There are countless volunteering opportunities in the Tufts community, usually thanks to the Leonard Carmichael Society. Our Campus Celebrity this week, however, has found a way to mix volunteering with his career goals. Senior Dan MacLeod works with the Irish International Immigrant Center (that’s a mouthful) to bring more awareness and more fundraising dollars to the Boston-based NGO.
Name: Daniel MacLeod
Class Year: 2012
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Chevy Chase, MD
What is the IIIC?
The Irish International Immigrant center is an immigration center that serves people from over 100 countries around the world. All of their services are free, and they offer everything from a full range of legal services, to English classes and computer skills training, to community building. It’s basically a one stop shop for anyone from anywhere… they were founded as an Irish center, but obviously most of their clients are now from other countries.
What do you do with the IIIC?
I’m the Imaginet account manager working directly with Ronnie Millar, the deputy director at the IIIC. I basically figure out what marketing help the IIIC needs, and organize all of the events/consulting.
How did you get involved with this project?
To be honest, it couldn’t have been more random! I went to my first Imaginet meeting ever in September, where I learned they needed an extra person to compete in Future M’s “College Faceoff” competition. I volunteered to compete with them, and we were paired with the IIIC. We didn’t win, but Ronnie loved our ideas, so we got the account! I applied to be account manager, and here we are.
What have you done with the IIIC so far?
I think our most helpful contribution was the social media consulting we did since the immigration center just made their Facebook a few months ago and started a Twitter account about a month ago. There are tons of small changes that improve a Facebook page and the quality of posts, and with an NGO, Facebook is one of the more powerful tools to connect with donors and volunteers.
We also conducted market research for donor outreach, client outreach, and targeted fundraising demographics. We shot video for a marketing campaign (in progress), and created a mock photo campaign that may be put into action in the future.
Lastly, we raised over $100 with an international bake sale… it’s not much money, but it’s nice to complete something tangible too.
What is your goal with the IIIC?
Follow through with our social media suggestions and have the IIIC implement them fully!
Where can we find out more information about the IIIC?
IIICenter.org. More importantly, like them (Irish International Immigrant Center) on Facebook!
What can the Tufts community do to get more involved?
Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @iiicenter :D
What’s your plan for life after Tufts?
The short answer: get a job. I’m still working on the long answer, but hopefully doing something in marketing.