Special Projects

Disaster Relief, Charity Drives, and Raising Funds for Partnering Organizations

Student organizations should exercise care and intention when selecting a beneficiary or partnering organization. For 501c (3) organizations, this includes confirming the recipient's charitable status through the IRS, reviewing non-profit reports through a resource such as GuideStar, and researching any recent news stories related to the organization and its leadership.

Student organizations are responsible for accurately representing charities or beneficiaries they work with to donors who wish to contribute.

  • Disaster Relief

    Historically, the most successful relief efforts on campus are collaborations between student organizations and Harvard offices, departments, and centers. The Student Engagement Team serves as a point of connection for student organization leaders and the broader College and University community. If your organization is interested in taking part in disaster relief efforts, contact the SOCH team , at soch@fas.harvard.edu

  • Charity Drives

    Collection of cash is discouraged: instruct donors to donate directly (online, via text, etc.) or to write checks payable to the agency with which you are partnering.

    For drives that include collections of goods or materials, you must first obtain permission from the building supervisor at your drop-off location. For the Houses, contact the House Administrator and Building Manager, and for the Yard contact Yard Operations. Be sure to establish a pick-up date and get appropriate permissions for parking from the House or University Operations for Harvard Yard.

    Charity drives and the collection of goods can be highly effective on a residential campus when planned appropriately. Groups should collaborate with an established charity or relief agency that is prepared to receive and distribute the collected goods on a specific timeline.