There are many ways to get involved through volunteering, from one-off activities to committing to longer-term volunteering roles. One thing all alumni volunteers have in common is the willingness and enthusiasm to help Cranfield's staff, students, prospective students and alumni.

Anything you can do is appreciated, no matter how big or small. For example, you can support us by sharing our social media posts, listing us on your LinkedIn Profile, talking about your Cranfield experience to colleagues, friends and in any media interviews, or visiting campus for one of our events.

Your time to get involved 

Volunteering is a great way to stay connected with Cranfield while learning new skills and making a difference. There are over 50 ways to get involved, explore some of the opportunities below.

Share your expertise

Could you share your expertise and knowledge with Cranfield staff, students and alumni? 

The expert advice you can offer Cranfield by sitting on our governing bodies, guest lecturing, or speaking at events can help shape the future of Cranfield, future business leaders, academics, researchers and professionals.

Alumni are currently volunteering by:

  • Sitting on a School, Department or Course Advisory Board.
  • Becoming a School of Management Alumni President or Vice-President, and sitting on the School of Management International Advisory Board.
  • Guest lecturing on our programmes or as part of the Executive in Residence Programme.
  • Speaking at events, such as our  Alumni reunions.

Inspire our students

Students gain enormously from the input of alumni both during their studies and after they leave. Students gain enormously from listening to alumni speak, and getting the chance to build relationships that could lead to jobs and internships.

You could be involved in:

  • Speaking at a student-led event.
  • Speaking to students as part of their course.
  • Judging student competitions and providing feedback.

Cranfield's Career Development Service works with volunteers to help our students and alumni achieve the most from their careers. There are lots of ways that you can get involved in aspects of their work, for instance:

  • Provide a student project (MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain).
  • Provide an internship for an MSc Management student.
  • Speak at a Cranfield Careers event.
  • Represent your company at a Cranfield careers fair.
  • Recruit Cranfield students and alumni.
  • Become a recruitment champion for your organisation.
  • Support our MBA mock interview programme.
  • Host an information session or recruitment presentation evening.
  • Host a careers workshop.

Support student recruitment and build our brand

By being a Cranfield advocate and speaking to students and potential students, you can make a real difference and inspire the next generation of Cranfield students. In fact, many of our students say that it was speaking to Cranfield alumni that made them choose Cranfield.

Alumni who inspire prospective students help us bring in the most talented students on our programmes and as a result enhance Cranfield’s international reputation and brand. Attracting and educating the brightest students here at Cranfield also helps enhance our reputation and expertise in our areas of specialism, so that future generations can benefit as you did. You could volunteer by:

  • Referring a student.
  • Providing a testimonial on your programme.
  • Attending a student recruitment fair in or outside the UK.
  • Attending an MBA Preview Day or University Open Day and meeting with prospective students.

Grow the alumni network

Alumni volunteers are vital in growing an active, engaged and dynamic alumni body. There are many ways alumni can assist with expanding our communities around the world and in doing so, widen their own networks.

Over 67,000 alumni call more than 169 countries home, so we rely on the support of volunteers to keep local communities engaged and active so that all of our alumni gain the maximum benefit from being a part of the network. You can help grow the alumni network by volunteering to:

  • Providing a testimonial or where are you now profile.
  • Becoming a School of Management Year Representative for a class.
  • Joining an international community or lead a new international community.
  • Organising events or a reunion.
  • Becoming a UK regional volunteer.
  • Sharing your success for our monthly roundup or feature article.
  • Speaking at an alumni event.
  • Being profiled in a Cranfield publication

Organise a class reunion

We are keen to help alumni stay in touch with each other after they have graduated from Cranfield. Not only do reunions provide the opportunity for classmates to reconnect with each other but they can lead to new business or career opportunities, new chances to learn and new perspectives.

Our events and volunteering team can provide advice and support through the planning process, and help you by promoting your event on the alumni portal and in our monthly events bulletin. 

Write a testimonial or tell us where are you now

Testimonials and profiles about where you are now are an invaluable resource for prospective and future students. We're looking to increase the number of testimonials profiles provided by alumni to help students and fellow alumni understand where their programme at Cranfield can take them, and inspire them.  We use these examples in our marketing materials.

We are looking for testimonials that cover a range of areas, for example:

  • Were you a recipient of a scholarship or bursary?
  • Have you volunteered at an event?
  • Have you had an alumni volunteer help you at an event?
  • Are you involved in growing the alumni network?
  • Why did you choose your programme at Cranfield?
  • What did you get from your programme at Cranfield?

If you would like to submit a testimonial, our testimonial form can be found here.

We will publish profiles on our alumni portal for fellow alumni to see. If you would like to submit a profile, all you need to do is answer our questions on the 'Where are you now' form and submit a head and shoulders photo of you. The questions cover areas such as a summary of your career to date, insight into what your job involves and the skills you are using, as well as some tips for those who are interested in entering your industry or sector. 

Get in touch by emailing alumni@cranfield.ac.uk or call +44(0)1234 754456.