Hosts:
Holly Gonzales, RCC, Miami
Susan Ackerman, RCC, Ohio
Meri Hoverman, Asst. Director for Clubs and Undergraduate Programs, AASC
After a brief welcome and introductions, Meri mentioned a couple of items to keep in mind or look for in the weeks ahead. The new Faculty Speaker brochure will be ready soon (with book club speakers listed in the back). Our first newsletter will be reaching you by mail and email shortly! This is for club leaders and we plan to send two more this year, one in February and one in April. More training calls will be announced as soon as we can finalize the dates. Topics include: fundraising, communication tools, succession planning, rebuilding your club, and staying sane as a club leader. Finally a much improved club volunteer web page will soon be unveiled on the AASC website. This page will contain all of the information and links you will need in one spot, to help keep you informed and connected (stay tuned!).
Membership is often the result of good programs. There are endless types of programming you can choose when determining what to plan for alumnae in your community. It is key to recognize that your group is unique and what resonates for alumnae where you live will provide the best guide for program opportunities. In other words: know your alumnae base. Surveys can be extremely helpful tools when trying to determine the best day of the week, time, and location for events, as well as determining interests. If it’s been a few years since your last survey it may be time for another one. We have samples to share with you, whether you use the mail or internet (http://www.surveymonkey.com/ is a great site to use, but only practical for those alumnae with current email addresses). Some volunteers also like to survey people after events to get feedback and inform their planning in the future.
Some clubs are experimenting with new leadership structures with tremendous success. The Portland, Oregon club focuses more on participation than membership and has co-presidents whose terms are staggered so there is always a more experienced president in position and one learning the ropes. They also have a group of women that the co-presidents can turn to called “Sage Advisors” who have served in leadership positions in the past. As a group they have learned that for their community fundraising is a detractor and have found greater involvement without it (we know that the opposite is true for some other communities and strongly support both). One of the most wonderful attributes of the Portland club is that the members have set a tone of inclusiveness. With a rich variety of ages represented the group has become a community of women who enjoy learning and spending time together.
A few other groups are trying another structure that has several VPs located in different parts of a city or region. This seems to work very well for places that are spread out geographically or have heavy traffic patterns. In some cases, each VP is responsible for planning one event in her area per year.
Along similar lines, some clubs have also found that planning informal gatherings in various locations, like “coffee and conversation” at different coffee shops, have been helpful (advise having something with you that says “Smith” on it with you). Don’t be afraid to try new things, in new locations, though it’s helpful to have a at least one “anchor” events that people know they can rely on or expect (for example, a holiday gathering or summer send off party for students).
Delegate, delegate, delegate! The more you can share, the more others get involved, and you’ll have more fun. Just remember to invite people to help with tasks that you’ve broken up to be very manageable and give people plenty of time to help. Pushing tasks on other alumnae will only make them less interested in participating. But a friendly invitation to others to help and doing things together can be incredibly rewarding.
Make sure that the information on your website is current. Even if all you have there is contact information, it helps other alumnae find you! We can help make the updates.
Again, engage alumnae in your area to help find your focus and build (or re-build) community. You and other leaders will help each other set the tone for connection and inclusiveness. Whether your focus is admission work, community service or events, book groups, or a play group for alumnae with kids of the same age, there are a variety of tools available to help you:
Tools for building community and membership:
- Website – volunteer connection provides mailing and email lists and labels to reach out to alumnae in your area (we can help!)
- Provide innovative and quality programs in convenient locations
- Consider diversity when planning programs
- Anchor Events: Mountain Day, admission related activity, student care packages, holiday party, faculty/book speaker events
- Delegation
- Membership and Dues –staggering dues and adding categories (we’ll talk about this more during the Nov. 28th call)
- Communication – web info. posted and keep your audience in mind (printed vs. email or both)
- Cultivate the next generation! Current students will soon be alumnae. Please consider inviting them to events when they’re home, send cards or care packages during exams, and have a summer send off party – it’s a great way to help alumnae feel connected to Smith today
- Connect with your RCCs for suggestions! They are your built-in group of “Sage Advisors”
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