. We will also email professors reminders to share the details with
their classes. We will reach out to the Education faculty specifically to encourage them to send
students - many organizations deal with education! We will confirm numbers with catering for
the recruiter dinner. One week prior we will update the map and chart as needed and print
them. We will also print the recruiter sign in sheet to leave in the Campus Ministry Conference
Room.

Week of Fair
The week of the fair, it will be crucial to make sure all of our supplies and volunteers are in
place. Supplies that we need to make sure we have are plastic bags for students collecting
flyers and brochures, pens, sign in sheets, RESPONSE books, room maps, and name tags. We
will send a reminder email to our volunteers the week before the event. Most importantly, it is
important to remind students! We will send an email reminder to all students, especially
juniors and seniors.



Day of Fair
Before 3:00pm: The time before 3:00pm the day of the fair is for double checking details and
setting up the Murphy and LSC Rooms. We will double check the physical room setup and
make changes if we feel they are needed. The organization signs will need to be placed behind
each table and arrow signs will need to be hung to lead visitors from the Belvoir Lot to the
Murphy and LSC Rooms. The Campus Ministry Conference Room will need to be cleaned and
prepared for dinner. We will also set up a sign in table in the Murphy Room, make sure the
PowerPoint is ready, RESPONSE catalogues are out, and the table with Financial Aid handouts is
set up. We will also set up tables for any groups or organizations that cannot be in
attendance. We will need several students from our class to help in setting up the event before
3:00pm.

3:00-5:30pm: Right before the fair, recruiters are welcomed to the Campus Ministry Conference
Room for a buffet dinner through catering. We need to make sure this is set up and going
smoothly. Recruiters are welcomed to use this space throughout the event to get food and
beverages. We will greet and host the recruiters as they arrive to campus. Students from our
class will be needed to greet and assist in carrying recruiters supplies from their cars to the
building. Refreshments will be set up in the LSC Room during this time. Additionally, there will
be a greeting table so we will need to make sure that is set up and staffed during this time. The
greeting table will hand out maps, charts, the RESPONSE book, bags and name tags.

5:30-8:00pm: For the duration of the fair, we will be in attendance. We will check in with
students and recruiters and assist with anything that comes up during this time. It will be our
goal to introduce and connect people in order to make students feel comfortable.

8:00-9:00pm: Immediately following the event will be clean up! During this time we will take
down signs and help all recruiters carry their items back to their cars. A portion of our class
members will be needed during this time to assist in clean up.

Up to one week after Fair
After the fair we will be responsible for following up with all participants in the event. We will
send out thank yous and evaluations to all Post-Grad volunteer work and non-profit internship
recruiters. Additionally, we will send out thank yous to all of the volunteers including those in
CSSA and the Career Center, Campus Ministry work study students, and the members of our
class that are able to assist in the event. A thank you will be sent out to all of the students who
attended our event. This will include the links to all recruiters’ websites.