Alumni relations is defined as working to motivate alumni to be understanding and supportive of their university. The alumni association should be a community catalyst for moving people. A largely overlooked role for alumni is their involvement in the decision-making processes of a university. (MLW)

Princeton's alumni magazine stepped into the technological age with a computer bulletin board system. Since February 1984, readers of the Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW) who have personal computers have been able to receive much of the magazine via telephone modem. A description of this computer bulletin board system is provided. (MLW)

Alumni administrators must become full partners in institutional advancement and fund-raising. The salaries, access, and respect accorded alumni administrators must be at parity or near parity with development professionals. Some suggestions to further alumni/development partnership are provided. (MLW)

This study examined whether alumni who were resident assistants (RAs) gave more to the institution than did alumni who were not RAs. This information was deemed significant for two reasons: (1) contributions from graduates are increasingly important sources of funds for colleges and universities; (2) information on why alumni contribute is…

This book presents summaries of 16 papers presented at a conference on increasing the amount and usefulness of research on alumni relations. Following an introductory paper, "On the Art and Science of Surveying Alumni" (Donna Shoemaker), the papers are: (1) "Targeted Research Gets Results. Comprehensive Research on Alumni Relationships: Four Years…

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)

The Postal Service is auditing and trying to collect back postage from nonprofit organizations, including alumni associations. Although the post office initially accepted the materials in question for mailing, it now says alumni associations illegally loaned their permits to commercial firms such as travel agencies. (MSE)

Four direct mail pieces show how alumni associations find their way to reach former students. The schools are Emerson College, Episcopal High School (VA), Emory University, and University of California, Santa Cruz. (MLW)

The reasons that the Internal Revenue Service often audits alumni associations are cited, and specific procedures and considerations in preparing for and conducting the audit are given. (MSE)

Five strategies for recruiting and motivating college alumni club leaders are outlined, including focusing on collaboration among volunteers as much as on leader qualities, recruiting volunteers to support leaders, allowing key volunteers to make contributions that don't require much of their time, maintaining continuity of policy and practice,…

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)

This article presents five basic guidelines for initiating a successful alumni merchandising program: (1) shop around for the best vendor; (2) decide what to sell; (3) manage merchandise properly; (4) watch out for risky business; and (5) get what you pay for. (MDM)

This article reviews the tax implications of alumni association merchandising programs, focusing on unrelated business income tax (UBIT) that nonprofit organizations, such as alumni associations, must pay on income derived from a trade or business not substantially related to their tax-exempt status. It also discusses postal regulations that…

This article profiles "Northeastern University Magazine," discussing how this alumni magazine has changed its focus over the last several years to appeal to a younger audience and to present stories that cover the institution and its graduates as subjects worthy of study in themselves. (MDM)

Graphic design expert Jan White presents five principles to make alumni magazines more dynamic and more relevant to readers: (1) reach the reader; (2) write better captions; (3) pack photographs with power; (4) keep the design consistent; and (5) effectively integrate visual material and text. (MDM)