From the Nominator

Stanford Alumni Association’s VolCon is a reimagined two-day volunteer conference connecting alumni volunteers from three distinct programs. VolCon offers stewardship experiences, role training, and opportunities for networking. This consolidated volunteer experience replaced multiple standalone training/stewardship events; it was developed in response to budget cuts and a desire to create more community and a stronger volunteer leadership pipeline. The inaugural SAA VolCon, held February 7-8, 2025, welcomed about 150 alumni volunteers from three programs: club leaders, reunion leaders, and class correspondents (responsible for STANFORD Magazine class notes). Day one included universal programming, uniting all attendees for faculty and administration speakers, entertainment, networking, and idea-sharing. Day two focused on training and allowing volunteers to hear from staff and each other. Reaction was overwhelmingly positive with a record Net Promoter Score of 83. Volunteers embraced the opportunity to connect with and learn from peers across SAA programs, explore new ideas, and reengage with Stanford. The reimagined event allowed SAA to consolidate staff time and resources and generate new excitement among alumni volunteers.

From the Judges

This initiative demonstrated a creative and highly collaborative approach to volunteer engagement by consolidating multiple alumni volunteer programs into one conference experience. Judges appreciated the program’s strong focus on community-building, cross-cohort networking, and leadership development, as well as improvements to operational efficiency and the reduction of duplicate efforts. VolCon delivered outstanding participant satisfaction, meaningful peer learning opportunities, and thoughtful stewardship experiences that strengthened alumni connection to Stanford. The program offers a strong and scalable model for institutions seeking to streamline volunteer training.