Running an Effective Alumni Association Current

7/29/2019 Running an Effective Alumni Association Current

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R U N N I N G A N E F F E C T I V E A L U M N I A S S O C I A T I O N

United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Alumni Affairs

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION I

C H A P T E R 1 - D E V E L O P I N G A P L A N O F A C T I O N

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DEFINED 1

DEFINE VISION AND MISSION GOALS 1

DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN 2

EVENT PLANNING 5

C H A P T E R 2 M U L T I P L Y I N G R E S U L T S A N D E F F E C T I V E N E S S

UTILIZE PARTNERSHIPS AND EXISTING RESOURCES 6

COMMUNICATION 10

C H A P T E R 3 S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

FUNDING 13

MEMBERSHIP 17

BRANDING AS A TOOL 19

PASSING THE TORCH 20

CONCLUSION 21


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Introduction

Alumni of U.S. government (USG) sponsored exchange programs have benefited from theinvaluable experience of encountering first hand a new culture different from their own, andare therefore uniquely suited to furthering mutual understanding among nations and peoples.Participating in an alumni association offers alumni opportunities to positively impact theircommunity through implementing concepts explored during their exchange program.Additionally, alumni associations provide a sustainable forum for alumni to network witheach other, stay in contact with the U.S. embassy, and to work together to advance sharedgoals.

This handbook is to serve as a guide for strengthening and improving alumni associations.

No two associations are alike and there is no single formula that will guarantee the successfuldevelopment or revitalization of an alumni association. While associations may followdifferent paths of development and end up taking varying forms, this handbook presents a setof guidelines and best practices that many successful associations have developed andfollowed with proven success.

The ultimate success of an alumni association depends on the alumni themselves. Whileoutside support from a U.S. embassy and other association partners may be helpful,especially in terms of funding, an alumni association will only be effective and sustainable if itremains in essence a grassroots, member-driven, goal-oriented organization.

Should you have any questions about this guide or any related issue, please do not hesitate tocontact the Office of Alumni Affairs at [email protected]. Also see the Alumni AssociationResources Community on the State Alumni website for additional resources, best practices,and guidance (https://alumni.state.gov/alumni-association-resources).

Good luck!


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Developing a Plan of Action

In order to run an effective alumni association, an association needs to develop a plan ofaction. New alumni associations should begin by establishing a mission statement and goals.For established, but less active associations, the first step is to get back to the basics andreaffirm, redefine, or refine the associations mission and goals. Building on that foundation,an association can then develop a strategic plan, from which members can plan events andactivities that support the associations mission and move it towards achieving its goals.

Alumni Association Defined

In this context, an alumni association is a voluntary, organized group of people who share thecommon experience of having participated in a U.S. government-sponsored exchangeprogram, or if defined more loosely, those who have studied in the United States throughany program and alternately, U.S. participants of exchanges to other countries. Membersmay or may not share common interests or a common purpose, and may in fact come fromdiverse backgrounds. Therefore, the fundamental characteristic that unites them and bringsthem together is the unique shared experience of having spent time in the United States onan exchange program.

It is upon this shared bond that the foundation of an alumni association should be built andout of which a mission and goals shall arise.

Define Vision and Mission Goals

A clear and well defined vision, mission and set of goals are critical components of aneffective alumni association.

Vision: What the alumni association aims to become. Mission: What the alumni association strives to become; the vehicle by

which the associations goals are attained.

Goals: What an alumni association will do to achieve its mission.A clear vision and mission gives the association purpose and serves as an explanation to newmembers and a reminder to old members of why they are setting aside their time to be partof the organization. Well defined goals help an association stay on track and maintain focus.

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Here is an example of the vision, mission and goals that Kosovar alumni developed whenforming the Kosovo-US Alumni (KUSA) association:

Vision: We aim to be a prominent, respected organization whose members make

meaningful contributions to Kosovo, the lives of its citizens and each other.

Mission: Our mission is to mobilize the power of the alumni for positive change: to

strengthen Kosovo civil society, to improve Kosovo standards of living, and to helpalumni better achieve their goals.

Goals: To provide alumni with resources, relationships and opportunities that help

them make contributions of immediate and enduring value.

Does the association have an established mission and written goals? Is it time to redefine thegroups purpose and goals? To establish, refine, or redefine the vision, mission, and goals,

assemble the alumni association leadership to discuss ideas and solicit feedback fromassociation members. Discuss with members what their interests are, what motivates them,what role they see for the alumni association, and what they want from the alumniassociation. With this information, work with the association to develop or refine thesethree statements, and in doing so:

Accept and work with all ideas and suggestions. Do not exclude or alienateanyone.

Shy away from political plans and statements these will divide alumni andsplit the association.

Make decisions through compromise and consensus.It is extremely important, while managing expectations and dissuading radical or unrealisticideas, to be as open and inclusive as possible.

Develop a Strategic Plan

Once an associations vision, mission, and goals are in place and reaffirmed, it is time todevelop a strategic plan. Strategic planning involves evaluating the current state of anorganization, utilizing the associations goals to determine what the near to medium termobjectives should be, and lastly, mapping out a path for how the association will achievethose objectives.


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Situation: Evaluate the current situation and how it came about.

Target: Define goals and/or objectives (refer to goals from Refine Vision andMission Goals).

Path: Map a possible route to achieve the goals/objectives.

In evaluating the situation, it is important to take stock of where the association stands today.How well does the association meet its vision? How does it fall short of that vision and why?

Based on these answers, develop specific objectives that will help to put the associationmore in line with its vision and help it to fulfill its mission better. For example, if theassociations vision is to make meaningful contributions to the community and the mainweakness is low membership and lack of participation, possible objectives could be toincrease membership by 20% in a year or that 80% of members each recruit at least one new

member.

Lastly, plan out how the association will achieve the stated objectives. Strategic planstypically have a projected duration of one to five years. Lay out practical, incremental stepsthat the alumni association can take to achieve its goals. In addition to laying out definedsteps, it is beneficial to set an estimated date by which time each step should be achieved.That way, it is easier for the association to stay on track and evaluate its process.

In 2005, the U.S. Embassy Program Alumni of Moldova developed a strategic plan with theassistance of the U.S. Embassy's Alumni Resource Center (ARC) and of an organizationalconsultant. At the annual Alumni Congress that year, the Alumni Board, the electedleadership of the alumni association, presented a report on what had been done in the pastyear, what goals had been met and to what degree. Following the report, the alumni splitinto regional breakout groups and brainstormed activities and projects that they would liketo initiate and participate in. The brainstorming sessions resulted in an action plan ratified bythe alumni to be implemented by the newly elected Alumni Board.


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Situation: The alumni association is...- A community doing a lot of great things, but unaware of them

- A community interested in doing more- A diverse community with common goals- A community with a lot of potential still to be realized

- A community that does not fully appreciate the great progress underway- A community with an enormous ability to create enduring positive change in

Moldova and success for each other

Target:

1)Achieve a total association registration of 1,500 members 1/2 of all alumni inMoldova

2) Increase unity and awareness across ages, regions and domains

3) Build reputation of the Alumni Community4) Increase citizen awareness and engagement

Path:1) Implement new operating structure Central, Regional chapters

2) Increase mass media of events and efforts

3) Execute a diverse, exciting calendar of events to attract new participants andincrease benefits to participants

4) Execute one unified community outreach event, and let regions/domains handle

most community service

The Moldovan alumni associations strategic plan

The alumni went on to establish specific, tangible activities to move the association along the"path" to achieve the agreed upon "target." Specific steps included creating a commoncalendar of events that the leaders of the regional chapters and thematic committees couldsubmit events to be included; creating a database of members and their interests; printing allassociation correspondence in the three languages spoken in Moldova; establishing a listserv;restructuring the Alumni Board and providing leadership training for the elected officers; andconsciously providing a range of events including monthly informal events, large specialevents, training series, and exclusive senior alumni events.

Since 2005, the Moldovan alumni association goes through a similar strategic planning

process every year at their annual Alumni Congress, where they evaluate the status andprogress of the association and establish new benchmarks and methods of achieving them forthe coming year.


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Event Planning

With a strategic plan in place and specific objectives laid out, the leadership can cometogether to design events and activities for the associations members that contribute to

achieving objectives in the mission plan. In all event-planning, the association should ask itselfhow the proposed event conforms to the association mission and how it helps it to achieveits goals. If there are no clear connections between the proposed event and the associationsmission, perhaps it is best to move on to another idea.

In addition to considering whether a proposed event is mission-appropriate, it is alsoimperative to consider the practical feasibility of the event. Assess how many resources willbe necessary to successfully implement the event or project. How much money does theassociation have to devote to the project? Are there grants available to support theinitiative? Are volunteers able to donate time, or are there sponsors to donate a venue? Is itpossible to partner with another institution, such as an NGO, the U.S. embassy, or a

government ministry, in order to procure additional funds? If an event seems to be toofinancially ambitious, consider implementing a smaller version of what was originallyconceptualized, or scrap the idea in favor of something more manageable or more likely toattract outside funding.

From the stand point of membership, be sure that the proposed event is realistic for theassociations members to realize. Events take time and effort to plan and implement, andmembers freely donate their limited personal time to make these activities happen. Planevents that are of an appropriate scale and that do not always rely on the same group ofpeople, as to not exasperate members. An association that continually takes on projectslarger than it can handle or carries out projects of dubious value to its mission will inevitablyexhaust and frustrate the members, leading to the associations decline.

To further ensure the success of an associations events and to generate new ideas, seek outbest practices from other alumni associations around the world. Visit the AlumniAssociation Resources Community (https://alumni.state.gov/alumni-association-resources) onthe State Alumni website to peruse best practices and find contact information for otheralumni associations that you might consult. When reviewing best practices, keep in mind theassociations mission, local conditions and how they might affect how you would implementthe event in your country, and the financial and practical feasibility of the project at hand.

To effectively strengthen the association and meaningfully use members time, plan feasibleevents in line with the associations mission that move it in accordance with its strategic plan.


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Multiplying Results and Effectiveness

Utilizing partnerships, taking advantage of existing resources and maintaining goodcommunications, both internally and externally, are simple but powerful steps an associationcan take to multiply its results and maximize its effectiveness.

What is meant by multiplying results? For example, let us say an alumni associationwants to donate toys to an orphanage around the holidays. The association could be

effective and successful in soliciting donations from the membership and make a small butmeaningful difference in their community. Alternatively, the same association could partnerwith radio stations to broadcast the project to the general public, partner with toy stores tohave collection bins for public donations on their premises, and also engage local businessesfor donations and sponsorship. In the end, through minimal efforts on the part of theassociation, they would have brought public attention to the plight of orphans and wouldhave collected perhaps ten or more times as many donations.

Utilize Partnerships and Existing Resources

Partnering with various organizations and institutions can be a fruitful way of multiplying

results, filling in gaps, and assisting an organization with limited means to achieve its goals.

Consider partnering with universities to host events. The U.S.-Educated AzerbaijaniAlumni Association (AAA) partners with a number of universities in Azerbaijan to hold anannual business case competition. The Kosovo-U.S. Alumni (KUSA) association partnerswith the American University in Pristina that provides office space to the association andoffers facilities for events. In 2006, the Namibian U.S. Alumni Association (NUSAA)conducted a civic education project, and partnered with the University of Namibia (UNAM)that hosted the first part of the workshop and engaged the university debate team indiscussions on civic involvement, democratization, and economic development. Consult withmembers of the alumni association who may teach at local universities and seek their

assistance in establishing partnerships or seeking in-kind support.

Partnerships with local NGOs, international NGOs operating in-country andagencies that administer exchange programs may also be fruitful. Seek partnershipswith thematic, cause-based organizations for specific topical projects or events. For example,

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civic NGOs might be able to offer assistance in implementing community developmentprojects, or environmental NGOs with supporting a park clean-up action. In 2008, theNamibia U.S. Alumni Association (NUSAA) started a youth civic engagement education pilotprogram, partnering with the NGO Education for Democratic Citizenship in Namibia

(EDCIN). By working with EDCIN, the alumni association utilized the civic educationexpertise of this NGO in achieving the project goals of explaining constitutional rights, theimportance of free and fair elections, the value of opposition parties in a vibrant democracy,and the role of an independent media to young Namibians. Alumni associations may alsoconsider soliciting the support of NGOs run by fellow alumni, as NUSAA did in the abovementioned example, where three separate NGOs led by different alumni assisted in theimplementation of the association project. This example demonstrates the power ofcollaboration with alumni and relevant organizations that can only strengthen a given goal.

In addition, exchange program agencies, organizations that partner with the StateDepartment to implement exchange programs, may be able to help in offering materials for

promoting exchanges, offering assistance with grant writing, or in facilitating useful contactsfor the association. For example, American Councils for International Education (ACTR-ACCELS) helped a team of Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program alumni from Ukraineto increase the international representation at their International Outreach Camps (IOCs).For two consecutive summers, 2007 and 2008, American Councils utilized their Eurasia-wideFLEX alumni network to announce the project and invite alumni from other countries totake part. As a result of the additional PR efforts, fourteen international participants joinedthe IOCs and a spin-off project was launched in Armenia. In Armenia, American Councilshelped FLEX alumni copy and distribute a CD that they had made of cultural materials onArmenia for new FLEX participants to take with them and share in American schools. InGeorgia, American Councils trained alumni leaders of the local FLEX alumni association to

lead group discussions for newly-returned alumni to help them readjust. These discussionsalso helped to engage with new alumni and encourage them to take part in the associationand become active in the alumni community.

Seek opportunities for partnership with the private sector. Local business orinternational corporations may be interested in sponsoring specific projects, conferences, orevents. For example, the Fulbright Association of Panama invited Canon and Copa Airlinesto co-sponsor the associations First Central American and Caribbean Fulbright AlumniMeeting in 2007. As sponsors, Canon offered an in-kind donation of copying and printingservices for conference materials, and Copa Airlines offered a discount to conferenceattendees flying to Panama for the event. In return for their support, Canon and Copa

Airlines were listed as sponsors in all conference literature, and in turn reached over 100Fulbright alumni from 10 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including the United States,with their marketing. Contact the local chamber of commerce to find contacts among thelocal business community and contact the U.S. embassy to find out what Americancompanies operating in your country might be interested in sponsorship.


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The U.S embassy and national governmental ministries may also be able to assist analumni association in developing contacts and in providing material and financial support toalumni association projects and events. Contact the Public Affairs Section of your local U.S.embassy to schedule a meeting with a representative to discuss your associations goals and

ideas and to find out what assistance is available. The Public Affairs Section may also be ableto link the alumni association with alumni in influential positions in academia, in NGOs, or inthe private sector, who might be able to offer the association with various means of support.

In 2007, the Malawi-U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (MUSEAA) partnered with the MalawiPolice Service, Department of Custom and Exercise, Anti Smuggling Unit, Ministry of Health:Pharmacy Division, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training Preventive Education,Department of Prisons, and many other Malawian government entities in order to run acampaign on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. MUSAA realized that utilizing the existing frameworkalready put in place by the Malawian government would be the most efficient way of reachingand impacting the most people. Through the associations partnerships, including the local

media, an estimated 3 million Malawians were reached.

As another example, the Honduran Fulbright Alumni Association partnered with both theU.S. embassy and government institutions to support education in Honduras. Since 2006,the Fulbright Association has worked with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. embassy inTegucigalpa to administer the English Access Microscholarship program, a U.S. governmentsponsored program that provides English language education to 14-18 year olds. Morerecently, in 2008, the association signed a memorandum of understanding with the CentralBank of Honduras, which agreed to fund two students annually to study at universitiesthroughout Latin America as part of the alumni associations scholarship program, Una BecaMs.

American Centers, American Corners and Binational Centers may also serve aspartners for activities and may be able to provide alumni associations with a venue to holdevents such as lectures, workshops, and roundtables. American Centers are libraries runby U.S. embassies that contain reference materials, periodicals, and circulating bookcollections designed to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of the UnitedStates and other countries. American Corners, smaller, more flexible versions ofAmerican Centers, are partnerships between the Public Affairs sections of U.S. embassiesand host institutions for the purpose of making information about the United States availableto people in a number of countries around the world. In addition to offering access to books,digital media, and the Internet, both American Centers and American Corners may offer

program space in addition to reading or meeting rooms to host an alumni associationsevents and activities.

The Myanmar-United States Friendship Exchange (MUSFEX) alumni association, for example,frequently partners with the American Center in Rangoon to host events such as a three-day


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workshop on grant writing for staff and volunteer workers from community basedorganizations and civil society groups held in 2008. MUSFEX organized another forum todiscuss the international relief effort in response to Cyclone Nargis, the worst naturaldisaster in Burmas recorded history. The American Center provided the meeting space,

which allowed MUSFEX to bring together international donors and local relief workers forthe first time since the disaster, in addition to providing equipment for MUSFEX to displayphoto-slides of the local relief effort that was never depicted in the official media.

Like American Centers and American Corners, Binational Centers (BNCs), foundpredominately in countries in the Western Hemisphere, may similarly serve as partners forassociation activities by providing a venue for alumni events. BNCs are autonomousinstitutions dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding between the host countryand the United States. English teaching is often a major component of their cultural,educational, and information activities. Although BNCs often work in close cooperation withAmerican Embassies overseas, they are independent in their financial and administrative

management.

When alumni associations are interested in partnering with BNCs, it is also important toconsider how the BNC could benefit from such a partnership. For example, the FulbrightAlumni Association in Nicaragua was awarded funds by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S.Embassy in Managua to complete a series of BNC working group conferences, in whichFulbright alumni participate in the training of the BNC board of directors, administrative staff,and teachers. Through various training workshops, retreats, and seminars, the alumniassociation helped to professionalize the board, to increase the effectiveness of the staff andteachers, and incorporate alumni involvement in BNC programs.

American Embassy websites often contain links to local BNCs, American Centers, AmericanCorners and other similar institutions. Also, visit http://americancorners.state.gov/(Username: "american" Password: "corners") to find out more information about AmericanCorners around the world.

Take advantage ofresources available through the State Alumni website. Instead ofpaying for costly web development and monthly hosting fees, State Alumni provides alumniassociations with the platform to create free websites, called Communities, under theumbrella of State Alumni (https://alumni.state.gov). Through Communities, associations cantake advantage of any or all of the features that are available on the main State Alumniwebsite. State Alumni utilizes a content management system (CMS) that any associationmember can navigate and manage. A special association section may be used not only as theassociations web presence, but also as means of hosting virtual discussions and associationplanning, and as a way to disseminate information and news.


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State Alumni Communities provide alumni associations with:

A unique website connected to State Alumni with any or all of the featuresoffered on the main State Alumni site.

A unique URL (https://alumni.state.gov/AlumniAssociationName) that can bedistributed and used as a direct link to the webpage.

Easy to use content management system (CMS) for uploading content. Ability to display content in multiple languages and/or character sets. Free, indefinite web-hosting and support.

Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs for a full list of available features and a completeexplanation of the process of creating a personalized web-based Community.

State Alumni Community for the BiH-USA Alumni Network, the alumni association in Bosnia Herzegovina

The Office of Alumni Affairs, which manages the State Alumni website, can also provideassociations with promotional materials for State Alumni and limited logo design assistancefor your Community. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Communication

Good communication between the leadership and among individual members is critical tothe effectiveness of an alumni association. Being able to quickly and efficiently disseminateinformation will help an association keep its members informed and engaged. Conversely,providing members with a mechanism to provide feedback and share their ideas with theleadership will help to give members a sense of ownership of the association, and will


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provide members with an avenue to contribute to, towards the direction of the association.In addition, an ongoing flow of communication will prevent the leadership from alienatingmembers.

In order to effectively disseminate information about events and motivate members toparticipate, it is important to make a general call as well as a personal call. Making ageneral announcement about an upcoming event is important for efficiently disseminatinginformation about an event. Sending a mass email, direct mailing, or SMS/text message to allassociation members and/or posting an announcement on the associations website are alleffective vehicles for making a general announcement. Some alumni associations have alsocreated email listservs to quickly and efficiently disseminate updates and highlights of eventsand activities.

It is also important to make personalized announcements, by personally contactingindividual members to spread the word about an event and encouraging them to participate.

Personally calling or sending a personalized email to individual members and asking for acommitment is an effective way to both motivate alumni and ensure that more members willparticipate in an event.

Taken together, making both general announcements and personal calls to action go hand inhand in effective outreach. Neglecting either will diminish results.

In addition to traditional means of communication, such as email and telephone, considerother avenues for disseminating information and reaching out to current and potentialassociation members:

State Alumnio Use networking features to connect with current and potential alumni

association members.

o Post news stories about association events and activities to share with thegreater alumni community.

o Send a mass email to all the members of the associations Communitysection.

o Contact the State Alumni webmaster ([email protected]) ifinterested in making an announcement to a targeted group of State Alumniregistrants.

U.S. embassy


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o Ask the public affairs section to send out an email on the associations behalfto all of their alumni contacts.

Social networking siteso Consider creating a group on Facebook, Orkut, LinkedIn, or the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs own Exchanges Connect network(http://connect.state.gov).

o Posting a page on MySpace or on another local social networking site todirect alumni to an associations website or Community section on StateAlumni is a great way to expand an associations reach and visibility.

Local media outletso Consider publicizing the alumni association events and activities through

local print, radio, or television announcements.

Association Partnerso Send messages to partner organizations and friends of the alumni

association and ask them to forward it to their contacts, if appropriate.

Maintaining good external communications can also be a useful tool in leveraging support foran alumni association. If appropriate in your country, consider including governmentrepresentatives on your associations email distribution list to promote transparency and also

to keep them informed of your activities so that you might be able to solicit additionalfunding or support for specific projects.

Keep U.S. Embassy personnel informed about your alumni associations activities as well andinvite them to take part in events. The more familiar they are with an associations activities,the more likely they may be to consider providing support.

Keep supporters, friends, and partner organizations aware of your activities, to share bestpractices, solicit their support, and multiply your associations results.


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Sustainability

Sustainability is a key consideration that must be continually in the collective consciousness ofan effective alumni association. Practically speaking, sustainability means cultivating reliableand diverse funding, implementing sound budgeting and auditing policies, maintaining strongmembership numbers, and adopting mechanisms for transferring leadership responsibilities inregular intervals to new leaders.

FundingTo secure the long-term sustainability of an alumni association, identifying a variety ofsources of funding is necessary. In many cases, U.S. embassies are able to provide full fundingfor the short-term development of the organization, and partial funding over a longer periodif the association maintains clear goals and sustainability. In either case, the U.S. embassy willwant to see that the association will be able to stand alone once embassy funds cease. It isnot the place or the desire of the U.S. embassy to run or manage the association. Effectiveassociations are typically alumni-driven and alumni have ownership and responsibility for thedirection of the association, while the embassy plays a partnership role. Ways that an alumniassociation can work closer with a U.S. embassy include selecting embassy officials to serve

on an honorary board, inviting embassy officials to participate in activities, and asking theembassy to review association project proposals.

In any event, it is necessary to seek out monies from other sources. It is in an associationsbest financial interest to diversify their funding sources and to seek sustainable means ofprocuring funds. Consider the following sources for funding opportunities:

Grant Opportunities

There are numerous sources of funding available through local resources that alumni may beable to utilize, such as public-private partnerships, project grants (visit the GrantOpportunities section of State Alumni), and alumni grants from the U.S. embassy.Typically, U.S. embassies set aside a limited amount of funds to support alumni activities thatan association might be able to utilize. Often, individual alumni can utilize their personaland/or professional connections to local NGOs, universities, private companies, and thegovernment for additional financial support.

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When applying for grants from outside institutions, it is important to understand the grant-making process. Applicants need to be mindful of the goals and objectives of donorinstitutions when crafting proposals to ensure that they are as competitive as possible. Aproposed project might be exactly what the association needs to do, but if it does not match

the donor institutions criteria, chances are it will not be funded.

Additionally, be sure that your associations charter allows for the association to acceptforeign funds. A prohibition of foreign funds or an absence of guidelines might makereceiving support from the U.S. embassy or international NGOs difficult or impossible.

Membership Dues

Charging annual membership dues is a good way to secure a steady cash flow to supportalumni association operation and events. Membership dues are never likely to cover allcosts, but can still contribute greatly to financial sustainability. As a positive by-product,charging dues literally gives members a sense of ownership and responsibility for the alumniassociation, which helps to keep the leadership accountable and the members more engaged.Consider charging a reduced rate for students so that they are not alienated from theassociation by the cost of joining.

In addition to charging annual dues, some alumni associations, such as the Fulbright AlumniAssociation in Belgium (FAAB), offer members the choice of becoming life-time members.While annual FAAB dues are 25 Euro, life-time membership is a one-time cost of 400 Euro,which includes a 150 Euro life-time dues charge plus a mandatory 250 Euro donation to theFAAB Fulbright Scholarship Fund, which supports additional Fulbright grants for Belgians.

If charging dues isnt possible or reasonable for an alumni association, consider requesting

small donations from members for refreshments at meetings and events to raise additionalfunds.

Member Donations

While not necessarily a reliable source of consistent revenue for an alumni association,soliciting donations may be an effective means of raising funds for initiatives. As an example,the German Fulbright Alumni Association solicited donations from its members to helpsupport additional Fulbright grantees for underprivileged students in Germany. The FulbrightAlumni Association in Belgium (FAAB) solicits donations from members to support theirFulbright Alumni Loan Fund, which makes limited interest-free loans to current Fulbright

grantees to help them in the event of an unexpected financial emergency while in the UnitedStates, or, as is more common, to complement their financial resources in the case of thecontinuation of their studies in the United States beyond the terms of their Fulbright grant tohelp them achieve their educational and professional objectives.


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When soliciting donations from members, it is best to seek such funding for a special projectthat, through donating, will offer alumni an opportunity to give back, will help to promoteexchanges, or some other cause important to alumni and the association as a whole. If thepurpose of soliciting donations is vague or simply to go to the general support of the

association, alumni may be less likely to identify with the immediate need and may be lessenthusiastic about donating.

To solicit donations, consider mailing out donor cards to members or providing these cardsat association events. Additionally, consider posting a donor form on the associationswebsite that alumni could print and mail in to the association. Always, be sure to clearlyexplain the purpose and need to alumni for their financial contributions.

Fundraising Events

In addition to seeking individual donations from individuals, consider raising funds throughevents that target not only individual members, but also association partners, the businesscommunity, and other constituencies.

Organizing gala events, such as fund-raising benefits, can be an effective way to raise funds fora particular cause. As an example, a FLEX alumni group in Ukraine organizes an annualbenefit for a rotating group of beneficiaries, including schools, orphanages, and hospitals.They typically invite the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine to be the honorary chairman of theorganizing committee and they enlist the help of other high-level officials and personalities toraise the profile of the event and help popularize it. In 2007, the FLEX alumni association inArmenia partnered with the Birthright Armenia Organization (BAO) to throw a Halloweenparty to raise money to cover higher education costs of students from low-income families.The association contacted local businesses in Yerevan for sponsorship, and was able to booka popular rock band, secure a free venue, attract over 150 guests, and raise over $800.

Another example is the biennial Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal dinners. The U.S.Fulbright Association recognizes three outstanding Fulbright alumni whose distinguishedcareers and civic and cultural contributions have sought to expand the boundaries of humanwisdom, empathy, and perception. The association reaches out to its contacts to inviteguests to purchase tickets ranging from $500-$2,000. The event not only raises aconsiderable amount of money for the association's special projects, but also raises theprofile of the association itself and highlights the benefit of exchanges and mutualunderstanding.

Other fundraising events to support an alumni association might include conducting paidseminars and trainings for the business community, or offering paid language courses for thegeneral public. Fundraising activities need not be complicated or intensive. For example, tohelp mitigate the cost of renting office space for their association, the U.S.-Educated


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Azerbaijani Alumni Association on occasion rents their conference space to otherorganizations and private businesses.

Utilize the resources and skills of members to develop the most effective fundraising events.

Budgeting

Once an association has funding, developing an annual budget is a necessity. Creating abudget helps an association to utilize funds in an efficient way, to keep track of theassociations finances, and to make future reporting for tax purposes easier.

In essence, an associations budget is its organizational plan stated in financial terms. Muchlike an associations strategic plan, a budget helps the association to plan and forecast itsfuture revenues and expenditures and helps the association to evaluate itself. It is profitablefor an association to develop a long-term plan of how it will fund itself, and to relyincreasingly less on outside grants to cover basic operational costs.

Accounting

Complementary to budgeting, accounting is the process by which financial information aboutan organization is recorded, summarized, and analyzed. Just as budgeting is important on thefront-end and throughout the life of a project, accounting is crucial on the back-end andessential in demonstrating the financial integrity of an organization. For an alumni association,accounting ensures the tracking and responsible use of funds and aids in the management,good governance, and financial planning for the future of the association. Accounting is animportant part of the fundraising process, as potential funding partners may request toreview the associations year-end financial review audited by an accountant.

Annual Financial Report 2007Statement of Accounts in Euros

EXPENSES: RECEIPTS

Mailings by the Commission (Newsletters,invitations)

3.043 Bank interest 52

Transfer to the Deflandre Endowment fund 2.412 Dues (incl. 9 lifetime memberships) 2.065

Travel for Intl Secretary 1.484 Eat & Meet 600

National Comm.meetings 324

Bank fees 41

__________ __________

Total expenses 7.304 Total receipts 2.717


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TREASURY

End of 2006 End of 2007

Current account 11.030 8.640

Term account 3.084 3.137

__________ ___________

14.114 11.777

Fulbright Alumni Association in Belgium 2007 Annual Financial Report to association members

Membership

People are the most important part of any organization, and for an association to be

successful and sustainable, it must remain acutely aware of the needs and desires of itsmembership. Member recruitment and member retention are, therefore, two of the mostimportant and never-ending occupations of an alumni association.

Recruitment

Capitalize on the excitement of returning alumni, by encouraging them to join as soon asthey come back to the country. Having had several fantastic weeks to a year or onexchange, alumni will be keen to find ways of perpetuating that experience; ways that onlybeing a part of an alumni association can provide. If possible, consider meeting with outgoingparticipants at pre-departure events to present the alumni association to them, to explain theopportunities available to them through membership in the association, and to inform themof how they can be cultural ambassadors during their exchange program. An alumniassociation should contact the public affairs section of the U.S. embassy to arrange meetingwith current participants and to send invitations to newly returned alumni about the alumniassociation.

An additional way to recruit new members is to grant automatic membership to returningalumni and waive the first years dues. This allows new alumni to taste and see what thealumni association is about before committing themselves financially. When new alumni arepermitted to experience the alumni association on a trial basis, they will be more likely toretain their membership by paying their dues the following year.

When reaching out to newer and experienced alumni alike, it is important to do so in aprofessional and organized way. Consider developing calling cards or explanatory brochuresthat the alumni association can mail or hand out to alumni. When designing marketingmaterials, keep in mind the audience and highlight specific features of the association that willmost appeal to them. For example, younger alumni may be more interested in career


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development and volunteering possibilities, while experienced alumni may be moreinterested in networking and conferences.

Retention and Engagement

Retaining and engaging existing members is as important as recruiting new ones. Alumni willcontinue to be active members of an association if they feel that it is beneficial to them, ifthere are ways for them to contribute, and if they have a sense of ownership.

To design activities that benefit all alumni association members, allow everyone to maketangible contributions to the mission of the association, and provide all with a sense ofownership in the organization. Gathering feedback from members after events, both throughinformal conversations, as well as through the completion of anonymous standardizedevaluation forms, is critical in measuring the pulse of the association and in determiningwhether the membership is content with what the leadership is putting forward. The U.S.-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association (AAA), for example, gathers feedback frommembers through a mini-survey that they periodically distribute. They then develop projectsand activities based on the results of the survey.

Organizing a mentorship program is another way of keeping members engaged overlonger periods of time and of fostering internal bonds between group members who mightnot otherwise interact. Mentorship programs involve experienced alumni providing adviceand guidance typically to younger, more recent alumni, young professionals, or youth over adefined period of time. A mentorship program may also serve as a means for an alumniassociation to promote exchanges, by engaging those who are interested in participating orlearning more about exchange programs. Such mentorship programs provide alumni theopportunity to share their unique experience of living abroad. Again, keep in mind themission and goals of the alumni association when designing a mentoring program, asmentoring may serve to not only augment the professional development of associationmembers, but could also contribute to a concrete goal of the association.

Examples of alumni association mentorship programs include a program instituted by theU.S.-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association (AAA) in which older, well-establishedscholars, mentor younger undergraduate and graduate students to provide assistance andguidance on their research with the larger goal of developing AAAs capacity to producehigh-quality research papers, augmenting their other projects of drafting policy briefs.

Members of various alumni associations throughout Latin America have served as mentors

through the College Horizons Outreach Program, which provides two years of Englishinstruction, mentoring, and academic advising to Afro-Latino, indigenous, and other sociallyexcluded high school students. In Nicaragua, for example, members of the Fulbright AlumniAssociation agreed to serve as mentors to all of the students in the first cohort. The


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Fulbright alumni also led the training for all mentors participating in the programs secondcohort.

The British Fulbright Scholars Association (BFSA) has a mentoring program for all visiting

scholars currently in the UK. Scholars are matched with Fulbright alumni in their area andfrom their discipline. Mentors and mentees meet periodically over the course of thementees exchange and all involved meet three times for a welcome reception in September,a Thanksgiving dinner in November, and a farewell garden party in May. The mentorshipprogram enables association members to give back to the program and to maintain and forgenew transatlantic ties.

Above all, in order to sustain membership, an alumni association must provide activities,benefits, and opportunities that are recognizable and attractive to alumni members andpotential members alike. Alumni members may askWhats in it for me? therefore theleadership of the association should strive to answer this question by offering attractive and

exciting opportunities on a continual basis.

Branding as a Tool

Branding an alumni association can be a useful tool in fostering the sustainability of theassociation. In fundraising, member recruitment, and membership retention, having aconsistent, recognizable brand augments an associations efforts and makes them moreeffective. Consider applying the following branding tools:

Develop a logo and use it consistently in all publications and on all products.

Logo of Cercle Jefferson, the French International Visitor Leadership Program alumni association

Choose a color scheme to use on all marketing materials, on the associationwebsite, and newsletter.

Cercle Jeffersons color scheme

Establish a style sheet that dictates the font, font size, and similar publishingconsiderations to be applied to all written correspondence, web content, andnewsletters.


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Example from Cercle Jeffersons website: http://www.cerclejefferson.org

Some alumni associations, such as the International Visitor Leadership Program AlumniAssociation of the Philippines (IVLP-Phils), have additionally adopted a motto for their alumniassociation which reminds members of their purpose as an association and the fundamental

values and goals of their alumni association. The motto of IVLP-Phils is, It Starts with Me,which represents the members' commitment to individual and social transformation throughpractical tasks which benefit of the whole society and reinforces the association'scommitment to volunteerism to achieve their goals.

Passing the Torch

Transferring leadership through a regular, organized rotation of officers is critical to the long-term sustainability of an alumni association. Charismatic leaders come and go, and it isimportant for the sustainability of the alumni association that it not become dominated byone or two individuals who would leave a huge void if they eventually move on to something

else.

While the number and title of officers may vary, an effective alumni association will have aspecified set of key officers with established executive positions including apresident/chairperson, vice president/deputy chairperson, treasurer, and secretary. Effectiveassociations also have an established process and timeline for the nomination and election ofassociation officers, which ensures a smooth transfer of leadership from one slate of officersto the next.

Regular elections serve to keep members engaged and also bring new alumni with fresh ideasto power, which continually breathes new life and vigor into the organization.


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Conclusion

Running an effective alumni association takes a serious commitment of time, energy, andconcentration. However, implemented in an organized fashion with well-defined goals and a

carefully crafted plan, the administration of an alumni association need not be excessivelydifficult. Always keeping an eye on the associations mission and goals, maintaining open andfluid communication between members and association partners, and being creative withactivity planning and funding, will help to multiply results that make the association aseffective and efficient as possible.

Use this handbook as a guide, not as a rigid set of precepts, and be ever mindful of theparticularities of the alumni associations country and the interests and concerns of thealumni. Borrow examples, ideas, and best practices found in this document and referencethe wealth of alumni association resources found on the State Alumni website, in the AlumniAssociation Resources Community, which can offer useful information for the alumni

association with which you are involved.

The alumni associations mentioned here can also lend practical guidance. Their contactinformation can be found on the State Alumni website, and their best practices can be ofservice. U.S. embassies may be able to organize a digital video conference (DVC) betweenthe alumni association in your country and another, more established alumni association inanother country, which provides an exciting opportunity to discuss ideas, ask questions, andshare best practices across distances.

For additional information on sources of funding, alumni best practices fromaround the world, or for additional advice, please contact the Office of Alumni

Affairs at [email protected] or visit the State Alumni website(https://alumni.state.gov). In particular, take advantage of the resources in theState Alumni websites Alumni Association Resources Community(https://alumni.state.gov/alumni-association-resources ).

Documents

Running an Effective Alumni Association Current