Student Organization Leaders
Student organizations are an important partner in service at Stanford, providing students with meaningful opportunities to work on issues they care about and gain leadership skills.
If you are a student service organization leader, Cardinal Service offers you:
- Recruiting opportunities for your organization, through the Cardinal Service fair and other events
- Support through the Cardinal Commitment advising team
- Resources such as meeting space, transportation options, and small grants for events and projects
Resources
Individual students and registered Cardinal Commitment student organizations have access to resources to support their service work.
Advising
Working with our campus partner, OSE (formerly SAL) and other offices, such as the Community Centers, Cardinal Commitment can help with all kinds of advising needs:
- Transactional: how to organize an event, recruit new members, or secure funding
- Transformational: how to do better public service, to make a greater impact, networking with experts in the field, etc.
Contact the Cardinal Commitment team
Funding
Cardinal Commitment provides three types of grants: General, event co-sponsorship, and transportation. Any grants must adhere to the Cardinal Commitment Funding Guidelines.
Cardinal Commitment grants
Grants up to $500 are available for:
- Individual students actively making a Cardinal Commitment
- Registered Cardinal Commitment student organizations, in order to support students making a Cardinal Commitment
- OSE- or ASSU-recognized student organizations, in order to support activities not covered by ASSU or The Stanford Fund
Event co-sponsorship
Cardinal Commitment co-sponsorship
Cardinal Commitment will co-sponsor one student organization event a week throughout fall, winter, and spring quarters. Co-sponsored events can get funding up to $500, help with publicity, and event organizing.
Contact the Cardinal Commitment team to request support or for more information.
Haas Center co-sponsorship
For a more significant level of support, student organizations can request Haas Center co-sponsorship for an event that aligns with its mission: to realize a just and sustainable world through service, scholarship, and community partnerships. Co-sponsored events can get funding, help with publicity, and event organizing.
Requests must be made a minimum of 30 days in advance of the event. For events with significant funding needs, requests should be made a year in advance.
Contact the Haas Center outreach team for more information.
Transportation
Transportation to and from your service location may be eligible for reimbursement or funding through the Haas Center.
Request transportation funding
- Public transportation and fuel costs are funded through personal reimbursements.
- Uber: If your request is accepted, you will receive an email from uber@uber.com. Click "Get Started" and enter information associated with your personal Uber account (if you don't have an Uber account, click "Create New Account"). Once linked and you're ready to book a ride, toggle to "Haas Center for Public Service" payment method before confirming your ride (you will pay for any tip you give the driver).
- Zipcar: If your request is accepted, you will receive an email with a link to sign up for an account. If you are new to Zipcar, there is typically a 3-7 day wait until Zipcar approves you as a driver (if you've already driven with Zipcar before, you can start driving immediately). Once you are approved, you can reserve cars for the times you requested in the grant.
Training
Workshops
Explore new forms of service, reflect on your experiences, discuss critical issues in public service, and build skills to serve more ethically and effectively. Examples of workshop topics:
- Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service
- Working with Minors
- How to Start a Nonprofit
- Scaling Social Impact
- Choosing a Medical Relief Trip
- Write a Thesis, Change the World
For up-to-date news on workshops, sign up for the weekly Cardinal Service Digest.
Custom Training
The Haas Center can work with registered student organizations to develop trainings (minimum 10 people) that can help them better engage in their work. Topics include (but are not limited to):
- Service projects and community partnerships
- Delegation and meeting facilitation
- Building diverse and inclusive organizations
- Mentoring, tutoring, and teaching youth
- Leadership transitions
- Reflecting on a service experience
- Group decisions, conflict resolution, and difficult conversations
- Uncovering your strengths
- Developing a strategic plan
- Measuring your impact
- Effective lesson planning and facilitation
- Training volunteers
Working with Minors Training
All students participating in public service that engages with youth are required to complete the Working with Minors training, WWM-1000, in STARS. This training is required for organizations that are planning a one-time event with youth participation, as well as for organizations that work with youth in an on-going capacity. The training is web-based and can be completed on your schedule. Please go to STARS within Axess and search for WWM-1000.
Visit the Working with Minors page
Haas Center Resources
The Haas Center for Public Service offers resources to all student groups, including Cardinal Commitment organizations.
- Meeting space
- Storage space
- Copiers
- Promotional email list
- Activity toolkits
- Office and craft supplies
- Button maker
- Receiving mail