Best alumni relations
 

My nominee for "Best Alumni Relations" goes to SPE at Tenn.

I saw their latest newsletter today - 16 glossy pages, 41 good pix, good news on upcoming and past events, even the undergrads are good lookin.

Financially, they report over $14,000 in 2002 alumni dues income (and list all the payers), and expenses of $2700 for the spring newsletter and $3700 for the summer issue. Last year they had 448 payers.

The chapter initiated 35 NM, and awarded eight $500 freshman scholarships (only two of the 8 pledged, but 400 applied and 40 were interviewed at their homes). They won 2002 Carnicus (a big deal variety show).

They have collected $400,000 cash + $800,000 in pledges from alumni towards a new $2 mil house. They've got two alumni who have joined the "Founders Club" with donations over $100,000, and four more in the "Over $50,000 "Shebeen Club".

Founders Day is already planned (April 26, at Knoxville's new convention Center). 16 alums/wives recently toured Scandinavia, following two years of planning.

The chapter has a fabulous alumni program, giving alumni what they want (news, activities, continuity), and the alumni are giving the chapter stability, supervision, and support.

I luv it.

Well, if I had $2,700 for one edition of an alumni newsletter then I could come up with something pretty kick ass too.

Unfortunately, $2,700 is about one third of my chapters entire budget, for EVERYTHING!

I think on the last alumni newsletter that I made, we spent about $200, most of which was for stamps and photocopies.

Sure, making a 20-page glossy alumni newsletter is sweet. However, I am sick of chapters getting praise for good stuff just because they spent a crapload of money.

I know that all their hard work built up to this and all that. But how are other chapters who don't have a 75 year old base of rich alumni supposed to compete?

I'll have to disagree with that.

I think that the key to long-term financial success is to keep alum involvment up. Good communications with alums are VERY important. Look at how this chapter gets its huge budget. Invest $2700 in a newsletter get $14000 back in alum dues. Not bad.

I think good communications are important, but my chapter would go bankrupt if we spent that much on an alumni newsletter. Good for that SigEp chapter for being able to do it, but that's more than my chapter has for a yearly budget.

I wouldn't suggest you go from a $200 budget to a $2700 budget overnight. But I would tend to believe if A LOT of attention was put into alum relations that it would have a great payback.

We've been decent (not great) about alum communications and have enjoyed GREAT support.

Misleading
 

I'm sure the SigEps have a fine, strong chapter at UT, but I think some of what's written is misunderstood. If they are in the middle of a $2 million capital campaign, then the slick publication is part of that campaign, created with an appropriate budget for that purpose. There is no fratrnity chapter in the country that produces regular newsletters year-in, year-out at that cost (although with the expense of postage, the cost can skyrocket). There are some great individual chapter alumni associations in the country, and they all some the same elements in common: they are operated primarily by the alumni themselves with support from the chapter, they have regular communications (doesn't have to be expensive, just regular), and the alumni share a common identity with the chapter that extends over time.

best alumni relations shouldn't be measured by how much you spend, or how eye-catching your glossy newsletter can be. I think it is how well the alumni as individuals and as an organization get along with and communicate with the chapter. Also you have to look at how active the alumni are in the way of stopping by to visit. I have no doubt the alumni of Sig Ep are great guys. But, just because they have money and can spend it on those expensive things don't make that the best relations. My chapters alumni association has less money than the chapter does and the chapter barely comes out with money to spare for things. But, we do keep in touch with our alumni and make sure they can make it back to visit if they wish. Money is not everything, the bond of brotherhood should be the deciding factor in this not who has the most money or the best whatever.

If you guys want a cool looking Alumni newsletter for cheap, design them on your computer and send them through email. I did that for another organization and they loved it.