“This college cannot fail to succeed. Before long, it will develop on a large scale. It will be one of the most powerful means for good in this country.” — Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C.
In the spirit of Father Sorin’s vision for the University he founded, the Alumni Association is proud to host the Notre Dame Global Day of Service—a day designated for Notre Dame students, alumni, parents, and friends around the world to serve in the name of Our Lady.
In the three years since the inaugural Global Day of Service in 2023, the Notre Dame family has hosted 541 service projects totaling 28,000+ service hours in all 50 states and dozens of countries. From planting gardens and building homes to collecting food, visiting the sick, and reading to children, the global University community has truly come together as one to uplift those most in need.
2026 IMPACT
Check out the map below to see where Notre Dame alumni, parents, and friends will make a difference during the 2026 Global Day of Service!
INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES CAN PARTICIPATE
No projects near you? Plan your own in your community with your family, friends, or colleagues! Struggling to come up with an idea? Consider one of these options:
🌐 Organize a food drive or write inspirational notes for our partners at Blessings in a Backpack, which provides hunger-free weekends to food-insecure children across the U.S.
🌐 Write notes of encouragement for homeless individuals in Chicago to support our partners at Street Samaritans. You can find instructions and a blank template here. Simply print the template at home on cardstock or copy paper and mail the finished cards to their office.
🌐 Collect and donate canned goods to a local food pantry.
🌐 Assemble toiletry kits for an organization that serves the homeless.
🌐 Beautify your community by helping with an adopt-a-highway or beach clean-up effort.
🌐 Visit VolunteerMatch to learn more about the needs in your area.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We encourage clubs, groups, and families to explore the issues facing their communities, then identify local volunteer organizations or nonprofits that address those issues. Work with those community partners to develop a meaningful service project held on Saturday, April 25. If you already volunteer with an organization, ask what its needs are! You can refer to our Project Leader Guide and this sample project for inspiration.
To submit your Global Day of Service project, please fill out this form. You may submit a project on behalf of a club, class, or group, or for yourself/your family. Club, class, and group projects will be added to our official list of events for which participants may register. Individually organized projects will be added to that list if you are open to others joining your efforts.
Yes, we request that you submit your project online by Monday, March 23. This allows people to look up projects in their area and make plans to attend.
We’re glad you’re interested! As projects are submitted, we will update this website to generate a comprehensive list, so check back often. You can also check out your local club’s event on their website. Find your club by searching the Communities page on myNotreDame, then check the Events tab on the club’s page.
Registration will open in February as projects are submitted and approved. As you identify an opportunity you would like to participate in, you will be able to register through that project’s Event page on myNotreDame or by contacting the project organizer.
Yes! Individuals are invited to submit their own projects and log their hours, too! You can also check the list of projects to see if something is planned in your area. Everyone in the Notre Dame family can be part of this special day, whether you graduated from ND or not.
Usually, no, but check with the organizers of your local project just to be sure.
Yes! Check with the project organizers to determine the best mechanism for verifying the number of hours your child volunteers.
While we would like to have most projects completed on April 25, we understand that conflicts sometimes arise. Please still submit your service plan and execute it as close to April 25 as possible. We may not be able to add it to our global map of projects, but we would still like to hear about it!
In late April, this website will be updated with a form for submitting your Global Day of Service hours. Tracking your hours will help us in measuring the impact of the Notre Dame family!
LOG YOUR 2026 PROJECT
Our Partners
Explore the family of Notre Dame Alumni Association websites:
