The University of Memphis has entered into an official partnership with Volunteer Odyssey as the University’s official service partner. Volunteer Odyssey, a Memphis-based one stop shop for meaningful volunteer opportunities in the city, will allow the University to provide vetted service opportunities to students that contribute to real community needs.
In February 2017 Dr. Sarah Petschonek, a four-time UofM alum and founder and CEO of Volunteer Odyssey, unveiled a city-wide volunteer engagement platform, VolunteerCompass. This platform is a comprehensive volunteer management system that houses volunteer information for individuals, nonprofits and businesses to mobilize and match volunteers with opportunities for Memphis organizations and track volunteer data in real time.
“The partnership between the University of Memphis and Volunteer Odyssey is a tremendous strategic advantage for our entire community. Through targeted volunteering, we can better equip our nonprofits to tackle social issues while also enriching the lives of the University’s students.” – Dr. Sarah Petschonek, Found and CEO of Volunteer Odyssey
VolunteerCompass provides an easy way for students, student organizations and campus partners to find volunteer opportunities that match their skills and interests, and for nonprofits to recruit student volunteers. Students can instantly reflect on their experience while keeping a verified record of their service experience. Ultimately, the University of Memphis will utilize this partnership to better connect its students to the community, increase volunteer capacity, and make Memphis a truly hands-on, philanthropic community.
“We consider ourselves the University of and for Memphis. This partnership is an outstanding example of our university’s commitment to helping the city of Memphis thrive.” – Dr. M. David Rudd, University of Memphis President
About University of Memphis, Student Leadership & Involvement
The Student Leadership & Involvement staff seek to engage students in promoting positive social change through transformative learning, community engagement and leadership development. Staff members engage thousands of students in experiential and community-based learning to foster socially responsible leadership throughout the university and greater Memphis community. As a result of the Volunteer Odyssey partnership, dialogues, classrooms, relationships, and learning environments will have increased opportunities to share perspectives, ask critical questions, and engage meaningfully with the entire Memphis community.
About Volunteer Odyssey
Volunteer Odyssey was founded by Dr. Sarah Petschonek in 2013 with the mission to develop a pathway to volunteering that enriches the lives and communities within Memphis. The corporation launched the country’s first virtual volunteer fair, called Volio, and supplies volunteers to more than 50 nonprofits in the Memphis area. For more information, please visit volunteerodyssey.com and follow Volunteer Odyssey on facebook.com/VolunteerOdyssey/.
