Library: Student Civic and Community Engagement: Student Organizations

Engage in campus life and in the community.

You are learning valuable leadership skills during your time in college. A great way to continue growing in this area is by joining or establishing a student organization and commit to engaging and leading within that organization!

Buffalo State University Student Organizations

If you would like to connect with a student organization on campus committed to serving our community, check out our recommended list!

Best Buddies
Best Buddies International is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Miami, FL with offices across the country and world, and over 1500 chapters worldwide. The mission of Best Buddies is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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bestbuddiesbsc@gmail.com
Circle K Club
NOTE: Circle K Club is currently inactive. If you are interested in reactivating this organization, please contact Student Leadership and Engagement.

Circle K Club believes in service, leadership, and fellowship. Circle K Club participates in a variety of service activities around the community and attending conferences all throughout the year. We have participated with The Ronald McDonald House of Charities, the Boys and Girls Club, and raised money for many different foundations. If students were part of Key Club in high school, this organization is the next level after that.
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buffalostatecki@gmail.com
Rotaract Club
NOTE: Rotaract Club is currently inactive. If you are interested in reactivating this organization, please contact Student Leadership and Engagement.

Rotaract Club at SUNY College at Buffalo is a community service-based organization that helps unite students who share a passion for getting involved. As a sub-organization of the Amherst South Rotary Club of Buffalo, we are committed to providing community and international services, all while meeting new people, enhancing our professional skills, and having fun!
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Rotaractclub@mail.buffalostate.edu
Student Civic Leadership Board
Student Civic Leadership Board members are students who care about issues facing our communities and our world, have demonstrated ways in which they have worked towards change, and want to continue to address critical community issues such as poverty, hunger, homelessness, climate change, diversity and inclusion, equity, and access to education. Our goals and activities include learning about and addressing social and environmental issues in our world, developing activities to engage the campus community in addressing those issues, and building community and connections on campus and within the WNY region.
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cce@buffalostate.edu
716-878-3919
Student Philanthropy Council
Our mission is to inspire a spirited culture of giving. Every gift is valued. It is not the amount, but rather the collective power gifts have to change lives at Buffalo State! The Student Philanthropy Council raises funds that allow current and future students to benefit from all that Buffalo State has to offer. We raise funds that support special student-selected and student-driven philanthropy projects.
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studentphilanthropy@mail.buffalostate.edu
716-878-3725

Greek Life at Buffalo State University

Many Greek organizations are involved in community service and philanthropic work. Some organizations are local while others are part of a national or international organization. Please check out Student Leadership and Engagement to view the List of Greek Organizations at Buffalo State College!

Greek President's Council
The purpose of the Greek President’s Council shall be to represent, advocate, and promote cooperation, and further the interests and welfare of the fraternity and sorority community as well as to promote the ideas of brotherhood and sisterhood in the workings of each individual organization.

Also, the purpose of the Greek President’s Council is to produce Greek members who are active leaders on the campus, role models for other students, are academically successful and engaged in activities that contribute to the positive reputation of the college.

Mission Statement:

The Greek President’s Council mission is to provide guidance and support to Buffalo State’s recognized Greek organizations so that the members of the Greek community are engaged members of the Buffalo State College community who support the mission and goals of the college.

Vision Statement:

The Greek President’s Council will be the central unifying organization of all recognized Greek organizations on campus. The Greek President’s Council will also support the Mission, Vision and Core Values of Buffalo State College, in general, and specifically the Mission and Vision of each recognized Greek organization. Additionally, the Greek President’s Council will promote and foster inter-organizational and intra-organizational collaborations, as well as foster positive relationships with the Buffalo State College student body.
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Contact Email: ga-rinehasm01@buffalostate.edu

Regional Organizations

ConnectLife
ConnectLife Club - Inspiring a future generation of community lifesavers! Our worlds all look different this school year. Whether you are in-person, hybrid, or 100% virtual, ConnectLife can continue to be a resource for educators. Our ongoing goal is to inspire the young people of our community to become the next generation of lifesavers. Our work with high schools and ConnectLife Clubs will look very different than they have in the past. This school year our goal is to provide turnkey educational offerings for students of all ages in the areas of biology, anatomy and body systems, civic engagement, marketing and communications, and service and leadership. We aim to continue to work with teacher advisors to facilitate ConnectLife Club initiatives in a format that makes sense for the reality of our new world.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.

National and International Organizations

Active Minds
Start an Active Minds chapter
Each year, more than 15,000 students join an Active Minds high school or college chapter to serve as passionate advocates, stigma fighters, and educators for mental health. Active Minds is an unparalleled campus network and supports a vast and vibrant network of more than 550 campus-based chapters across the United States. Each chapter is a registered student organization on campus. Chapters can be found at flagship public universities, Ivy League colleges, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, high schools, and even online universities.
Active Minds impacts more than 8 million students each year through our campus presence.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.
American Red Cross
What is a Red Cross Club?
Imagine hanging out with your closest friends and helping your community at the same time – you’ll be able to do just that when you start a Red Cross Club! A Red Cross Club is an extension of a local Red Cross region or Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Station where you’ll be able to serve the community with your friends. Along with training and leadership development opportunities, you can choose mission-related activities in your community, while delivering lifesaving services of the Red Cross. You’ll plan and implement projects that can save hundreds of lives from blood drives to disaster preparedness education.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.
Habitat for Humanity
What is a Habitat for Humanity campus chapter? A campus chapter is a group of students who are passionate about helping people build better lives for themselves and are ready to take the next step to lead the charge at their school to help fulfill Habitat’s mission. Each campus chapter is a student-led, student-initiated organization on a high school or college campus that partners with the local Habitat for Humanity to fulfill the four functions of a campus chapter.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.
Interfaith Youth Core
IFYC is a national nonprofit that equips the next generation of citizens and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed for leadership in a religiously diverse world. Partnering with higher education institutions and corporations, IFYC is dedicated to making interfaith cooperation the norm and building Interfaith America in the 21st century.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.
International Justice Mission
International Justice Mission is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in 24 program offices in 14 countries to combat trafficking and slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power.
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If you are interested in starting a new student volunteer organization at Buffalo State, please contact the CCE or SLE for assistance.
American Cancer Society On Campus
College campuses have hosted ACS events such as Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Bark For Life, etc. for over a decade. College students are some of the most dedicated volunteers of ACS - we go canning at football games, play games with cancer survivors at Hope Lodge, and pull an all-nighter to raise awareness and donations to find a cancer cure.

Resources for Student Organizations

Do you need a little support as you begin planning volunteer opportunities for your student organization? These videos were developed to help you get started! For further assistance, please contact our office at cce@buffalostate.edu. We'd love to meet with you!

How to Plan a Service Project. A video that will provide you with the tools you need to plan an effective service project.

Why Student Organizations Should Participate in Service. A video on why your organization should participate in a service project.

Organizing a Collection Drive. This explanatory video introduces how to host a collection drive on campus. Here are some recommended collection drive host sites: