Alumni represent a tremendous market opportunity for universities. It is suggested that benefit segmentation--benefits sought or needs of a specific market--be used as a method to subdivide the alumni market in order to identify alumni educational needs and motivations, and benefits they seek. (MLW)

Discusses the need for alumni directors to have a good working relationship with their college or university chief executive officer (CEO). Alumni directors need to increase their visibility, meet with the CEO on a regular basis, show results, plan around the CEO's schedule, and mediate conflicts between alumni and the CEO. (MDM)

Advice is offered on promoting diversity within the college alumni association, based on the University of Kansas Alumni Association's experience. Suggestions include providing offerings that appeal to everyone; challenging alumni to participate in reaching out to others; and inviting alumni involvement when dissatisfied. (MSE)

Identifies principles of attracting alumni volunteers to community volunteer projects organized by college alumni organizations, considers ways alumni organizations get involved in community service projects, suggests benefits of such projects for alumni organizations, offers principles of successful partnerships with national service…

Alumni with drive and influence can help a college alumni organization meet its long-term goals. Prospective donors may be willing volunteers, and regular review of the alumni notes may suggest volunteers. A diverse volunteer group can best represent diverse alumni populations. Challenging, meaningful assignments that tap expertise are the most…

Some things to consider before planning separate alumni activities or associations for young alumni include common assumptions about young adults' interests, spending patterns, willingness to do fund-raising, and interest in meeting older graduates. (MSE)

Three alumni travel directors offer advice on taking control when tour crises arise. The cases cited involved irresponsible tour agents, problem travelers, and on-location disasters. Both precautions and creative solutions are emphasized. (MSE)

Advice is offered for making college alumni reunions fun and memorable, illustrated with anecdotes from various institutions. Suggestions include exciting opening activities, focusing on the particular habits or characteristics of a class, appealing to a variety of tastes, emphasizing class identity, savoring favorite campus traditions, and…

Maintaining a quality college alumni program on a small budget requires careful analysis of services and may involve painful decisions. This process should begin with a broad, strategic review of mission, programming, audiences, and services. Finding other funding sources and increasing cost-consciousness can also help keep some activities funded.…

As college alumni become more diverse, alumni associations are finding that special interest groups are increasingly popular. Gay, ethnic, and racial clubs may spark controversy and require that alumni administrators address concerns tactfully while nurturing the affinity group. (MSE)

Guidelines are offered for making the most effective use of a college or university alumni board, including (1) analyzing the current membership, (2) identifying strong new members, and (3) working on motivation. A case study at Syracuse (New York) University is offered. Also addressed are increased conflicts with increased board involvement,…

Discusses a variety of fun activities that college and universities can develop as alumni fund-raising events: a golf tournament; scholarship auctions (silent, on-the-spot, live televised, and live); charitable raffles; duck dashes; themed banquets; and a tuition raffle. (MSE)

A productive Catholic school alumni relations program seeks to involve each and every alumnus as an active supporter, strengthening and advancing both the school and Catholic education generally. This handbook introduces its topic by describing alumni program objectives and factors essential to program success. The booklet then discusses program…

This report and reference booklet is designed to provide adult education supervisors, instructors, and General Educational Development (GED) students and alumni with information to establish GED alumni associations as part of the adult basic education program. The final report details the GED Alumni Stretch and Reach project, which was proposed to…

Suggestions on how to write a handbook for alumni volunteers are presented. Before putting together a handbook for volunteers, two points need to be defined: the purpose of the handbook and who will read it. The contents should cover the volunteer program, activities and how to run them, etc. (MLW)