Volunteers from the NIU family come together every spring to thank members of the university community for their support of the institution and its mission.
NIU Cares Day, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, benefits DeKalb County’s not-for-profit organizations and community agencies through planting, painting, cleaning, sorting, assisting with events and various other tasks.
Volunteers receive transportation (if needed), T-shirts and snacks before heading to the project sites.
For more information, call (815) 753-1421 or email niucaresday@niu.edu.
NIU Cares Day Registration
Each year, NIU Cares Day volunteer registration occurs in waves, starting with Team Leader registration in February and Team Member/Individual registration in March. Online registration begins Tuesday, March 1.
Pre-registration is required. No on-site registration will be available the day of the event. Registration is open to the first 900 volunteers who sign up.
Registering as an Individual (not under a team name)
Individuals who would like to participate in NIU Cares Day alone and not with a team are more than welcome to register for the event. This is a great way to meet new people and make connections with the community.
Registering with a Team
President Baker bags leaves during NIU Cares Day 2015.
For a team to participate in NIU Cares Day, the team leader must attend a MANDATORY orientation session. The team leader is the leader and primary contact person for the team.
At this orientation session, team leaders will receive information on NIU Cares Day policies and have an opportunity to register their team names. If a team leader does not attend an orientation session, he or she will not be able to register the team’s name; therefore, the team will not appear in the drop-down menu of the registration system.
After the designated team leader attends orientation and registers the team name, members of that team can register online with their group starting March 1.
Teams should consist of a maximum of 12 members (there is no minimum), including the team leader. EACH TEAM MEMBER MUST REGISTER INDIVIDUALLY. Team leaders are not allowed to register their teammates.
Some team ideas include student organizations, residence hall floor mates, study group, a group of friends, a carpool crew or co-workers.
Team Leader Orientation Sessions
Individuals can only sign up as a Team Leader for ONE team; someone cannot be a team leader for multiple teams. It is not required during orientation to know the names of all participating team members.
The team leader must attend one of these orientation sessions:
- Monday, Feb. 1, 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.
- Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2 p.m.
- Thursday, Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m.
All take place in Room 100 of the Campus Life Building. There are no makeup dates.
