FARMHOUSE
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
(From recent Inside FH newsletters)
Alumni
- "I want our chapter to start sending out a weekly or monthly e-mail to our alumni. What should it include?"
- "We have a very active group of seniors who have just graduated. What can we do to encourage them to stay active as young alumni?"
- "With Founders' Day quickly approaching, what are some things that our chapter members should have in mind for how to approach the day's activities?"
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- " I want our chapter to start sending out a weekly or monthly e-mail to our alumni. What should it include?"
Utilizing e-mail is a great way to stay in contact with alumni while keep them up to date on the chapter's activities. If this is your first contact with alumni via e-mail, you should give a brief overview of the state of the chapter. How many members are in the chapter, how many members are living in the house, Fall GPA, chapter success, chapter challenges and who the current house mom, cook, advisors and Association members are, etc.
One of the most important things to remember is giving alumni information so they can continue to be involved with and support the chapter. Let them know about all upcoming Recruitment dates and events. Include the recruitment chairman's contact information in case they know of any potential new members. Include dates and times for all alumni events - Homecoming, Founder's Day, Association meetings, Golf outings, etc.
Brainstorm as a chapter and association on how to better utilize alumni to help the chapter - and then use the weekly email as a tool to identify alums who can assist with various projects, workshops, etc. If you need a speaker on risk management, ask your alumni via the weekly email if they'd be able to put on a workshop on the topic or if they can suggest an alum who has expertise in that area. Same for workshops on personal finance, resume development, mock job interviewing, strategic planning development, - and projects such as bathroom remodels, roofing projects, etc. You'll still need to make the personalized ask, but this can be a great way to identify alums who can help in a variety of ways.
Alumni also enjoy hearing about members that are from their hometowns. An easy way to accomplish this is to include a list of current officers with hometowns and e-mails. List the new members and how they can be contacted or provide a link to the chapter's website where they could find this information.
Alumni also like to see what awards the chapter/members have received and what activities and internships the current members are active in. Show which members did a study abroad, are president of a student organization or what companies members had internships with last summer. Let alumni know that they could check out the FarmHouse International website where members' resumes are posted, http://www.farmhouse.org/jobbank/jobbank.htm.
(Check out this link and encourage or require members to post their resumes.)
The main key is keeping alumni informed about current events within the chapter which gives them reason and opportunity to stay involved with the chapter. - JG
BACK TO TOP MENU
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- We have a very active group of seniors who have just graduated. What can we do to encourage them to stay active as young alumni?"
Young alumni or any alumnus, for that matter, are more willing to stay involved with the chapter if they still have a connection to the chapter. This is easier for younger alumni because they could still have friends in the chapter, little brothers or even pledge brothers still in school or grad school. Regardless of the connection, you must understand that communication is the key to keeping alumni involved.
One of the most vital things for good communication is having current contact information on your recent alumni (Example: Name, Address, e-mail, phone number, Occupation, Employer and Title). This sounds simple in theory, but can be challenging if you do not think about it until the following year and the new Alumni Relations officer has no idea if the members he is looking for graduated in 2002 or 1962.
Once you have their current information here are some ideas:
-Send the update contact list to Allison Rickels, Director of Annual Fund & Communications for the FarmHouse Foundation, Allison@FarmHouse.org. Allison produces a Young Alumni newsletter for alumni graduating between 1996 and 2000. The newsletter is designed to keep young alumni connected to FarmHouse and show then why the Foundation should be among the non-profit organizations they support. It also passes along tips for successfully meeting challenges they face during their first years out of college& tips on money, home, ownership, moving, careers, travel.
-Develop a monthly e-mail for chapter updates along with letting alumni know what areas the chapter could use help in (Ex. Recruitment, Financial, retreat planning, etc.) People are more willing to help if they know what area you can use help in.
-Use your chapters' database to search for alumni in the area that a young alumni will be living in. This could be a good resource to provide for someone new to an area.
-Talk to your Association President about what committees they need people to serve on. This would be a great way to keep a young alumni involved.
-For young alumni in the area:
-Ask them to speak to the new member class about their FH experience
-Develop an alumni Big Brother program
-Invite them over once a month for a dinner
-Invite them to attend the Association
-Ask them to take part in Community Service projects --- JH
BACK TO TOP MENU
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "With Founders' Day quickly approaching, what are some things that our chapter members should have in mind for how to approach the day's activities?"
RESPONSE --- Founder's Day is not only a great way to celebrate the founding of FarmHouse in 1905, but also the unique founding of your local chapter. Many men have come before you and just like you have sacrificed time, pleasure and comforts to build the chapter that you are currently part of. They are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the chapter's activities, so take the time to talk with and thank them for their continued interested and support of the chapter.
Think of Founder's Day like a recruitment event. Approach alumni like you approach a potential new member; introduce yourself with a handshake and a smile. Ask them where they live, what they do for a living, when they were in the house, ask them if they want a tour, etc. Alumni, just like potential new members, can be valuable assets to the chapter.
Keeping alumni information current is another issue to consider during Founder's Day activities. Have 2-3 members in charge of a sign-in table with name tags, a schedule of events and an information form for alumni to update their address, phone number or e-mail if this information has recently changed.
It might also be helpful for the chapter to brainstorm about how you'd like for alumni to assist the chapter (open up their home for a summer recruitment event, put members through mock job interviews, help conduct annual audit of books, etc.) - and include a list of 20-30 possible opportunities for alumni to review and check off areas in which they'd be willing to help the chapter with.
BACK TO TOP MENU
