ALUMNI
TOOLKIT
RESOURCES FOR ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS
FIRST FOR ZIZI AFRIQUE.
OCTOBER 2020
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Table of Contents
1 Alumni Engagement 101 4
1.1 Introduction 4
1.2 Steps to creating an Alumni Association
5
1.3 Managing your Contacts – How to set-up your Database of Alumni 6
1.4 Engaging your Stakeholders7
1.5 Getting feedback and ideas through forums and surveys
10
1.6 Managing growth10
1.7 Recruiting volunteers11
1.8 Social Media Engagement11
1.9 Engaging alumni in diaspora 12
1.10 Appreciation and Recognition 12
1.11 Conclusion 12
2. Signing Up/ Recruiting Alumni in Your Association
14
2.1 Introduction14
2.2 Why Recruit?15
2.3 Know what you are signing them up to/for?
16
2.4 Members and Money17
2.5 Why People Join Associations17
2.6 You are Building Relationships20
2.7 How to Recruit: LISTEN20
2.8 But What About the Media and Mailing?
23
2.9 The Importance of Numbers23
2.10 Recognizing and Rewarding24
2.11 Some Additional Ideas for you
25
3. Governance & Compliance 26
3.1 Introduction 26
3.2 Forming Alumni Associations 27
3.3 Conducting Alumni Meetings29
3.4 Establishing Effective Leadership
30
3.5 Managing Transitions, Elections and Nominations
32
3.6 Legal framework, constitutions, charters, guiding principles
33
3.7 Compliance & Statutory Obligations 37
3.8 Strategic Planning, Review and implementation 38
3.9 Conclusion 41
4. Branding for Success42
4.1 Introduction 42
4.2 Building a powerful brand 42
4.3 Expressing your Brand43
4.4 Establishing brand guidelines 44
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4.5 Building brand democracy46
4.6 Designing your brand identity 47
4.7 Conclusion 50
5. Programs and Projects 51
5.1 Introduction 51
5.2 Framework for developing an alumni program
51
5.3 Sample Programs, Events and Projects 58
6. Fundraising and Resource Mobilization 59
6.1 Introduction59
6.2 Fundraising infrastructure60
6.3 Accountability61
6.4 Payment solutions64
6.5 Fundraising techniques 65
6.6 Conclusion 66
7. Operations & Administration 67
7.1 Tracking and reporting on all your activities on a daily basis
67
7.2 Common Tools and templates70
7.3 Manuals and guidelines.70
7.4 Managing correspondence, forums and discussions 70
7.5 Meeting alumni demands and growing your capacity
71
7.6 Use of technology to run your association 72
7.7 Maximizing value from Alumni Management System
72
7.8 Conclusion 74
8. Measuring Impact 75
8.1 Introduction75
8.2 Measuring Progress and Results in Relation to Goals 77
8.3 Indicators for Measuring Success in Alumni Relations 79
8.4 Indicators for Measuring Success in Fundraising 80
8.5 Measuring Communications and Community Building 80
8.6 Conclusion 81
9. Best Practices for a Sustainable Alumni Model
82
9.1 Funding82
9.2 Engagement82
9.3 Governance 82
9.4 Growth 83
9.5 Membership Fees 83
9.6 SAMPLE MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT MODEL
83
9.7 SAMPLE Proposed Membership Benefits
84
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1. ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
101
This Topic Will Cover the following areas:
1.) Introduction
2.) Managing and maintaining your contacts & relationships
3.) Engaging your stakeholders including local authorities, govt, alma mater and members
4.) Getting feedback and ideas through forums and surveys
5.) Managing growth
6.) Recruiting volunteers
7.) Social Media Engagement - engaging constituents on social media
8.) Engaging alumni in diaspora (outside the country)
9.) Examples, Tools and Templates
10.) Conclusion
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Alumni Engagement enables you to draw value from your alumni while adding value back to them.
When engaging your alumni, it is important to have answers to the following questions:
•
What value can you draw from your alumni?
•
What value can you add to your alumni?
•
How do you achieve value-based alumni engagement?
In this section we share some of the tools you can use to effectively engage your alumni in a meaningful,
impactful and productive way.
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1.2 STEPS TO CREATING AN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
So, you are ready to start an alumni association for your institution? Here is a simple 8-step procedure
you can use to get your association up and running.
Step 1 – Form an Interest Group
•
Start with yourself, recruit yourself to alumni association you are about to form
•
Meet informally with a couple of friends and get them interested in the idea
•
Call those that you can’t meet physically and request them to join the course
Step 2 – Form a Critical Mass of interested alumni
•
You can get your colleagues and friends to each invite alumni they are in touch with
•
You can also obtain data and possibly contacts from your alma mater.
•
Send out communication and invite as many as you have their contacts to participate in the
formation of the association. You can even telephone them if you have the capacity
•
Request their permission to be added in a WhatsApp Group to ease future communication.
Step 3 – 1st Communication
•
Write an invitation email/ Facebook post to all alumni, introducing them to the leader,
requesting them to update their contact information, and inquiring if there are any interested
volunteers for the committee.
•
Do a follow-up communication to those that show interest and engage them more...
Step 4 – Getting Organized
•
Now that you have made your intentions known and you have received considerable interest,
convene a meeting to agree upon the association’s objectives and to form a committee. The
agenda for this first meeting can be something along the lines of:
-
Call to order
-
Introductions
-
Review of general concepts and goals of the association.
-
Discuss membership
-
Get volunteers to tackle particular areas of interest such as constitution, funding, etc.
Step 5 – Get a volunteer team to prepare the constitution for adoption at the next meeting. You
can circulate the drafts for further input from members so that the process is all inclusive. You may
refer to the template attached to this toolkit for an outline of the constitution.
Step 6 – Start regular formal and informal meetings such as monthly webinars, get- togethers and
coffee-chats where you receive further feedback and welcome more alumni.
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Step 7 – Register the Association with the Registrar of Societies and prepare the launch event.
Launch the association with a bang! Make the event attractive to as many alumni as possible and invite
senior administrators from the alma mater to attend. This is the event that will set the tone for your
alumni association going forward. Give it your best efforts.
Step 8 – Keep the fire burning and your association growing
Now that your association is in place, read further to learn the more on how you can keep your alumni
engaged, sustain the growth of your association and fund your activities. You will innovate creative
ways of recruiting managing members, receiving donations and adding value to your alumni.
1.3 MANAGING YOUR CONTACTS – HOW TO
SET-UP YOUR DATABASE OF ALUMNI
Your contacts are meaningless data if they are not organized, understood, utilized and enriched.
Understand some of these methods below;
•
Organized: Get the details easily accessible, available and up-to-date
•
Understood: Know the real person, not just their contact details
•
Utilized: Derive value from the person - volunteer, donate, mentor
•
Enriched: Add value to the person - inform, involve, recognize, recommend, refer
With these concepts in mind and with your numbers growing, you now need to set-up an alumni
database to support your continued engagement in an organized and valuable way.
There are many tools such as AlumniPad, AlumniHost and others that Alumni Management Solutions
that come with customizable databases. But for a start, you will need to start by gathering the data
such as contact information from your alumni.
You can use Google Forms, Microsoft Forms and other online tools to help you gather the basic
information you need for the database. At a minimum you should aim to collect:
i.
The Phone Number
ii.
Email Address
iii. Physical Address
iv. Vocation/ Profession
v.
The courses
vi. The years they joined/ left the alma mater.
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Organizing your data in such a manner enables you to understand the demographics of your alumni
community and involve them better in the association. To reap maximum benefits, your database
should always stay up to date, accurate and easily accessible.
1.4 ENGAGING YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
Your stakeholders affect your operating environment and determine the quality of your existence.
They affect your reputation, your profile and your success. You need to involve them in your mission
by collaborating with them and garnering their support. To effectively engage your stakeholders, you
need to know who they are, monitor their activities, understand their interests and their values....and
then create a stable operating environment by balancing their various interests, protecting yourself
from undue influence and maintaining focus on your mission.
There are tons of innovative ways to engage your stakeholders, but as a general guide here are
some tools and techniques you can use to effectively engage your stakeholders, bearing in mind that
stakeholder engagement is a continuous process.
1.4.1 THE FIVE-STEP STAKE HOLDER ENGAGEMENT MODEL
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Step 1: Clarify your goals
Be crystal clear about your mission, how you are going to accomplish it and what role your stakeholders
will have in helping you to achieve it.
Step 2: Identify your key stakeholders
Make a list of your stakeholders and categorize/ prioritize them based on how much interest they have
on your mission and how much power they hold.
One useful tool for identifying and prioritizing your stakeholders is the Boston Matrix as illustrated
Low Power
High Power
below:
Keep satisfied
Open forums, roundtable discussions,
advisory groups, working
groups, seminars, user
panels, conferences, chat
rooms
Keep informed
Newsletters,
websites, speeches,
press, mailings
Low Interest
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Engage closely and
influence actively
Joint planning, joint
campaigning and
press activities, MOUs/
partnership agreements,
secondments, joint
research, joint governance
Consult with
Focus groups,
task groups,
visits, deliberative
meetings
High Interest
High Power/ High Interest Stakeholders
Engage them closely and influence them actively – these are the people who you must fully engage
with. They may prove trusted advisors, key to developing policy and should be seen as partners whose
opinion is considered valuable.
High Power/ Low Interest Stakeholders
Keep them satisfied – make sure there is awareness, understanding and support of your mission among
these stakeholders. Put in place enough engagement tactics to ensure that they are informed and
satisfied, and that they are kept updated, but do not push or bore them with your messages.
Low Power/ High Interest Stakeholders
Consult with them – keep them adequately informed, listen to them and engage them. They are often
happy to take on finer details and can be a key sounding board. If you can involve them then they will
act as your ambassadors.
Low Power/ Low Interest Stakeholders
Keep them informed – these are the stakeholders you will need to spend the least amount of time on,
although you should still keep them informed.
Step 3: Prepare to start engaging your stakeholders
Do your homework and identify key stakeholders you wish to engage. Check if you already have some
relationships with them. Understand their interests, their values and any influencers over them.
Step 4: Engage your stakeholders
Determine the nature of the relationship you would like with each of your stakeholders based on how
you categorized them. Put together an engagement plan detailing the various engagement channels,
budget and nature of engagement such as partnerships, involvements, commitments, support,
understanding and awareness
Step 5: Evaluate your engagement progress
Review and Evaluation - are you on track to achieve your mission? Are your stakeholders adding value
are they satisfied?
Adjust your strategy as you keep focused on achieving your goals.
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1.5 GETTING FEEDBACK AND IDEAS THROUGH
FORUMS AND SURVEYS
It is important to recognize changing trends and the importance of adapting to needs as they evolve.
Alumni feedback surveys are useful tools that can be utilized to gauge your alumni satisfaction with
their education, and collect insights into areas for improvement. For instance, you can use surveys to
determine;
•
Employment status - measure whether or not your alumni are satisfied with their education.
•
Engagement - pinpoint who is still actively engaged with your institution, whether through
attending alumni events, paying for membership, or participating in the interview process
with prospective new members.
•
Sentiments/ Comments - put together general feedback about their experience.
Besides surveys, you can also host regular forums such as monthly or quarterly meet-ups,
WhatsApp and Facebook Groups or Forums built into your alumni management system.
The alumni’s role is crucial for your development. Alumni can provide support in various aspects that
are beneficial to you and the society. The alumni’s opinion in your development and proposed solutions
to the challenges you face is highly valuable in achieving your mission.
The alumni can do this by;
•
Increasing efforts in collecting funds.
•
Being role models and an inspiration to others.
•
Providing expertise in their occupations.
•
Being effective media for a stronger network.
•
Improving recruitment efforts in your institution by being ambassadors.
1.6 MANAGING GROWTH
As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. It is important that you do not bite more than
you can chew. Aim to gradually grow your engagement and services at a level commensurate with
your capacity. That way, you minimize disappointments and set out with good quality and a strong
foundation. As your numbers grow, you will need to grow your capacity as well. For instance, if you have
been relying on spreadsheets to manage your data, you will need to graduate into a proper database
and eventually a full-fledged alumni management system. You may also need more staff or volunteers
to manage certain aspects such as finance, communications, recruitment.
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To manage your growth effectively, start with a Strategic Plan. Review the plan periodically and allocate
budget that accounts for the projected growth.
You may consider means and ways of ensuring your capacity meets the demand from alumni by
outsourcing certain services such as accounting, enhancing your back-office operations, minimizing
costs and maximizing income, training your personnel and being innovative by continuously learning
new ways and methods of doing things.
1.7 RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers will be your greatest resource in building and sustaining your association’s capacity to live
up to its mission; You can rely on their influence and services to further your goals, deliver value and
provide opportunities for participation by the alumni.
Invest your resources in volunteer management.
Document and plan all of your volunteer opportunities for the year to make sure you have enough
opportunities for all alumni to participate in.
Design event staff roles in a way that creates an opportunity for alumni volunteers to step in.
Find the people who seem most excited about the opportunities, give them a voice and be flexible to
work around what they are interested in doing.
1.8 SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
Social media allows for fast, inexpensive, and effective outreach to alumni, providing a platform for you
to share content ranging from news and information to campaigns soliciting alumni support. You can
track down formerly lost alumni, set up online giving initiatives or identify potential donors.
You can also pinpoint new areas of interest to alumni by sharing clips of your programs to quicken
awareness of their obliged participation. Social media is a powerful tool to create awareness and
showcase your brand.
Use several social media platforms with a standard identity e.g. if your Twitter Handle is @Institution,
use the same for Facebook, WhatsApp, Linked, Tiktok, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Take time to set-up appropriate social media pages, groups and profiles. Use standard identity and
branding across the multiple platforms and assign someone to actively monitor and respond to people
that interact with you on social media. You will also need to actively generate regular content to keep
your audience engaged on social media. Your social media manager could be drawn from volunteers
amongst the alumni.
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Social media also provide useful tools and insights for measuring your engagement such as number
of likes, comments and audience reached. Use this insight to inform your social media engagement
strategies.
1.9 ENGAGING ALUMNI IN DIASPORA
Developing an alumni presence in any number of countries worldwide is essential. You should maintain
regional contacts or global ambassadors – these are individuals who serve as point of contact for alumni
in a particular region. Regional alumni coordinators would help you to form useful networks beyond
your borders. With such networks, you can benefit from the financial contributions of the alumni and
from the time invested by them in fundraising and even recruitment process.
You can start by forming a WhatsApp Group for all alumni in diaspora, then identify a representative
from each region or country. Make sure to provide for the diaspora alumni channels of engagement
and contributions to your association. Besides being your great ambassadors and contributors, alumni
in the diaspora could also draw in useful networks that would support your association in various ways
such as funding, mentorship, donation of equipment and volunteering.
1.10 APPRECIATION AND RECOGNITION
The biggest motivation you can give to those who volunteer to be your member, supporter or donor is
to appreciate them. Remember their contributions and time invested in serving your cause comes with
an opportunity cost to them.
Design a deliberate appreciation scheme that ranges from thank you notes, to recommendations
and referrals to special recognitions and awards for your alumni. You can make this more inclusive
and involving by running certain periodic appreciation activities such as Alumni of the Week Awards;
Awarding Most Engaged Alumni during Annual conventions; producing and gifting your alumni with
Memento and selling them Merchandise, as well as a host of several other means of recognition you
may think of.
1.11 CONCLUSION
It is important to engage your alumni in your institution’s development. These people bear solid
opinions about their experiences in the institution and how programs, services and activities can be
improved to give a better experience to the current students. This would in turn ensure high recruiting
rates into the institution, growth management, alumni engagement in donations and mentorship, and
also effective ideas generated from forums and surveys.
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You can keep in touch with and do follow-ups on your alumni via your social media platforms. Maintaining
contacts in the diaspora is a bright way of expanding your institution’s reach internationally. With this
partnership, the alumni can also benefit by accessing tremendous career opportunities and building
their networks.
You can draw great value from the vast experience and networks within your alumni and you can even
involve them in the board of your institution.
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2. SIGNING UP/RECRUITING ALUMNI IN YOUR ASSOCIATION
2.1 INTRODUCTION
You have probably associated with a group or a club before, either as a member or as a leader. In some
of those groups, you have probably grappled with dwindling numbers or numbers that just won’t
increase, despite tremendous efforts put into flyers, newspaper ads and several announcements. You
have probably had situations where meetings are always of the same few committed familiar faces;
where you wonder where people are and why majority don’t show up for meetings or activities. In this
section we will take you through how to get alumni to join your Association and stay involved. We hope
that you will be able to gain the following from this section:
1.) Why you should always sign-up new members.
2.) The benefits your association gains from recruiting.
3.) What you gain personally from recruiting.
4.) The importance of making clear what kind of association you are asking people to join before you
start recruiting.
5.) How to set clear, specific membership criteria to get the kind of members you really want and how
to make these criteria work.
6.) How to find people with the values, background and interests that are right for your association.
7.) How to deal with money and dues.
8.) The real reasons people join associations.
9.) The most practical and effective method to recruit people.
10.) How building relationships builds associations.
11.) How to recruit volunteers for a specific task in your association--some practical guidelines.
12.) How to think about media and mailing in recruiting.
13.) When to go for “numbers” in recruiting
14.) How to motivate and keep members and volunteers
15.) How to build member “ownership” of your association
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2.2 WHY RECRUIT?
One sure way of killing your alumni association is not to sign up new alumni into the association. Some
people think they already “have their members.” They think they don’t need any new members. They
don’t go looking for them. These people create troubled associations. They may not look troubled right
away. But associations that are not always bringing in new members lose strength. That’s something all
alumni associations have in common.
In order to be effective in signing up new alumni, you need to start by asking yourself why you need to
recruit. The answer may seem obvious. But don’t overlook it. Why are you asking people to join? Why do
you need them? Take a few minutes. Be quiet. Then take some time to answer these questions. Why are
you doing this recruiting? What does the association need? You may get other personal benefits from
recruiting? What is in the recruiting for YOU? What do you get out of recruiting?
Here are some of the reasons often given for signing up new alumni to your association.
Association/ Public Oriented Reasons
Private/ Personal Reasons
We need to recruit more alumni because…
I know that I like to recruit because….
1.) There’s strength in numbers
1.) I like to hear people’s stories.
2.) With more people we can get better ideas.
2.) I enjoy with people.
3.) We can have more skills.
3.) I generally get a new idea when I talk to
4.) We need a “critical mass” to be effective.
someone else.
5.) Those in authority won’t listen to only a few of 4.) I know other people think differently than I
us.
6.) It makes us more powerful.
do and they will help me see things in ways
I can’t.
7.) I can’t get what I need from the “system” by 5.) I like the sense of “community” that comes
myself. I need the group.
from the group. People know who I am and
ask for me when I don’t show up.
6.) I can’t do it all myself. I need the association.
Take the time to reflect on your reasons and look over your answers to the questions asked. Make sure
you have not left anything out. It will help you later when you hit the bricks. Remember them. Write
them down so you can look them over some night when you are wondering why you are bothering to
recruit. It will help you when people question why you’re spending so much time on recruiting. You will
need to remember the association reasons, as well as your own personal reasons. There will be times
when recruiting will seem hard. People will not return your calls. They won’t meet with you. The people
you do meet will not do anything, or worse, will say they will and then not follow through.
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Then, other times recruiting will make a lot of sense. One such time might be the election day in your
association. If you are trying to “get out the vote” you know you have to contact by phone or in person
5,000 people the evening of election day. No matter how fast you dial you can’t do it by yourself. If you
recruited people ahead of time, you have 100 people. Each person can call 50 voters election day. You
reach your goal and win the election. if you did not recruit well, you have only 10 people. You can call
only 500 or 1,000 voters. You will not reach the 5,000 people you need to win. You lose the election. In
this case, the need to recruit and the capacity of one volunteer is clear. It is easy to see the need and
benefit of recruiting.
Other times it may not seem so clear. You may not have an election coming up with a big and obvious
need for volunteers. It may seem like you can take care of business better and more quickly if you do it
yourself. But that does not build your association It does not build community. In the long run it does
not build efficiency. You will burn out when the tasks pile up and there is no one around to help. In the
short run, it may seem efficient to “do it yourself.” In the long run it is deadly to the association--and to
yourself.
Associations need to always recruit to replace the members lost. Members die. They move away. They
develop relationships that are more interesting than the association. (In fact, someone may have joined
the group looking for a relationship.) People burn out. Almost all associations experience some regular
fall off in membership. If you are not bringing in new people, your numbers decline.
The community changes too. New ideas will be needed to meet changing times. Associations that have
only veteran members may not be interested in trying new technologies, methods, or strategies that
may be needed to meet current challenges. Being able to recruit new members shows your association
still means something to people today. Recruiting people is in a sense a test of your association’s worth
and present importance.
2.3 KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING
THEM UP TO/FOR?
“I didn’t sign up for this”- Ever encountered that phrase? It’s the phrase used by disgruntled, frustrated
and disappointed members ready to quit the association because of unmet expectations. Too often,
people start recruiting before they know exactly into what association they are bringing people.
Before you can effectively recruit people to join your association, you need to know WHAT THEY ARE
JOINING! People want, need and deserve to know what they are getting themselves into. You need to
know WHAT you are asking them to join. What kind of group is it? Who can be a member? Unless you are
clear about this NOW, you will run into problems later.
Most associations start off informally. People get together for something. They often don’t think about
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who is a member, who is in and who is out. It may seem unnecessary or obvious. (‘The members are
us.”) But when you start to get more people, you need to think: What does it mean to be a member of
this group? What does a member need to do? What does a member have to believe in? What kind of
person do we want? Do we take just anyone who walks in the door? If we do, what might that mean in
the future for our association?
If you are going to be successful in recruiting people, you need to know what constitutes membership.
You may define a member any way you want. But at some point, your association will need to set some
“boundaries.” You need some way to distinguish a member from just anybody who walks in the room
during your meeting. Membership might have its privileges. It should also have its responsibilities and
criteria. The membership criteria you’ll want to set up will depend on your group. If you are trying to
build a democratic association, some common criteria for membership might include:
2.4 MEMBERS AND MONEY
Generally, a member is someone who pays dues or makes some financial contribution--even if very
small--to the group. All associations, except the most Informal, at some point in their life, will need
some money to keep going. It may not be much, but if you ever want to get things done, you are likely
to need some money. It helps to talk about money at the start. If you intend to try to ask for money, it
is harder to bring It up later. Even if it is only a shilling for biscuits or copies of the minutes for the next
meeting, ask the group to pay for It. Pass the hat. People who start associations are often reluctant
to do this. But if you pay for it, it becomes “your” association. If the members pay for the group, it
becomes their group. People will value what they pay for. If they pay for it, they will own it. They will
expect something from the group. If your members pay for the association, they run it. If someone else
pays for it, they are likely to have a big say in what issues it focuses on and how it is run.
2.5 WHY PEOPLE JOIN ASSOCIATIONS
If you want to learn how to get people to join and get involved in your group, you need to understand
why someone would join. The first thing to recognize is that most people you want to recruit are like
you in their willingness to join and get involved in an association. So, think. How did you get involved in
the group? Think of some time, any time in your life (it could be far back in your childhood or last week).
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
What group or groups did you join?
What led you to join?
What was the immediately preceding event?
Think of how you heard about it, from whom or in what way.
If a person asked you to join, how did they ask you? Was It in person? Over the phone? By letter?
What did they actually say?
6.) What else do you remember about what happened just before you joined?
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If you are like most people, you joined a group because someone asked you to. And not only someone,
but someone you knew and trusted and s/he asked you in person. It means that if you want people to
join your group you have to ask them in person. This is what works. Person to person. One on one.
You can try other things. Letters, flyers, newspaper ads, sky writing, computer generated direct mall,
public service announcement’ on T.V. or radio, and other “media” extravaganzas but what works, over
and over again, is one person asking another person. Your group will likely be no different.
Again, think back to your own experience. Why did you loin that group? What happened Just before
you joined it? Who was it that asked you? You will likely remember his/her name, even if it was a long
time ago.
You may wonder. Isn’t this very slow? It may seem slow, but it gets you members --faster than anything
else. It is what works. We may be so bombarded by T.V., billboards. magazines and newspapers that we
think that personal contact is not effective, that we need more “modern methods.” But ask yourself,
how do you feel when someone you know asks you to do something? As opposed to how you feel when
you see an ad on the T.V.? Which group will you stick with? You are not selling toothpaste. You are asking
people to make a meaningful commitment.
Another point about asking people is that you have to go to them. You can call a meeting, send out a
flyer, but you will wait a long time for people to come. You have to go to people to get them involved.
You have to show up in person, face to face, look them in the eye and ask them to help, to come to your
meeting or join your association.
Although it is generally necessary to ask someone to join, asking is not enough. And, although simply
asking may get someone to join, this is not likely enough to keep them motivated and involved for very
long. If they know and like you well enough, they may join as a favor to you. But it won’t keep them
involved for very long. They need to join for their own reasons and needs.
Again, think back to why YOU joined some group. The deeper reasons you joined are likely to be the
same reasons others will stay involved. So, think. What was and is in it for you? Remember, most people
you are trying to recruit will be like you. They will want and need to get something out of being part
of the group. But what is that? You need to learn what is in it for them. This is complex. People join
for many different reasons. Think back to all the things you may have gotten from a group you joined.
Some may be quite personal while others may be more related to conditions where you live or work:
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Sample Personal Reasons
Sample
We need to recruit more alumni because…
•
A chance to make a difference in the
problem of poverty, drugs, AIDS, crime, etc.
•
A chance to enjoy the company of others.
something that really bothers you.
•
The feeling that people appreciate your ideas.
•
A chance to express your ideas.
people you don’t really know. You just want
•
A chance to use your skills and abilities.
to belong to the association...
•
An opportunity to grow intellectually or
•
•
A chance to network and get to know
A chance to participate in the cause of the
spiritually.
Association e.g. better working conditions
•
A chance to sing in a chorus.
for teachers, better schools, etc.
•
A place to meet a mate or a new friend.
•
A chance to be with someone you really like.
clean up a park, or cut down the noise in
•
A chance to feel some sense of power in your
the neighborhood.
life.
•
•
A chance to protect the environment e.g.
A chance to do something about things
you are angry about e.g. bullying in schools,
strikes by students…
Do any of these reasons sound like yours? Do you have other reasons? Are there other reasons you
joined and stayed?
Many of us have limited knowledge of why other people will join a group. It is easier to understand
your own reasons. We may think that others are only interested in the “issue” the group is pursuing.
The immediate issue may be something like better schools, cleaning up a stream, getting rid of a drug
problem, restoring reputation of the alma mater, etc. But you will miss much if you treat people as
interested only in “the immediate issue.” In fact, if that is all they are interested in they are not likely
to last long in your association. If you don’t look beyond the immediate issue as a reason people want
to join, you may not be able to keep them in your group. You need to be able to get under their skin: to
know what makes them tick. Aside from asking them in person to join or help out with the association,
you need to learn what makes them tick. You need to learn what there may be in it for them.
Remember, you are building a relationship--not a following. You are looking for leaders, people who
will take responsibility, people who will, eventually, take on work on their own initiative. Not everyone
will do this. Many people will not take initiative without encouragement. Many people have had their
initiative and natural intelligence beaten down or humiliated out of them by the time they are still very
young. But you are looking for openings. You are not looking for full blown leaders who are eager to
take responsibility. You are not likely to find them. And if you do, such leaders are more likely to be out
looking to recruit you--or someone else. You are looking for people who have some good values, who
want to do something, who probably have some time in their busy lives, and who will do something that
advances their own personal interests. But you need to develop a beginning relationship. You need to
find out in what they are interested and get a sense of who they are.
| 19
2.6 YOU ARE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
You are building relationships for many reasons. Strong relationships build effective associations.
Associations will withstand stress if the personal relationships among its members are strong. The
tasks the association undertake will also be done more efficiently and effectively when relationships
are strong. When morale and communication is strong, tasks are completed more productively. Strong
relationships are the foundation of team-work. It is not enough to have a common goal for an association
to be productive. It takes coordination and communication. Good relationships are the foundation of
these. Strong relationships are also a reward in themselves. Look at the reasons you joined a group in
the first place. Look at what has kept you in that group. For many it is the quality of the relationships
they find in the group that keep them involved.
2.7 HOW TO RECRUIT: LISTEN
How do you do recruit? You listen. Asking people to join or come to your meeting is only a start. This
might get them to come one time, if they like you well enough. But then they will be doing it for you.
You will be developing a follower. If you are trying to build a long-lasting association where people
Invest their time, energy and ideas (and those are the associations that will be effective and last), then
you need to build an association of many leaders. You need people who will participate voluntarily at
many levels of responsibility. You need people who will work without your nagging them constantly.
You need people who will work for themselves, not only because you asked them.
You find out who they are and what might be a real, long lasting reason for them to join and stay in
the association by listening to them. By listening you can discover what the association might mean
for them. You can discover how they can best participate in the group, what role or task they can best
manage. So, how do you listen? That depends on how much time you have, where you are, and how
much time you want to spend right now with each person. There are a great many situations where you
will be recruiting. I will cover two basic situations. Your own situation will likely be a little different or
perhaps a mix of these two. This is meant as a general guide. Feel free to do it your way as long as you
follow the general outline: 1. Listen, 2. don’t sell.
One of the best ways to recruit people is to recruit people to an activity. Many people want to DO
something useful, not just go to another boring meeting.
When you have people, who are already interested members of your group, you want to get them more
involved and motivated. You want them to take responsibility. You want it to not be “always the same
few of us doing everything around here.” There is likely too much work for those doing it. You need the
help! But there might not seem to be something for them to do. Or you don’t think they could do what
20 |
YOU can do. Your job is to find something for them to do. “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” In
this case, the “devil” might be some other group that will find out what they like to do and allow them
to be useful. Since you’re working with volunteers, you can’t tell them to do it “or else.” You have no
formal “authority” over them. You are not their “boss”--as in a paid work setting. They are not working
for money. They are working for meaning. You need to find out what has meaning for them. How do
you find this out? How do you recruit people to a task? These are guidelines I have found helpful.
1. Ask them to help. The first and most important guideline. Just as in getting someone to join, you
need to ask someone to help. People are unlikely to help without being asked. If you don’t ask, they
are not likely to know you need help.
2. Ask them what they like to do. It doesn’t help to ask someone who hates to make phone calls to
make phone calls. Maybe they will hold a house party, or hand out flyers, or bake cookies. Find out
what they like to do.
3. Come with a “menu” of things they can do. This menu should be in your head. Don’t refer to a
paper when you are recruiting people. You want them to look at you and see you looking at them.
If you give them a piece of paper, they are more likely to look at the paper than at you. You recruit
people with people, not paper. When you ask them what they like to do, you should be ready with a
list of needed projects. For instance, “We need someone to weed the hedges around the building,
bake lasagna for the supper, sell tickets, collect tickets, sign in guests at the dinner, put up signs
on the telephone poles along the road to direct people to the dinner, make phone calls, etc.” Tell
them when they ask what they can do: “It depends on what you like to do. You can choose.” (This is
probably an opportunity they won’t have in a paying job!)
4. Know your overall project. Know its parts. Divide the whole into as many parts as is reasonable-things people can do without bumping into one another. Make many small tasks rather than a few
big tasks. You need as many people as possible in your association, and each of them needs to feel
needed. And they are needed! Before you start recruiting for tasks, take some time to divide up
the jobs.
5. There is something for everyone to do. Participation breeds involvement. Let everyone help as
much as they wish, even if it is only a very small lob. If they don’t want to bring cookies to the
meeting, ask them to come early to set up the chairs. Try to find something for everyone. If they
don’t want to do something on their own, it is often easy to ask them to help someone else with a
task.
6. One person is in charge (For now, it’s You). The buck stops with you. You need to know all the
pieces and how they fit together.
| 21
7. Don’t guess or think you already know what people like to do. Even if you think you know, ask.
People like to be asked to get their first choice.
8. Provide a context for their job. Explain the importance and how their job fits in the overall
campaign or project. People want to know how important their job is, and where it fits with the
whole. Every link of the chain is necessary.
9. When someone has taken on a task, see how they are doing. Don’t assume everything is going
fine. Often people won’t ask if they don’t know how to do something. Check in. You want to let
them know you care (“How is it going? Do you need any help?”) But allow volunteers their “space”
too. You don’t want to be a pest or seem like you don’t trust them to do their job. When in doubt
about the right distance to keep, you can ask them: “Is it O.K. if I check in on how it’s going every
week? Is that too often?”
10. Appreciate people for the work they do. Thank them. If they are doing a good job, let them know
you know. This takes very little time, costs little, but is worth a lot. Written thanks lasts.
11. If someone is doing a good job, think how they might take more responsibility. Ask them if they
want to take on more responsibility. Encourage them to do this. Think about what might be a good
“next step” for them--something that is right for them and helpful to the group.
12. Hand off as much responsibility as possible as quickly as possible into responsible hands. You
want to build the leadership of many people. Leadership means taking responsibility. The group
will function better when more people take responsibility.
13. Be friendly but direct. Ask specifically for what you want. (DO NOT ASK: “Can you help us out
tonight at the club?” DO ASK: “Can you help us tonight with the club membership by calling 25
people tonight between 7 and 8 PM?”)
14. Be clear about what you are asking someone to do. Especially about time limits. If you say work
will be completed by 9, stop by 9, not 9:05 or 9:10 or 9:15 or later. You want your volunteer to
return.
15. Avoid doing it all yourself. You are terribly competent. You know the Job will be get done if
you do it--even if it takes you until 4 a.m. This is often the path of “least resistance” for many hard
workers, but also the path to other things: like burn-out, no family life, no association, and no
members.
16. Ask for a specific number. If you are asking someone to make phone calls or recruit new members,
22 |
be specific. If you ask for too many, you can generally go lower. NOT “Can you make SOME phone
calls?” SAY: “Can you make 20 phone calls? - Or 10 phone calls, if 20 is too many. Or 5 phone calls, if
10 is too many.
17. Get a clear commitment about what they say they will do. Write it down If necessary so YOU
remember what they said.
18. Be truthful about the limits you set. If you say you are only going to ask them to do so much
and no more, stick with it. Remember you are building a relationship (and an association based
on relationships), not just getting a job done. Completing the task is not the goal. Building the
association is the goal.
19. Emphasize the need for help. This is real. ‘We can’t do it without you” is a positive and true
statement.
20. Rule number one again. Don’t forget to ask for help.
When you are asking them to do something, remember: It is an opportunity for them, not a favor to you
or the association. You and the association are not only out for yourselves. Certainly, there are tasks the
group has to accomplish. You also want to provide an opportunity for them to do something that will be
a benefit to them. It is a balancing act.
2.8 BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MEDIA AND MAILING?
Many associations successfully use the media and the mail to recruit members. Some associations,
particularly when an issue is “hot,” can effectively use the media to recruit large number of members.
Many successfully use mail to solicit members but I am focusing on face relationships because evidence
is that strong lasting associations are more likely to be built by person to person rather than through
the media or direct mail recruiting. Flyers, announcements and mailing can often help to remind people
of an up-coming event. But generally, from one thousand flyers you will get one person to a meeting.
Remember that flyers and media won’t bring people. People bring people.
2.9 THE IMPORTANCE OF NUMBERS
Most of this toolkit describes how to get people actively involved in an association. But many
associations need people who will join, pay their dues, but not do much else. That is O.K. The strength
of an association can be measured not only by its active members, but by the number of its members. If
| 23
people are willing to pay for membership it indicates they value the association and what it stands for.
Depending on your association, you may want to put some emphasis on getting large numbers of
people to join. Sometimes someone who joins, but who does not intend to get actively involved, can
be a good prospect for active involvement later. People in associations come and go. They move away,
change their life situation. their needs, etc. At one time, someone may be happy just to support the
association with their cheque. Later they may be willing to do a little more.
If your association is trying to show the support it enjoys in the community, one of the best ways is
to show how many dues paying members you have. So, although the emphasis here is on methods of
gaining active involvement, don’t forget the need to have people who join and show their support by
their dues alone. There may be times in your association’s life that you are looking for more members-not necessarily more active members. That’s O.K. As long as you know what you want and why you want
them. For this kind of recruitment, you will use more of the shorter visits (“door-knocking”), or media or
direct mail. You can make it clear that you are looking for financial and moral support, not necessarily
active involvement.
2.10 RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING
Successful associations recognize and reward people. One winning political campaign took instant
photos of all the volunteers and plastered the walls of the campaign office with the photos. People
liked seeing their faces on the wall. They felt important, recognized, and appreciated. It helped people
know each other’s names. If they saw someone they wanted to get to know, they could easily find their
name on the wall.
People like to be appreciated. Verbal thank you’ s are always welcome. Gifts and other tangible also
motivate people. Awards, even the simplest paper certificates, build associations and keep volunteers.
Notice how a meeting sparks up when someone is given an award. It not only helps the individual
getting the award, but it builds the morale of everyone else. Since people like to be appreciated, when
they see someone receiving an award, they might think of doing the association’s work themselves--so
next time they might be up at the front receiving the award and applause of the group.
Effective Associations celebrate. They know that people join for more than the issues. They join to
develop community, a sense of belonging. Recognize that associations working for people’s interests
are made up of people- -with all their complex wishes, hopes and dreams. Effective associations
recognize that putting people first taking time out to resolve conflicts, to say thank you, to celebrate, to
listen to “personal” problems--is not a “”frill”- -but an essential part of building an effective association
for the long haul. Celebrations parties, music, dancing, and food --are part of any recruiting effort.
24 |
2.11 SOME ADDITIONAL IDEAS FOR YOU
Here are some ideas and events you can use to recruit alumni, even when they are still in school. You
may add to the list...
1.
End-year Party and alumni Induction Day for final year students
2.
Bring guests to meetings
3.
Advertise in social media and mainstream media
4.
Put together guest information packages
| 25
3. GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE
This topic will cover the following areas
1.) Introduction
2.) Forming Alumni Associations (Structure, mission, etc.)
3.) Conducting Alumni Meetings
4.) Establishing Effective Leadership
5.) Managing Transitions, Elections and Nominations
6.) Legal framework, constitutions, charters, guiding principles
7.) Compliance & Statutory Obligations
8.) Strategic Planning, Review and implementation
9.) Conclusion
3.1 INTRODUCTION
For your association to function well, it is important that you have sound governance in place.
Governance is what keeps your association functioning as it is. Just as your human body is comprised of
several structures, systems and processes (such as the skeleton, the circulatory system and the process
of digestion), so is your association comprised of structures, systems and processes to keep it alive and
functional.
A defect in any of these aspects would render your association malfunctioning (or in the case of human
body, ill) All these structures, systems and processes that work together to keep your association
functioning is what is collectively referred to as Governance in this section. Governance is therefore
not just an activity by itself but an inherent part of your association. It refers to the processes by
which your association is operated, guided and held to account. It involves authority, accountability,
leadership, direction and control. It determines your long-term viability, survival and relevance. A
healthy association is one that has sound governance.
Sound governance enables your association to stay relevant through performance and to stay alive
through compliance. Performance is a series of events that starts with planning, goes through a series
26 |
of reporting and culminates in feedback. Compliance refers to fulfilling requirements of legislation,
contracts, taxation, insurance, pension and many more. Sound governance requires both efficiency and
effectiveness. Effective means doing the right things while Efficient means doing things the right way.
The complexity of governance procedures and practices are as varied as the number of organizations
on earth and there’s no ready-made off-the-shelf solution to suit all associations. However, there
are principles of good governance that are essential for your long-term viability as an association.
Such principles include having defined goals, transparency in decision making, sound framework of
procedures and policies, defining roles and responsibilities, strategic planning, risk management, legal
and statutory responsibilities, review and monitoring of performance, ethical standards and codes of
conduct.
Sound governance therefore determines the quality of our existence, enables us to function as
responsible members of the society and offers security to all our stakeholders such as members,
employees, donors, volunteers, public etc.
3.2 FORMING ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS
There are 3 key/ broad objectives for any alumni association;
I.
Supporting the parent organization (in this case your college)
II.
Building a strong community (strengthening the ties between and amongst the
III. alumni, the community and the college)
IV. Delivering value to the larger society or community within which you operate
Steps to forming an Alumni Association;
STEP
1
OBJECTIVE
ACTIVITIES
Form an Interest Group
Obtain list of contacts from the college
Identify key alumni to support the initiative
Arrange informal sessions with them
Directly ask for their participation in starting
the association
2
Reach out
Send an introductory message to all alumni,
introducing them to the leader, requesting
them to update their contact information
and asking for volunteers to join the
committee
Form an interest group from the alumni
who respond or volunteer
| 27
3
Getting Started
Convene a meeting of interested alumni to
agree on the objectives of the association
and form a committee Sample Agenda
could include: introductions, general
appraisal of the goals and concept of the
Alumni Association, Outline functions of
the association, identify short & long-term
needs, nomination of officials & delegated
committees and date for next meeting
4
Preparing the constitution
A committee can prepare the constitution
to be adopted in the next meeting
The constitution should cover objectives,
membership, officers, committees, general
meetings, funds, etc.
5
Follow-up Meeting
Convene a follow-up meeting to ratify and
adopt the constitution, officials and any
other issues
Aim to achieve a bigger attendance than
the first meeting
6
Launch event
Organize a launch event. Invite college
administrator or representative
Invite all alumni in your contacts to attend
Orientate first time attendees as well
3.2.1 REGISTERING THE ALUMNI ASSOCIASTION
You may choose to register your alumni association in any of the following ways. Each of these options
have their advantages and disadvantages. Review your unique circumstances to determine the best
option for your association. The structure and governance of your alumni association will be dependent
on your mission and the mode of registration. You may find relevant laws, resources, forms and
procedures about each type of organization from the links provided. It is however much simpler and
more common to register your association as a Society under the Societies Act.
Option
28 |
Basic Description
Relevant Links
Non- Governmental This is voluntary grouping of
Organization/
individuals or associations, formed
Public Benefit
for charity
Organization
https://ngobureau.go.ke/
https://ngobureau.go.ke/?page_id=26
Company Limited
by Guarantee
This is a company whose liability
is limited by the guarantee of the
members.
https://brs.go.ke/index.php
https://brs.go.ke/forms.php
Society
A society is any group of ten or
more persons registered and
regulated by the Registrar of
Societies
https://www.statelaw.go.ke/
https://www.statelaw.go.ke/registrarof- societies/
Trust
A trust is an entity created to hold
and manage assets for the benefit
of others.
https://www.statelaw.go.ke/
https://www.statelaw.go.ke/publictrustee-administrator-general-division/
To register as a Society, you will require the following:
•
A list of designated members (10 members minimum);
•
The names, occupation and postal addresses of the officials: Chairman, treasurer and
•
secretary;
•
Constitution of the society which must contain name, postal address and objects of the
•
society;
•
Application form A and B each in duplicate signed by three of the officers.
The procedure of registration will include:
1.) Name search - A name search is conducted to determine whether proposed names are
available for registration.
2.) Preparation of the constitution and filling the registration Forms A and B
3.) Submitting the documents for registration purposes.
4.) Being issued with a certificate of registration
You will then be expected to file annual returns, and pay a nominal fee based on the number of your
members.
3.3 CONDUCTING ALUMNI MEETINGS
There are different types of meetings for Alumni Associations such as the Annual General Meeting,
Committee Meetings, Project Team Meetings, Workshops and Networking events. All these meetings
are unique in their own rights and require tact in order to achieve their intended objective efficiently,
while keeping members engaged and included.
Different meetings are conducted in different ways; however, the following are key factors for you to
consider in order to conduct successful alumni meetings:
Stage of Meeting
Key Considerations
Planning
Make sure that the goal or intention and the desired outcome of the
meeting is clear to everyone as you plan. This makes it easy for you to set
the agenda
| 29
Scheduling
Find the most suitable time and venue when all or most attendees are
available and can access. This makes it easy for you to have quorum.
Make sure to mobilize attendance
Agenda
Order your agenda in a manner that will help you accomplish the
objective of your meeting
Meeting Conduct
Ensure maximum participation and assign roles to each attendee – e.g.
allocate roles like facilitating, participating, documenting and timekeeping to the attendees and establish some ground rules to keep the
meeting productive
After Meeting
Share the minutes, the resolutions and keep track of action items. Make
sure to follow-through each action plan
You may use the framework template below to clarify your meetings by answering the questions in
each column of the template;
Intention of
the Meeting
Desired
Outcome
Agenda
Roles
Rules
Time
What is the
intention, or
purpose, of
the meeting?
In other words,
why have it?
What specific
outcomes
should be
achieved by
the end of the
meeting?
What activities
will the group
go through, in
what order, to
move toward
the desired
outcome?
What roles or
responsibilities
need to be in
place for the
meeting to
run smoothly?
Who is facilitating, and
who is participating? Who is
documenting,
and who is
keeping track
of the time?
What do you
expect of the
participants?
What guidelines will be in
place during
the meeting?
These could
relate to
agreed group
norms. They
could also
relate to use
of laptops/
mobiles, or
practical rules
related to a
space. Let the
participants
add rules to
ensure that
they have
ownership of
them.
What is the
expected time
for the meeting, including
breaks, and at
what time will
the meeting
end?
3.4 ESTABLISHING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Leadership can make or break your association. As such you need to pull all stops to ensure you have in
place suitable, effective and recognizable leadership for your association. While the process of putting
in place leadership for your association is democratic, and guided by your governance structure, the
leaders you end up with will determine whether your vision and objectives will be accomplished. Your
leaders will provide direction and guide the association in navigating its way towards attaining its
objectives. You will need to put in place a framework for determining suitability of individuals that may
be allowed to lead your association.
30 |
Besides the general qualities of good leadership, some of the factors you may need to consider when
searching for leaders for your association would include:
•
Clarity of the leadership role - Is the leadership role well defined including duties and responsibilities
of the role?
•
Capacity of the individual to fulfil the role –
a.
Does the individual have capacity to fulfil that role?
b. Do they meet basic minimum requirements such as being a member of your
c.
association in good standing? Being able to meet their own financial commitments? Being
able to contribute to the association? Having a respectable profile? Do they understand the
mission of your association and are they committed to your constitution? Are they passionate
and committed to serve sacrificially?
d. Do they have the relevant knowledge, qualifications and skills necessary to fulfil the role?
•
Performance Track Record – has the individual demonstrated desirable performance in their
previous engagements?
•
Popularity – is the individual popular among the membership? Can he influence them easily?
The framework below can assist you in clarifying the roles and qualities required when recruiting
members of the board;
Background of the Board (a brief on its role and importance for the Association)
Constitutional Functions of the Board (what roles and responsibilities does the current
constitution provide for the board?)
Additional Roles and Responsibilities of the Board (apart from the above roles, what else do
you see as functions that should be performed by the board?)
| 31
Composition of the Board (How is the board currently constituted or how would you like it to
be constituted? i.e. number of people and positions)
Suggested/Proposed Board Members (who are people suggested to join board and in what
capacities?)
Recruiting a New Board (What is procedure and conditions provided by constitution for
recruiting board? What are steps to be followed?)
General Remarks (any or information worth noting in relation to board and its functions or
mode of operation?)
3.5 MANAGING TRANSITIONS, ELECTIONS AND NOMINATIONS
When planning for transitions it is important to align the incoming leadership to the needs of the
association by identifying current and future needs and mapping them to the corresponding leadership
qualities, skills and experience that would be required to fulfil those needs. You then need to identify
individuals that possess those leadership qualities, skills and experience; vet their suitability for your
association; cultivate their interest in your association; and when they are ready to serve, nominate
them for elections into leadership positions.
To ensure your nomination and election process is smooth, effective and successful; you may need to
put in place a visionary team whose responsibility is to ensure proper governance of the association.
The team would vet prospective leaders to ensure that you are getting the right leaders, they would
keep your board in check to ensure the board is properly performing its role and both the leadership
32 |
and the membership are delivering on their roles as they should. Such a team should ensure there is
transparency, inclusiveness, diversity and fairness in the election process.
In order to maintain stability and sustainability of your association, you need to put in place a deliberate
plan to cover both anticipated and unexpected transitions. Your plan should be able to address the
timely delegation of duties and authority whenever there is an unexpected transition or interruption in
key leadership. It should also be able to address continuity and preserve organizational memory.
From the very start, you need to embed the culture of succession planning in your association. You
can intentionally and deliberately build a pool of future leaders by providing leadership development
opportunities through mentorship programs, coaching, volunteering and cultivating passion for your
association.
3.6 LEGAL FRAMEWORK, CONSTITUTIONS, CHARTERS, GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Many associations make the common mistake of simply rushing to a lawyer to draft for them
governance documents – in most cases the lawyers just take a template and fill in your particulars; you
end up adopting a document which does not serve your purpose. It is highly recommended that you
participate in the drafting of your governance documents such as the constitution, guiding principles
and charters. When developing these crucial documents, it is important that you get a diversified and
balanced perspectives from both experts and non-experts such as governance experts, your association
members and experienced individuals that have served in your industry.
These documents are very important as they determine the overall governance structure and processes
of your association. As a legal requirement, your association will need a constitution that conforms to
the requirements of the regulator. You therefore need to understand your operating environment.
For instance, associations are regulated by the Registrar of Societies as set out in the Societies Act
of Kenya. Take time to understand the legal framework within which you will operate by familiarizing
yourself with the relevant laws governing your association.
Below is a simple framework you may use as a guide when drafting your constitution.
| 33
No
1
Article
Explanation
Example
Preamble
This is what captures the CONNECTED to inspire, influence and
vision, the spirit and the impact our alumni community, our School
vows/ commitments of the and our society:
association
DETERMINED to mentor and support our
students, teachers and each other to fulfil
the spirit of our school;
DESIROUS to fulfil the vision of the
founders, sponsors and supporters of the
school in relation to education, spiritual
growth, technical skills, employable
knowledge and social cohesiveness;
Do hereby ADOPT, ENACT and GIVE to
ourselves and the future generations of our
institute this Constitution as the guide for
(the Association) on this day of.....................
.............
2
Interpretation of
the Constitution
and Definition of
Terms
This is where the you This Constitution shall be interpreted in a
provide
meaning
to manner that:
specific words used in
the constitution to avoid a) Advances the preamble statement and
vagueness and bring clarity
the objectives of this Association.
b) Avoids
the
technicalities
which
The terms should be
defeat the purpose and intent of this
arranged in alphabetical
Constitution.
order
In this Constitution, unless the context
otherwise requires:
c)
‘BoM’ means the Board of Management
of (the institution)
d) ‘Committee’ means the Executive
Committee as instituted herein................
3
Particulars/ Name This is where you declare (1) The name of the Association shall be
the name of the association
XXXX (in this Constitution referred to
and other particulars such
as the Association and abbreviated as
as physical location
“XX”).
4
Objects of the
Association
Here is where you list the The Association shall be apolitical, nonreason why the association discriminatory and shall have the following
exists –
aims:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
5
34 |
Membership
To foster links and fellowship between
the alumni and the school
To promote, improve and protect the
interests of the school and of the alumni
Here is where you define (1) There shall be five (5) categories of
the membership of the
Membership as follows:
association
• Ordinary Membership: is open to....
• Life Membership: is open to ....
Who qualifies to be a
member? What are the (2) Membership to the association may
categories of membership?
cease in any of the following ways
How do people become
• Resignation: Any Member wishing
members? How do people
to resign shall ....
cease to be members? Are
there any fees paid?
Expulsion: A Member may be expelled
from Membership if ....
6
Rights and
Obligations of
Members
Here is where you spell out (1) Every member shall have the right to:
the rights and obligations
of members
a) be heard, provided such a right shall not
infringe on the rights of others.
b) receive or enjoy services that the
members have and may jointly develop
and subscribe to from time to time.
c) review the books of account and all
documents relating thereto and a list of
members of the...
(2) Every member shall be obliged to:
a) abide by this Constitution and any
resolution that may be made from
b) time to time in accordance with
c) this Constitution.
d) at all times, conduct themselves in
e) an orderly and respectful manner that
promotes unity, harmony, and trust.
7
Honorary Patrons If your association intends
to have a patron, this is the
place you make provisions
for that – who qualifies
to be a patron, how are
they appointed, what is
their role and how do get
removed?
The Honorary Patrons of the Association
shall be proposed by the Committee
from amongst eminent and distinguished
members of the society who have
demonstrated exemplary support to the
School; and confirmed by the Annual
General Meeting.... The Honorary Patrons
shall serve for a single term of 5 years and
may be removed by resignation or by a vote
of...
The Honorary Patrons shall serve for a
single term of 5 years and may be removed
by resignation or by a vote of...
8
Office Bearers
Here is where you define (1) The Office Bearers of the Association
the office bearers, how
shall be:
they get elected and how
• The Chairperson
they cease to be office
• The Vice Chairperson
bearers
• The Treasurer
• The Secretary
(2) All Office Bearers shall be Ordinary
or Life Members of the Association in
good standing and shall be elected at
an Annual General meeting.
(3) All Office Bearers shall hold office for a
period of three years...
(4) Any Office Bearer who ceases to be
a Member of the Association shall
automatically cease to be an Office
Bearer thereof.
9
Duties and
Responsibilities
of Office Bearers
Here
is
where
you (1) The Chairperson shall, unless prevented
spell out the roles and
by illness or other sufficient cause,
responsibilities
of
the
• preside over the General Meetings
Office Bearers
and the Committee meetings.
• have general charge over the
affairs of the Association, oversee
the
(2) The Treasurer shall
a) receive and also disburse, under
the directions of the Committee,
all monies belonging to the
Association
b) maintain proper records of all
monies received, paid and all
transactions entered into relating
to the Association.
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10
The Board
Here is where you define (1) The Board shall consist of:
the Board that will run the
(a) the Office Bearers of the
association
Association and
(b) five other members elected at an
Annual General Meeting as set
out...
(2) The Board shall be responsible for
themanagement of the Association, and
for that purpose, may give directions
to the Office Bearers as to the way,
within the law, they shall perform their
duties...
(3) The Board shall meet not less than four
times in any one year
(a) The quorum of a Committee
meeting shall not be less than 5
of the elected members of the
Committee;
36 |
11
Chapters
If you intend to have (1) Chapters of the Association may be
chapters you can provide
formed with the approval of the
for them in this section
Executive Committee and in accordance
with the relevant laws governing the
Association.
(2) Chapters shall abide by the Spirit and
Provisions of this Constitution and shall
be subject to t....
12
General Meetings This is where you define (1) There shall be two classes of General
the General Meeting, the
Meetings –
conduct of the general
(a) Annual General Meetings, and
meeting, agenda...
(b) Special General Meetings.
The Annual General Meeting shall be held
not later than....
13
Funds
This is where you specify The income of the Association shall be
the manner and use of derived from:
funds of the association
(a) Membership fees
(b) Fundraising....
The funds of the Association may only be
used for the purpose of furthering the
objects of the Association....
The financial year of the Association shall be
from 1st January to 31st December....
14
Records
This is where you spell out (1) The books of accounts and all
how the records of the
documents relating to and a list of
association shall be handled
members of the Association shall be
available for inspection at the
headquarters of the Association by any
officer or member of the Association
on giving not less than (14) days’ notice
in writing to the Association.
(2) The records of accounts of the
Association shall be audited only by the
Association’s auditors.
15
Auditor
You can provide for the The Committee shall nominate an
auditor, their terms and independent Auditor for appointment by
how they are appointed
Annual General Meetings.
The Auditor shall not be a member of the
Committee or any subcommittee....
16
Amendments
Provide for how
amendments may be done
to the constitution – what’s
the procedure?
17
Dissolution
What happens when the The Association shall not be dissolved
association gets dissolved? except by a resolution passed at a General
meeting of Members by a vote of 75% of
the Members present and eligible to vote.
Amendments to the Constitution of the
Association must be approved by at least
two thirds majority of the Members present
at a General Meeting and eligible to vote...
The quorum at the meeting shall be at least
50% of the Members of the Association.
If no quorum is obtained, the proposal to
dissolve the Association shall be submitted
to a further General Meeting which shall
be held one month later. Notice of this
meeting shall be given to all Members of
the Association at...
Your governance structure should be able to encourage accountability, transparency, participation,
inclusivity, efficiency, consensus, responsiveness and rule of law.
Here is a sample governance framework for a high school alumni association that you can use as a basis
when forming your association:
Membership (Annual General Meeting)
Local / Diaspora
chapters
Honorary
Patrons
Professional
Caucuses
Class Groups
Trustees
The Board
4 Office Bearers +
Other Alumnae
Networks
5 Board Members
Endowment Funds
Other Funds
Investments
Assets
Committees
Membership
Fundraising
Mentorship
Technology
Ad-hoc
Association Office
Membership Services
Records
Support Services
Accounts
The School
3.7 COMPLIANCE & STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS
Being compliant to your own regulations as well as being compliant to government regulations is
important for your survival and reputation as an association.
In order to meet your obligations, it is important that you are self-aware, aware of your operating
environment and constructively engaging with various stakeholders.
| 37
It is recommended that you maintain essential governance practices, and adopt innovative practices
while staying compliant to the law. Some of the best practices you may need to consider, especially
for your leadership team include adopting term limits for your leadership teams, ensuring meetings
are conducted regularly and well attended; conducting regular audits; strategic planning; budgeting;
performance evaluation and role descriptions for each member.
You will also be required to file your annual tax returns and society returns as well as comply with other
acts and laws such as the data protection act.
3.8 STRATEGIC PLANNING, REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION
Strategic Plans enable you to stay true to your mission and focused on your goals. It enables your
association to achieve its objectives by prioritizing your resources and aligning them to your mission.
A good strategy should be effective, organized, actionable, and tailored to your needs. It should also
provide a framework for handling challenges when they arise.
To create a strategic plan, you will need to identify the reasons for planning, and gather information
from internal and external stakeholders; assess the current situation accurately, and agree on priorities,
mission, values, and vision of your association. You will then need to prioritize goals and objectives for
the plan, and develop a detailed implementation strategy.
As you implement your strategy, make sure to evaluate and monitor your operating environment for
any changes that may require you to review the plan, or make relevant adjustments such as updating
roles, goals, and parameters of the strategy.
You will need various approaches to strategic planning based on your circumstances such as when
you are planning for growth, when your internal management conditions are turbulent, when your
operating environment is troublesome or unpredictable, when you are experiencing a crisis, etc.
Below are a few samples, tools and frameworks that you may consider using to help you in your strategic
plan.
Section
Vision
Mission
Values
Strategic Priorities
Goals
Performance Indicators
Action Plan
38 |
Explanation
Example
3.8.1 KEY COMPONENTS OF YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN
Your Strategic Plan needs to be very clear and can be used as a tool to communicate what your
association is all about. It can be a powerful tool for rallying your members behind your mission and
getting the much-needed support from your stakeholders. Below is a standard framework you can
use in putting together your strategic plan
3.8.2 SWOT ANALYSIS
One of the tools you can use to identify your needs and determine your position during the strategic
planning cycle is the SWOT framework. Use the framework to list your Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats. You will then have these in mind while formulating your plan.
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
3.8.3 STAKEHOLDERS ANALYSIS
You stakeholders will provide valuable input and support to the association, it is important that you
identify their needs and account for that in your strategic planning. Use the template below to clarify
your stakeholder expectations, needs and value to the association;
| 39
CATEGORY &
PRIORITY
NAME &
DESCRIPTION
THEIR NEEDS
THEIR VALUE
& WHAT THEY
TO US
EXPECT FROM US
OUR
EXPECTATIONS
OF THEM
Internal Stakeholders
Primary
Secondary
External Stakeholders
Primary
Secondary
3.8.4 FRAMEWORK FOR GOAL SETTING – SMART GOALS
When setting goals during your strategic planning, consider making smart goals. Smart goals are goals
that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. The framework below can help you clarify
your goals and make them easier to execute;
SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ATTAINABLE
RELEVANT
TIMELY
What do
you want to
accomplish
How will you
know when
you have
accomplished
your goal?
How can the goal
be accomplished?
Will the goal meet
your short-term and
long-term needs?
When will
the goal be
accomplished?
3.8.5 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, FOCUS AREAS, EXPECTED OUTCOMES, ACTIONS AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The template below can help you to crystalize your plan into actionable items that would help you to
achieve your goals within given timelines;
40 |
STRATEGIC
PRIORITY
FOCUS AREA
OUTCOMES
ACTIONS
KEY PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS
Priority 1
Focus Area 1.1
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 1.2
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 2.1
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 2.2
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 3.1
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 3.2
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3
4. Action 4
5. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Focus Area 3.3
Outcome a)
Outcome b)
Outcome c)
6. Action 1
7. Action 2
8. Action 3
9. Action 4
10. Action 5
Indicator 1
Indicator 2
Indicator 3
Indicator 4
Priority 2
Priority 3
3.9 CONCLUSION
Sound governance is a continuous, innovative, yet routine process that keeps your association alive. It
is maintained by structure and practice and requires highest standards of fidelity to your mission. Poor
governance can be fatal to your association and end your dreams prematurely. Governance is not just
a set of rules and regulations to be followed, neither is it just an event or an activity to be achieved,
but it is a continuous set of everything that make up the culture of your association to keep it running
properly in the prevailing environment.
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4. BRANDING FOR SUCCESS
This topic will cover the following areas;
1.) Introduction
2.) Building a Powerful Brand
3.) Expressing your brand
4.) Establishing Brand Guidelines
5.) Building Brand Democracy
6.) Designing your brand Identity
7.) Conclusion
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Everyone has a brand, good or bad, whether they are aware of it or not. Your brand is the overall sense
of how people see you. It is how people identify you, associate with you and what they expect of your
actions, expressions and character. Your brand is your story, your identity, who you are. It is how people
know you, what they feel about you and how they associate with you.
While you do not own people’s perceptions about you, you can influence how they know, think and
feel about you by being persistently and consistently true to your identity. As an association you need
to build a strong brand. A strong brand evokes an emotional response, frequently and consistently. A
strong brand is a consequential influencer in the society that gives you a good reputation, enables your
association to attract public loyalty, and helps you to make meaningful impact.
4.2 BUILDING A POWERFUL BRAND
The foundation of your brand is made up a number of key elements including your name, your mission,
your values, your personality as an association, your unique positioning and your voice as an association.
To establish a powerful, effective brand, you need to thoroughly understand – and communicate – the
unique characteristics of your association. To facilitate this, you’ll need to answer the basic question of
“who are you?”
42 |
Below is a framework of questions you can use to clarify your identity and establish your brand. Answers
to these questions will form the basis of your association’s identity and subsequent branding work,
including the design of such brand assets like your logo, your packaging, your web design, your social
media graphics, your business cards and the uniforms you wear.
Question
Your Answer
1. Who are you serving, and how are you helping
them?
2. What is the unique service you provide? How
do you provide it?
3. Why does the world need your association?
4. How is it different than what others offer?
5. What is the desired outcome of the service?
6. Do you have good human stories to share? Is
there a common thread?
7. Who are your audiences? clients, donors,
volunteers, employees, community, press,
and possibly others.
8. What attracts these important audiences?
What inspires people to give to your
association, or to want to volunteer or work
there? Why your association and not another?
9. What emotions or perceptions do you want
people to feel when thinking about your
organization? Maybe safety, compassion,
fear, religious loyalty, obligation.?
10. List all the related keywords you can think of
about your brand, your service, your stories,
the emotions they invoke.
11. What words, colors, images, symbols, might
support those feelings or relate to the
keywords?
4.3 EXPRESSING YOUR BRAND
It is critical for everyone involved in your association to understand the basic foundation and character
of your brand. When you fully understand your brand, you can work on expressing it clearly and
consistently every time you communicate, no matter the medium.
There are many components of branding, not just your logo, your tag line and elevator speech! Your
| 43
brand is expressed in your Mission statement, vision statement and positioning statement. It is
expressed in how you answer your phone, in everything printed or created for your association, in
your website, in your presence on other websites and directories, in social media, in press releases and
articles, in your mail signature lines for everyone in the organization, in your events, in how you handle
problems, in your annual report, in your newsletters, in your email blasts, in your promotional products,
in your signs & banners. In short, your brand is expressed in everything you do, including the grants you
apply for, the databases you keep and how you communicate with your stakeholders.
Everything matters, including who you interact or associate with. Every time you perform a task, offer
a service or interact with people, you are communicating your brand. Planned or not, your brand is
communicated in everything you do and is expressed in your quality of service, your attitude, your ease
of access and integrity.
A successful brand is inextricably linked to your mission; is relevant, believable, sustainable, and
consistent. To achieve a successful brand that is authentic and communicates clearly about who you
are and what you do, you will need to stablish brand guidelines.
4.4 ESTABLISHING BRAND GUIDELINES
Take some time to document the unique way your association wishes to be represented by creating a
comprehensive set of brand guidelines. Establishing brand guidelines is an important component of
increasing visibility and understanding. The guidelines will help you to build consistency within the visual
and messaging elements of your brand. Consistency is incredibly effective in improving awareness and
comprehension of your brand. The guidelines should not only set standards, but also be considered a
living document, that can be reviewed and updated in future.
Brand Element
General Guidelines
Your Name
Naming conventions should be addressed here, including
circumstances where a shortened/abbreviated version of
your name should/could be used (or not)
Your logo
Identify the specific design of your logo, including both
primary and secondary approved versions.
This may include a primary version that’s full-colour,
and a secondary version that would be appropriate for
one-colour design needs. Details can include relative
measurements, dedicated white space around the logo,
and pantone/HTML colour specifics. Don’t forget to
address preferred positioning for your logo, as well as
examples of improper use.
44 |
Your logo design should bear the following qualities
1. Clearly communicates who you are and what you
value as a
2. brand.
3. Is visually appealing: simple, clean and uncluttered
goes a long way; Is classic, not trendy: the last thing
you want is for your logo to go out of style in 6
months;
4. Plays along with your industry’s standards and if you
veer off, do so deliberately
5. Makes a lasting impression on your audience.
6. You also want to make sure that your design partner
delivers your logo in multiple formats (like a black and
white version or multiple sizes) to ensure you always
have the logo you need— and that each is in line with
your brand identity
Typography
Consider specifying a font(s) that matches your brand’s
personality and conveys your information in the most
appropriate way. If you create pieces in-house as well as
via contracted designers, ensure you select fonts that are
readily available so consistency can be maintained.
Colour palette
The personality of your brand can be expressed through
colour, and can help you stand out if applied consistently
and liberally. You can identify a primary and secondary
colour palette to keep options open, yet maintain control
over how the association is identified through its colour
choices
Photography
Thinking about the photographic style that best matches
your brand’s identity means you can get specific about
appropriate images to represent your brand. Does it
make sense for the images to be formal or informal in
composition? Should people be looking into the camera?
Indoor or outdoor settings (or both)?
Signage
Internal and external signage is one of the most utilized
and visible elements of your brand. Include details about
design, sizing, and elements that ensure easy access for
all users of your programs/services
Interior design
If you have physical locations, interior design can be
utilized to express your brand’s approach. Think about
colour, logo usage and placement, furniture style, and the
overall layout of the space
Brand positioning and personality
Telling your story emanates from knowing who you are
at the core. Describe who you are as an organization,
what you do at a strategic (ultimate aim) level, and why
you’re unique. Consider including how you’d describe the
brand’s personality attributes to help frame the language
you’ll ultimately use. For example, if your brand wants to
primarily be seen as nurturing goodwill, your messaging
choices will likely be different from an organization that
exists to create controversy.
Tone of voice
If your association was a person, how would it speak?
Think about the level of formality that’s suitable, style
of conversation and how your brand personality will be
expressed.
Grammar and style
Include details and examples of the words and phrases
your nonprofit uses, including grammar and punctuation.
If you follow a specific style guide, state the guide and
version, as well as any exceptions that are unique to your
association
| 45
Grammar and style
Include details and examples of the words and phrases
your nonprofit uses, including grammar and punctuation.
If you follow a specific style guide, state the guide and
version, as well as any exceptions that are unique to your
association.
Key messages
Consider the messages you need to communicate to your
audiences, and how they should be expressed. You may
have a few key messages that are paramount to your
communication strategy, and sub-messages that provide
additional context/details in support of your main points.
Audiences
Your nonprofit likely communicates with many different
audiences, and messages for each need to be framed
differently to meet their individual needs. When crafting
any communication, think about your internal as well as
external audiences.
Website
Your website is one of the most representative aspects
of your brand identity. Many people will definitely check
your website out before deciding to associate with you.
Your website is where your brand identity should come
through in full force.
4.5 BUILDING BRAND DEMOCRACY
A high level of brand democracy means that you trust your members, volunteers, staff and supporters
to communicate their own understanding of your brand’s identity. To make sure people know your
brand well enough to advance it on their own, you can consider some of the following:
1.
Get everyone on the same page. From members and volunteers to leaders, everyone in your
organization should be able to explain your mission in a 30-second session. Make note of the key
words. Even more importantly, note where they falter. If they can’t find the right words to describe
something, it’s usually because they don’t yet understand it well enough.
2.
Provide plenty of resources. Make it easy to check out mission statements, meeting minutes and
case stories that sum up what your association does best. These materials can help staff and other
stakeholders further develop their understanding of your brand’s identity.
3.
Make it impossible to forget your mission statement. This might be as simple as a grassroots T-shirt
campaign that gets your tagline into the streets
4.
Be a good neighbour. People are watching what you do. Your actions make up a key part of your
brand, especially to those standing outside the organization.
5.
Seek to harness, not control, social media.
6.
Spend some time reflecting on your brand both inside and outside your association. Collect data,
if needed — talk to your volunteers or connect with members on social media. Does everyone
understand your mission? Can they explain it to their children?
7.
46 |
Have a powerful brand presence physically
8.
Your brand must appeal to people intellectually
9.
Promote your brand content on social media
10. Prove that your brand is here to stay
4.6 DESIGNING YOUR BRAND IDENTITY
Your brand identity is what makes you instantly recognizable to your targets. Your audience will
associate your brand identity with your product or service, and that identity is what forges the
connection between you and your clients, builds client loyalty, and determines how your clients will
perceive your brand.
You will need to generate content that will be useful in promoting your brand. Some of the artifacts
you may design to promote consistency in your brand include magazines, newsletters, website, fliers,
your offices, vehicles and other promotional items.
4.6.1 MAGAZNES
When hosting big conferences that you want to publicize to new audiences, an event magazine is ideal.
Event magazines are publications dedicated entirely to coverage on a specific event.
You can use them to recap or detail highlights from an event your company has hosted. Creating a
magazine for a past event is also a good way to archive it for those who were interested but didn’t have
the chance to attend.
They can also be used to promote upcoming events. You can give your audiences a glimpse into what
they can expect from the event, the kind of speakers who will be there, and location details.
4.6.2 NEWSLETTERS
You can use newsletters to stay in touch with current clients. They are also used to keep clients up to
date on new features or product updates. There are advantages to using newsletters.
1.
Aside from connecting with clients, you can drive traffic to your site.
2.
At the consideration or decision stage, they can be used to drive sales and move prospects further
down the funnel.
| 47
Although your newsletters are targeted to your current or loyal audiences, you can choose different
ways to distribute them to different target groups. Personalizing your campaigns will result in better
engagement from your clients.
4.6.3 CORPORATE PROFILES
A company profile is a brief that provides an overview of the association to potential members and
supporters. It generally includes the following data:
•
the name of the founder(s) and the names and titles of the key members of the association
•
the official name of the association, its address and its telephone number.
•
the overall activities of the association
•
the association’s overall strategy, including its purpose and mission statement
•
the governance structure of the association
•
who serves on the board, if there is a board
•
the numbers and types of employees or independent contractors in the association
•
the basic financial data related to the association, including its yearly revenue
•
places where the association does business
•
the operations and mission of the association
•
the achievements that the association has made recently
•
the short- and longer-term goals of the association
•
Update and maintenance of the profile is important in order to keep people up to
•
date with the organization.
4.6.4 FLIERS
If you are looking to promote your services, you can also use flyers. Flyers are one of the most affordable
as well as cost-effective marketing tools. Information needs to be concise and simple for effective
marketing.
Flyers are extremely cost effective. Rather than paying for advertising space or venturing into the
expensive world of offline media, flyers have an incredibly high return on investment. It’s easy to get
flyers into potential client’s hands. This encourages promotion within smaller circles of family and
friends.
Not only are flyers tangible, they add a personal touch to your message. Physically handing your potential
client a flyer will immediately create a personal relationship with them. Flyers are still important in the
world of advertising because people actually read them. They are visually appealing and represent the
message at hand. They are quite affordable and easy to produce.
48 |
4.6.5 WEBSITES
Websites, like fliers, are important in marketing your association. A well-maintained website can help
you gain a competitive advantage in your institution and improve your organization’s image. Developing
your website offers many benefits including helping you get more leads and prospects, enhance your
professional brand, and improve your membership uptake.
Your website can enable you to facilitate online advertisement which is cost-effective compared to
print advertisement and enables you to make changes. Your website transmits your business profile
around the world, permitting for enhanced exposure and services, due to a wider demographic reach.
If you have a professional looking and user-friendly website, clients will likely have a greater chance of
considering your institution credible over those who either do not have a web presence, or have a poor
website presence. Having a website provides your clients with around-the-clock availability in terms of
access to products and information.
4.6.6 SOCIAL MEDIA
Clients frequently use social networks to make the decision to connect with a brand. Your brand can best
educate, communicate and engage with clients through social media through the following activities;
•
•
•
•
Curating relevant content
Publishing original content
Continuous engagement and community building
Paid advertising
A well-defined social media strategy will help determine what to achieve in order to better connect
with your community. Your brand should be represented consistently across all social media networks
via the posting of relevant, high-quality content. With social media, your aim for clients is first to gain
trust. Then become loyal. And then, advocate for your brand’s products and services.
Some of the social media services you can use to keep connected with your members include Twitter,
Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok among others;
Target
Audience
Objectives
Positioning
Who is
the target
audience?
What do you
How do
aim to achieve you present
on/from them? yourself to
them
Messeging
Format and
Distribution
Frequency
What messages
will help you to
present yourself
as desired?
How will you
send the
message, in
what format?
How
frequently will
you be sending
the message?
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4.7 CONCLUSION
It is vital to build your brand in order to create memorable distinction, difference and convey the value
of your association. A strong brand enables you to: create client recognition and trust; build loyalty; and
become sustainable, relevant and competitive.
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5. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
This topic will cover the following areas;
1.) Introduction
2.) Framework for developing an alumni Program
3.) Sample Programs, Events and Projects
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Alumni Programming is a continuous set of services, projects and activities that keep your alumni
always engaged with the alma-mater, the association and the community in furthering the mission of
the association.
The choice of programs and projects are dependent on your strategic priorities and the desired impact
your association wishes to have on its members, the alma mater and the society at large. For example,
you may come up with programs that promote your brand, culture or integration. They may be programs
that boost your engagement, enhance recreation through sport or music, respond to a need in the
community such as blood donation drives, voluntary service schemes, scholarships, welfare program,
etc. You may also initiate projects that support your alma matter such as refurbishment of buildings,
mentorship of students and activities that support the programs that already run in the school such
as metal-work courses, arts and music. Some key elements of your program include its structure, its
content and its impact. The program ought to be sustainable and aligned to your mission.
5.2 FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING AN ALUMNI PROGRAM
Below is a proposed four-step process to plan an effective program or event for your alumni community.
These steps will provide you with a guide that helps you to:
•
•
identify and prioritize your community’s needs,
design your specific program/event,
•
deliver the program/event, • and evaluate success!
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Section
Issues for considerations
Needs Assessment
What is the need the program aims to meet?
You will need to understand the needs and determine the
priorities for your intended program at this stage
Target Population
Who is your primary target for the program?
Stakeholders
Who will be involved in or affected by the program?
Program Structure
How will the program be set up,
How will it be run,
Who will lead it
What will be the reporting channels?
Program Content
What are the specific issues the program will address?
What will be the specific actions, messages and activities
that will make up the program
Monitoring and Evaluation
How will you monitor and evaluate the success of the
program?
5.2.1 UNDERSTANDING NEEDS AND DETERMINING PRIORITIES
Start by talking with the members, the school, volunteers, and other key stakeholders. Their input will
help to determine the needs and priorities of your program. This will enable you to identify the target
audience, community assets and strengths, barriers to participating, program needs or desires and
benefits of programs for your alumni. This is the stage where you set your vision, brainstorm program
ideas, and prioritize different programs to develop in your alumni community.
The template below can help you to clarify the needs and priorities for your programs;
Identify your Associations, assets and strengths
What is available in your community?
Engage your members and stakeholders
to identify what programs are currently
provided for all ages.
What types of support do you
currently have in your community
to help in creating your programs?
(such as mentors, coaches, volunteers,
facilities)
Identify the gaps and needs you need to address
Looking at the population of interest,
how would they benefit the most from
the intended program? Why?
5.2.2 DESIGNING YOUR PROGRAM
After having a clear understanding of the needs, the priorities and the goals for your program, you
now need to develop the blueprint needed to successfully run your program. The design enables you
to see the complete picture of your program before you even start implementing it. It ensures that
52 |
your program is well organized and that it provides opportunities for the intended participants to
participate.
The following templates will help to identify your program goals/outcomes, tasks to be carried out and
what resources are needed for the program to happen.
Taking time to lay out your ideas on paper will ensure your event or program is a success!
5.2.2.1 PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION TEMPLATE
Name of Program (what your program is
called)
Demonstrated Need (why you are
offering this program)
Target Group (who the program is for)
Program Outcomes
(The changes expected to result from
the program – can relate to knowledge,
skills or behavior)
Program Inputs
(resources needed for the program to
happen)
Activities/Tasks
(tasks or activities that are to be carried
out as part of the program)
Outputs
(products produced from Program
activities – expressed in numbers)
Measurement Tools How will we
know we are successful? (Methods of
evaluating program)
5.2.2.2 PROJECT/PROGRAM PLAN WORKSHEET
Program Name (What):
Program Timelines (When):
Program Location (Where):
Program Description (How):
Program Sustainability
Responsible (Who is responsible?):
Accountable (Who is accountable?):
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Consulted (Who must be consulted?):
Informed (Who must be informed?):
Resources Needed:
Finance/Budget:
5.2.2.3 5W BRAINSTORMING PLANNING TOOL
Who
Who will be involved? Which partners will help us?
What
What are the outcomes of the project? What impact are you trying to accomplish? What
do you hope to achieve?
Where
Where will the project take place? Will you need to rent space?
When
When will the project take place? Is there a clear start and end date? When does
evaluation take place?
How
How will the project proceed? How will you measure and evaluate the success of the
project? How much will it cost?
Why
Why are you doing the project? Is there a need being fulfilled? How were needs defined
5.2.2.4
FRAMEWORK FOR ORGANIZING ALUMNI EVENTS – EVENT
CONCEPT NOTE
Event Element
Event Description (Give a general overview of
the event. What is it, why is it being organized,
how will it be conducted, who is involved etc.)?
Goals and Objectives (what do you aim to
achieve by organizing the event?)
Expected Outcome (what are the key tangible
impacts you intend to achieve through the
event)
Target Groups (Who do you expect to either
attend or support your event?
Call for Partnership (What is your message to
potential partners, suppliers and donors? What
are the opportunities available for them to
support you and how do they stand to benefit?)
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Your Answer
Events Schedule (Give an outline of the schedule
for the event, before, during and after?)
Contact Information (Where, who and how can
the people reach the event organizers? Provide
physical address, postal, email, telephone,
website and social media addresses etc.)
Event Budget (what are the key budget lines
and how much is allocated for each?)
General Remarks (Provide any other relevant
information necessary for the advancement and
promotion of the event)
5.2.2.5 BUDGET TEMPLATE
Identify all possible costs for your program. Then list any revenue (donations, etc.) and determine if a
registration fee is required.
Participant Fee = Total Costs / Expected Number of Participants
Program: _________________________ Date: ________________________
Estimated Program Budget Template
Revenues
Donations
Participant Fees
Fundraising
Other
Total Revenue
Expenditures
Facility Rental Supplies/ Equipment
Leadership Fees Advertising Administrative
Stationery/ Office Supplies Other Travel
Miscellaneous
Total Expenditure
BALANCE (Surplus/ Deficit)
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5.2.3 DELIVERING YOUR ALUMNI PROGRAM
Now that you have clarity of what you want to achieve and how to go about it, the next thing is to roll
out the implementation of the program. At this stage you will need to keep the community involved
and informed, maintain records of participation, and recognize and celebrate your success. This is
where your consistency and commitment are very important to keep people engaged, participating
and achieving the desired impact. Use the following framework to keep yourself in check.
Record-keeping
How will you keep records on your program? (i.e.
attendance/ participation, incident/ accident
reports, etc.)
Recognition and Celebrating Success
Don’t wait until the end of the program to
recognize and celebrate your successes! Little
thingscan be done along the way. Example:
“thank you announcements” to recognize
participants, and community recognition
suppers or events.
Ideas for recognition include certificates
of participation/achievements, community
recognition night, suppers/feasts, awards, etc.
5.2.4 EVALUATING, CELEBRATING & SUSTAINING YOUR PROGRAM
This will involve measuring the success of your program and celebrating your community
accomplishments. You will need to put in place plans to ensure continued development of the program,
ways to maintain it, and methods to nurture the relevant activities. During the evaluation, it is important
to involve program participants, including volunteers, schools, alumni, organizers, as well as those who
help out. Planning for the future of the program is also important, including how to continue and sustain
the program from year to year and how to secure the necessary funding.
5.2.4.1 PROGRAM EVALUATION TEMPLATE FOR PARTICIPANT
Thank you for participating in this event. In order to best serve you, we would appreciate any
feedback
Program Title
Program Date
What were the highlights?
What changes do you feel would enhance the
program?
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Any other comments?
How did you hear about the program?
Would you like to be contacted about future
programs?
If yes, please give your name and address
Please circle the number that reflects your
overall experience: 1 = low, 5 = average, 10 =
great
Please circle the number that reflects your
overall experience: 1 = low, 5 = average, 10 =
great
5.2.4.2 PROGRAM EVALUATION TEMPLATE FOR ORGANIZER
Program Success, Challenges, and Reduced Barriers
Program Title
Program Date
What were the barriers to the program?
Did the program go as planned? (Please
explain)
Did the program meet the needs and benefits
you wanted for the target audience?
Describe the program successes
Describe the challenges you may have
encountered. (Remember, challenges can help
us discover a new way to do things and improve
our programs.)
Recommendations: Describe what changes will
be made, if any
How will you ensure your program will run next
year? Where will you get the funding? Will you
have the same volunteers?
Other comments/notes
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5.2.5 PUTTING IN PLACE POLICIES IN YOUR PROGRAMMING
Since your programs and projects will involve many volunteers and engage more alumni, there will be
need for you to put in place policies which are intended to ensure:
•
a consistent approach to the delivery of service by staff and volunteers
•
that volunteers and staff are protected in their rationale for decision making
Policies are important because they provide guidance, consistency, accountability, efficiency, and clarity
on how the program operates. This allows members to have direct guidelines and principles to follow.
5.3 SAMPLE PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND PROJECTS
Alumni associations can engage in different projects that benefit the organization. Below is a list of
some of the programs you may initiate for your association
1.) Fund-raising - A strong association can be one of the biggest benefactors of an institution that can
contribute towards various developmental activities of the institution.
2.) Placements - the alumni network is one of the biggest sources of placement opportunities to the
students. Alumni can help students get placed at their respective firms and organizations.
3.) Mentorship and Scholarships - alumni can play an active role in voluntary programs like mentoring
students in their areas of expertise. They could also play a significant role in contributing
scholarships to deserving students.
4.) Career Guidance - alumni is a huge talent pool whose guidance can be beneficial to many students
and other fellow-alumni in their respective areas of study.
5.) Networking Platforms - alumni network by itself is one of the best professional networking
platforms.
6.) Welfare Programs – alumni can be a great resource for the wellness of each other but building
and maintaining a welfare fund
7.) Social, Recreational and Sports Programs – these programs and events will enable your members
and the association to develop a cohesive bond while impacting positively to the community
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6. FUNDRAISING AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION
This topic will cover the following areas;
1.) Introduction
2.) Fundraising infrastructure
3.) Accountability
4.) Payment solutions
5.) Fundraising techniques
6.) Conclusion
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Fundraising and resource mobilization are an effective way of gaining support for your organization.
You are expected to find an event format and theme that attracts donors, set a realistic event budget
and find charitable event sponsors. You can also lean on the community and your alumni to fundraise.
You can promote your fundraiser across the web.
For a fundraiser, spreading the word is crucial — it directly affects your ability to hit your goals.
Traditional models include mailed invitations, phone banks, and direct mail. There are many digital
options you must also use, including:
1.) Email marketing: At every stage of your sales lifecycle, you should be tapping into your email
database to share an invite, discount, or sneak peek of your event — and make your existing
attendees feel special.
2.) Social media advertising: Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn have powerful tools to let you
send targeted promotions to the right audience.
3.) Event discovery sites: Most event-goers have go-to event discovery websites they rely on to make
plans. And if you use Eventbrite, you can automatically distribute your events on discovery sites
across the web.
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6.1.1 SAMPLE STEPS FOR TRACKING FUNDERS
1.) Make a list of targets
2.) Reach out to the targets
3.) Pitch your funding idea to the once that give you audience
4.) Follow-up on the targets
5.) Secure interested funders
6.2 FUNDRAISING INFRASTRUCTURE
A professional staff is essential to an organization’s fundraising infrastructure. While fundraising is a
team activity, it is vital to have someone in the organization who is responsible for making fundraising
happen, including facilitating the development work of volunteer leadership. With an appropriate
level of support, this development professional designs a calendar of strategically driven development
activity and keeps it moving.
Infrastructure questions to consider include: Is the size of the organization’s development staff
appropriate to its fundraising goals and the program elements needed to reach those goals? Are jobs
clearly defined? Are the right people in the right jobs? Do staff members have the necessary skills
and resources to carry out their mandate? Another critical internal element is communication and
collaboration between the development staff and other departments in the organization. The Director
the key leader whose strategic plan and vision for the organization attracts philanthropic supporters
commits a significant portion of his or her precious time to interacting with key prospects. Development
professionals also need to work collaboratively with their finance officer, program people and other
senior organizational leaders, who can help define funding opportunities and needs and serve as
important resources for engaging donors.
Fundraising professionals use a variety of tools and resources, including systems that help keep track of
gifts and pledges as well as of the information and activity surrounding donors and prospects. Whether
using a constituent management database or a simple spreadsheet for timely gift tracking and
recording, gift acknowledgement, opportunities for upgrading donors, and cultivation and stewardship
efforts, it’s important that the system be able to efficiently and accurately track and report on the
information needed to monitor the success of its development work, internally and externally, and
convey the evolving relationships between donors and the organization.
Your organizations also need access to prospect research: good information about prospects and
donors is critical to effective plans for developing them as donors. The quality of this information is a
key indicator of the depth of the relationships critical to donor development.
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Communications with donors and prospects are essential to move relationships forward: cultivating,
soliciting and stewarding constituents. How compelling are the organization’s publications in engaging
prospects and acknowledging donors? What tools are used to provide fundraising reports to donors?
Are the most up-to-date electronic media being used to reach people with timely, frequent messages
that match their interests instead of depending on one or two printed pieces that go to everyone
on the same annual schedule? Does the website make it easy to donate electronically or engage in
other ways (e.g., volunteer, use the services)? Are donors’ email addresses captured? Policies, updated
regularly and approved by the Board, exist for both your organization’s benefit and the donor’s. Ideally,
your organization’s policies clarify rules about what kinds of gifts can be accepted, how endowment is
invested and spent, and what the guidelines are on naming opportunities.
Well-documented procedures should be in place for gift processing, data entry, reporting and other
functions to ensure that the development operation can run smoothly despite staff transitions or
to provide clarity when unusual circumstances arise. Colleagues in the finance department should
be consulted to make sure that proper cash handling practices are observed and that the reports
generated by development match up with accounting results.
6.3 ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability refers to an organization being answerable to a third party. It refers to the obligation of
an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose
the results in a transparent manner. It encompasses several issues like organizational management
structure, financial procedures, human resource policies etc. Organizations with high accountability
and credibility are often preferred by donors and are more likely to get funded.
6.3.1 IMPORTANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Improved relations with donors and funders: Most donor agencies prefer organizations that have wellbuilt accounting mechanisms.
Financial security: With proper accounting and audits you can ensure that all your transactions are
secure and you are able to keep a check on money.
Greater involvement of communities: Local communities tend to get involved with organizations that
have shown accountability in the past. Communities will support your cause and will participate in your
project implementation.
Facilitates partnerships and collaborations: Proper accountability tools will facilitate in developing
partnerships with other organizations and agencies.
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Greater employability: Your staff will continue to work with you as they would feel secure to work for
an organization that is credible.
Improved performance: Accountability tools help you to keep check on your activities thereby
improving your performance. Research reveals that organizations with regulatory mechanisms are
more effective in terms of their performance and impact.
Aspects of accountability for your organization include;
Upward Accountability: This refers to the responsibility of your organization towards being accountable
to funders, donors and government institutions. As an organization you are answerable to donors and
funders about how you will be utilizing their money.
Horizontal Accountability: This refers to being responsible with project partners, peers and related
organizations. This also includes enhancing partnerships and collaborations with other organizations
and stakeholders.
Downward Accountability: This means that as an organization you are responsible towards your
beneficiaries and the target audience. You have received funding from a donor for the upliftment and
improvement of lives of these beneficiaries and therefore you are answerable to them. Along with
being accountable to them you also should involve them with the project implementation.
Internal Accountability: One of the most important aspects of accountability is to be answerable to
your own employees and your organization’s mission. It means that you have ethical standards and
governance structures and justify your organization’s core value.
6.3.2 MECHANISMS TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY INCLUDE:
Registration: Make sure your organization has a legal status and is registered under a relevant legal
framework. Registering your organization will not only help you in enhancing your accountability but
would also enable you to interact with government agencies and diverse donors. Your chances of
getting financial support and assistance will also increase.
Accreditations and certifications: This refers to an external agency certifying that your organization
complies with a set of norms and policies. Accreditation ensures that your organization has been
evaluated by a third party and fulfills the nationally recommended standards and policies.
Annual Reports: Publishing your annual reports regularly is a great way to ensure that you are fulfilling
the required activities responsibly. The annual report provides the readers with details about all the
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activities that your organization undertook a particular year. Make sure you use images and data to
represent important changes and activities that you completed in a particular year.
Financial Reports: Another important tool to enhance accountability is to regularly update and
compile your financial reports. This report clearly indicates your income and expenditure on a monthly,
quarterly and annual basis. Donors and supporters always trust organizations that show transparency
in their financial transactions.
Third Party Audits and Evaluation: Many organizations rely on evaluation and external audits as
accounting tool. The external audits help you to analyze and see if you are complying with the industry
standards and norms.
Publicize your activities: You should publicize your organization’s activities. You can use support of
press and the internet to showcase your project activities. Publicizing your activities enhances your
visibility and promotes public trust.
Develop your own set of self-regulation procedures: This is considered to be one of the most
effective ways to enhance accountability. Develop your own policies of keeping records, formats for
reports, trip and field reports. You can also start internal auditing every three months to keep a check
on all activities.
Stakeholder Feedback Reports: Start taking view points of the beneficiaries you are working with to
understand their perceptions about a project. This way you can immediately respond to their issues and
develop long term trust.
Contact Information: Make sure that you provide accurate and correct contact details on your
webpage, letter head and other communication. In case your office address changes, remember to
send the updated address to the donors and relevant authorities.
Improve communication channels: Develop communication channels so that you can share your impact
stories with a large audience. You can do this through press releases, blogs, newsletters, magazines and
social media updates.
Initiating partnerships with renowned entities: Partnering with well-established organizations help
in getting recognition and trust of people.
Get recognized for your work: Send in your organizations entry for various award functions and
competitions. Getting awarded for a social cause will make you appear more accountable and will also
enhance your public presence.
Conduct due diligence before partnering with a new organization: Conduct in-depth research of a
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new partner firm before entering in a partnership. This will help you in selecting reliable partners who
have a clean background and have not been involved in fraud or an anti-social activity.
Adopt ethical fundraising methods: Ethical fundraising policies should be adopted while accepting
funds. Make sure that you adhere to proper guidelines and report everything transparently to the
donors.
Clearly defined Membership Procedure: You should have proper guidelines relating to membership
fees, member duties and responsibilities etc. Also share important decisions and update the members
on a regular basis.
6.4 PAYMENT SOLUTIONS
Collecting donations online allows you to harness the financial power of your organization’s supporters.
Easy credit and debit card payment processing can help any institution reach their fundraising goals
and more. Below are online payment systems that can work for your organization.
Accept online donations
There are crowdfunding systems that make it easy to raise money online. By using these systems, you
can raise more online with less effort and increase donor awareness for your cause along the way.
Your supporters can even collect online donations for you and have the funds sent directly to your
organization’s bank account.
Sell event tickets and merchandise online
Collecting donations isn’t the only way you can empower your cause and your supporters. Online
payment processing systems also allow you to sell event tickets and merchandise, like t-shirts, stickers,
or mugs. For your organization, live events are a crucial time to grow your network, engage potential
donors, and raise important funds. You’ll want to look for payment solutions that offer ticketing,
registration, and other neat features for your potential donor base.
Mobile payment options
More and more, it seems the world is living on the internet. That’s why the best payment solutions offer
mobile-optimized giving options that allow donors to easily donate by credit card. This simply means
that you’ll be able to collect online donations from any device that your donor may be using at the time.
In their office on a desktop, or on the go on an iPhone, the best credit card processing happens where
the donor is.
When a payment processing solution works perfectly, payments are simply sent directly to your
organization while the processing tool works in the background to power the transfers. The following
payment processors include PayPal, PesaPal, WePay and iPay.
64 |
6.5 FUNDRAISING TECHNIQUES
6.5.1 REACH OUT TO CURRENT DONORS
The people most likely to give money to your organization are those who have already done so. Figure
out a way to go back to them to ask them to give again i.e. hold an event, send out a mailing, make calls.
Tell your donors why you need them to be generous once again.
6.5.2 RUN A MINI-CAMPAIGN
There are major fundraising campaigns but you can hold a mini-campaign. Decide how much you need
to raise, then structure it just like a major fundraising campaign. Have a campaign chair and vice chairs,
do a small booklet explaining your revenue needs, hold a kick-off, and track your progress during this
short-duration quick fundraising campaign.
6.5.3 PRE-SELL FUTURE EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
This is one of the best quick fundraising tactics. If you’ve got a major fundraising event coming up later
in the year, or some other institution-related activities that you know about in advance, pre-sell tickets
for a reduced rate or in return for additional recognition as a “charter” or “early” sponsor. Raise money
for your current needs using future events and activities.
6.5.4 HOLD VIRAL FUNDRAISING EVENTS
There may not be enough time to pull together a major fundraising event. Instead, talk to your best
supporters and ask them to host small viral fundraising event on your behalf. Using this strategy, you
hold lots of little fundraising events in supporters’ homes or organizations, with them inviting their
networks. Lots of little events can add up quick. If your organization needs to raise a quick KES 1,000,000,
all you need using this method is to find 10 people to each host a KES 100,000 event in their home.
6.5.5 CUT COSTS ON EXPENSES IN YOUR INSTITUTION
Cutting costs around the edges can really add to the bottom line. Every dollar you cut from your
expenses is a dollar you don’t have to raise. Many organizations have been able to cut 2-5% from their
budgets relatively painlessly, and without laying off staff. Take a good hard look at your expenses and
see what you can cut, at least for the short term.
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6.6 CONCLUSION
Raising funds is vital for the support of your organization by the help of your alumni. To gain trust of
donors and supporters it is necessary to keep financial records and account for every donation. You
require a professional staff for your fundraising infrastructure as well as skilled people who can set
up donation platforms and raise funds. You are expected to be accountable, keep ethical fundraising
methods and adopt current and up to date payment methods efficient for raising funds.
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7. OPERATIONS & ADMINISTRATION
This topic will cover the following areas;
1.) Tracking and reporting on all your activities on a daily basis
2.) Common Tools and templates
3.) Manuals and guidelines
4.) Processes and work-flows
5.) Managing correspondence, forums and discussions
6.) Meeting alumni demands and growing your capacity
7.) Use of technology to run your association
8.) Maximizing value from Alumni Management System
7.1 TRACKING AND REPORTING ON ALL YOUR
ACTIVITIES ON A DAILY BASIS
Many types of reports are created during the execution phase of a Strategic Plan in order to track
progress.
Status reports have a few key objectives, including:
1. Making communication across the organization seamless.
2. Simplifying the communication process.
3. Keeping stakeholders in-the-know as the project moves forward
4. Delivering the right information, to the right stakeholders, at the right time.
5. Enhancing organizational support for everyone involved.
Monitoring, tracking and reporting are a highly-collaborative process. Without monitoring and tracking
the progress, the reporting is not accurate. Therefore, teams must collaborate when creating reports,
so communications are clear. This collaboration and communication are facilitated by the right
management tools.
7.1.1 The Six Elements of a Report
As the execution phase progresses, it’s important to report on progress so the schedule doesn’t go
astray. Comprehensive reports include six elements:
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7.1.1.1 Basic Information
Start with the basics. What is the project’s name? Who will be managing the project? What are the
available resources? Effective tracking requires detailed information.
7.1.1.2 Status Information
Report dates are the most important status information, and should always be front-and- center. Also,
data separating status reports from other reports crossing stakeholders’ desks should be visible to
grab attention.
7.1.1.3 Milestone Review
Milestones are major touchpoints for your project. They serve as a guidepost for remaining work, and
the timeline for it to get done. Conducting a milestone review lets stakeholders see actual progress
versus what was estimated in the project proposal.
7.1.1.4 Summary
The summary includes a projected completion date, as well as resources and costs expended. Inclusion
of issues causing delays is an important summary component. There should be a clear explanation of
how these issues could affect budget and timeline, and work being done to ensure things are corrected
to get back on track.
7.1.1.5 Issues and Risks
This section is straightforward. List issues and risks you have encountered. Note how these are being
resolved. Finally, outline how resolutions are positively impacting project execution.
7.1.1.6 Project Metrics
Back up statements with hard numbers and data points. Project planning details should have outlined
these metrics. Show how data illustrates the success of your project to date, or, highlight needs for
immediate improvement.
7.1.2 PROJECT REPORTING BEST PRACTICES
There are some project reporting best practices to consider:
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•
Communication is the cornerstone: Status reports are a key element of your communications
plan. Writing reports in a way that delivers the right information to the right people, at the right
time, should be the overarching goal.
•
Be consistent: Find a format and distribution method that works for your stakeholders, and stick
with it. They’ll appreciate the predictability of the information they receive.
•
Set targets and measure against them: Establishing metrics is an important part of project
reporting and monitoring. Accordingly, these metrics should be how you project progress is
measured against goals throughout its life-cycle.
•
Keep things simple: Keep reports simple to ensure effectiveness. Don’t pull in details unrelated to
the issue on which you’re reporting.
Throughout any project, it’s important to evaluate reporting to avoid scope creep. As project teams
start to work, and silos of activity develop, it’s vital to keep everyone aligned. This ensures project
scope doesn’t creep.
7.1.2.1 Monitoring Scope Creep
There are five ways to avoid scope creep:
1. Document all project requirements: As explained above.
2. Establish change control processes: If scope creep happens, it’s important to have
change control processes in place to bring things back on track.
3. Create a clear project schedule: A thorough project schedule outlines project goals. It outlines
tasks to be done to reach those goals. This schedule is referenced against the project plan’s
requirements document to make sure everything is moving forward. If not, the schedule sets the
course for tweaks or changes.
4. Verify scope with stakeholders: It’s worthwhile during a project’s lifecycle to review scope with
all stakeholders. Reviewing the schedule together, and making sure all tasks stakeholders are
expecting to be done on a given timeline is also a good idea.
5. Engage the project team: Make sure your project team is happy with how things are going
throughout the project. Weekly 1:1 meetings or team meetings to review tasks, and also overall
project progress is a great way to keep your team engaged.
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7.2 COMMON TOOLS AND TEMPLATES
Some of the common tools and templates you will require for administrative purposes include;
1) Functional and updated database.
2) Offer services.
3) Communication with alumni via forms;
a) Membership Registration Forms
b) Event Registration Forms
c) Feedback Forms
d) Payment Forms
e) Evaluation Forms
f) Contact Forms
g) Survey Templates
h) Questionnaire Templates
7.3 MANUALS AND GUIDELINES
Your association will need to put in place various manuals and guidelines to guide various areas of your
association such as Operations Manual, Elections Guidelines, Fundraising Manuals and others.
These guidelines will assist you to create confidence and consistency in your administrative activities
and make it easy to onboard new members, staff and volunteers.
Below is a sample Operations Manual for an Alumni association;
7.4 MANAGING CORRESPONDENCE, FORUMS
AND DISCUSSIONS
7.4.1 Ways to manage correspondence processes;
Implement an alumni management system which correspondence function such as AlumniPad.
Bring order and keep track of important contacts.
Ensure access to institution-approved correspondence templates; select, approve and distribute a set
of correspondence templates that align with the organization’s processes and policies. Achieving such
consistency will significantly improve the communication processes both within the organization and
with others.
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Safeguard your correspondence. Ensuring that your correspondence between clients is safe and
secured should be one of the highest priorities for every organization.
How to manage forums and discussions;
Social media forums such as WhatsApp, if not well managed, can derail the mission of your association.
It is important that you put in place measures to manage and shape the discourse on such forums in
order for you to stay the course of your mission.
Some of the ways you can regulate and manage the forums include;
1.) Build a moderation team.
2.) Establish forum rules and encourage quality posts.
3.) Keep out the spam.
4.) Stay active and involved in the community.
5.) Monitor forum traffic.
7.5 MEETING ALUMNI DEMANDS AND GROWING YOUR CAPACITY
It is vital to meet alumni needs based on alumni set expectations. This correspondingly leads to the
growth of your organization’s capacity. Here are ways to grow your alumni association’s capacity.
Open Communication:
It is important that there is open communication between the alumni and the organization’s leadership.
If you are leading the alumni association, recommend regular scheduled meetings to foster a deep
relationship.
Sensing:
Before launching a meaningful alumnus giving program be sure to sense the idea with a diverse group
people. This will ensure you get good feedback on feasibility and you will learn more about how people
wish to be engaged, what they want to do.
Engaging All Ages:
Offer opportunities for engagement such as serving as a mentor, hosting events, or volunteering in
local events.
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7.6 USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO RUN YOUR ASSOCIATION
Here are a few examples:
7.6.1 Email
These services make it easier for alumni to stay in touch with each other, while providing the organization with an effortless way to send solicitations for money.
7.6.2 Social media
When it comes to connecting through social media, there are many options for associations than
just a Facebook or LinkedIn page. Organizations can create a Facebook or a LinkedIn Group for all
their alumni or segment them by graduation year, academic areas, or extracurricular activities. These
groups can be moderated by alumni, the alumni office, or both.
7.6.3 Alumni portals
They allow alumni to search directories for classmate contact information, register for events, and
access career resources.
These portals sometimes offer a private social networking platform that can operate just like a LinkedIn group. The alumni portals can be useful in meeting certain critical objectives of your association
and programs such as mentorship and career opportunities.
7.7 MAXIMISING VALUE FROM ALUMNI MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
7.7.1 Manage your corporate alumni network with software
Manage your Corporate Alumni Network with Software
As your network grows, your ability to track and analyze data becomes difficult. Content calendars
become overwhelming with the variety of content that is required to engage your various alumni populations. Communication plans start to become cast aside to focus on only the biggest upcoming events.
Overall, the program begins to collapse from the pressure of trying to constantly engage everyone in
your network.
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This is the time that software becomes crucial for alumni network growth. Software enables you to:
•
Streamline Administrative Tasks with tools to validate incoming alumni and ensure accurate data.
•
Administer Content Calendar through the content library.
•
Execute Communication Plans using the automated message manager.
•
Manage Upcoming Alumni Events with the event planner to further engage your alumni.
7.7.2 IMPORTANCE OF ALUMNI MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
Social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook do a great job at maintaining up to date information,
However, you still need an alumni management platform in order to draw real value from your alumni.
Some of the reasons you need an Alumni Management platform include;
1.
Alumni are a truly valuable asset, don’t lose their data and the control over your relationship with
them!
2.
3.
Alumni are a formidable asset for your organization, they are:
•
•
•
•
Potential recruiters for your new graduates.
Brand ambassadors for your organization.
A significant source of revenue through donations and memberships.
A large pool of expertise across different industries and roles.
•
A precious help for the organization of your alumni events.
Reinforce alumni engagement by leveraging your institution’s brand. Reaching high levels of
engagement in your alumni community requires trust and a high sense of pride and belonging.
Providing your alumni with a branded online platform rather than interacting with them solely
through non-branded and generic platform/s, will increase the emotional link and therefore the
level of engagement you can achieve. A branded platform will be perceived as bringing more
value and foster a sense of belonging as the platform is exclusive to your alumni.
4.
Centralize your alumni management tools to extract more value from your actions. An alumni
management platform allows you to centralize the tools you need to engage and grow your
community: Such tools include
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Event management
Email marketing
Social network integration
Job board
Membership management
Fundraising
Insightful Statistics
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5.
Create a map of your network and deliver the right information to the right people at the right
time. Likewise, if you are creating an event for a 5-year reunion you will want to make sure the
information doesn’t get lost in a feed.
6.
A dedicated alumni platform will mean that the communication is delivered to the right people,
in the right locations, at the right time. Your ability to target your communications so that they
hit their exact target audience makes for much more powerful communications and increased
community engagement.
7.
Generate a pool of opportunities for your alumni. You need to make sure your platform allows
your alumni to easily extract the information they are looking for and that it creates opportunities
for them. These could be:
8.
•
Opportunities to network with other alumni.
•
Easily meet up anywhere in the world with their former classmates.
•
Get information about alumni events.
•
Career and investment opportunities.
•
Access to research from the school or other benefits.
•
Opportunities to give back financially or by offering some of their time.
Save money and stay up to date with alumni relations best practices by using a specialist.
7.8 CONCLUSION
The two initial requirements to start an alumni association are:
•
•
The enthusiasm and willingness of several individuals who are willing to take on the
organizational initiative and sustain it.
The interest of a reasonable nucleus of alumni and friends of the organization to participate
in the association’s activities.
Who Should Take on the Leadership Role of an Alumni Association?
In addition to being an alumnus/ae of the organization (or an employee), the leader of an alumni association should also have the following characteristics:
•
•
Willingness to work with the institution.
Willingness to contribute time.
•
Enthusiasm.
Ability to motivate and engage alumni.
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8. MEASURING IMPACT
1.) Introduction
2.) Measuring Progress and Results in Relation to Goals
3.) Top Management Commitment and Level of Investment – Indicators of Success
4.) The Importance of Research and High-Quality Data Management in Measuring Success
5.) Indicators for Measuring Success in Alumni Relations
6.) Indicators for Measuring Success in Fundraising
7.) Measuring Communications and Community Building
8.) Listening is More Important Than Talking
9.) Conclusion
8.1 INTRODUCTION
Wellbeing Valuation is an established lightweight framework for measuring social impact. This
converts outcomes into monetary values based on how much they increase individual well-being.
The approach works through the analysis of large national datasets. Sophisticated statistical analysis
is used to isolate the effect of specific factors on individual wellbeing. To do this we must input data
into Wellbeing Valuation Calculators including the cost of the project, number of people involved,
their ages, what they achieve as a result of participating. This information is then analyzed to
calculate the social value of a project.
Here are three simple steps to get you started:
1.) Plan for Success. Create a roadmap for measuring your financial and social impact
2.) Set Program goals and metrics. Start with the question, “what does success look like?”
3.) Clarify quantifiable outcomes or metrics that can be easily measured on a routine basis.
4.) Report Out. Impact is irrelevant if no one knows about it, so be sure to share updates
5.) with both stats and stories internally (i.e. board/staff meetings) and externally (i.e. newsletters,
social media, blogs, annual reports, etc.)
8.1.1 HOW TO MEASURE SOCIAL IMPACT
1. Identify the particular difference (the impact) you and your institution are seeking to make –
that way you know what to track and measure and are clear about your purpose. Deciding on the
difference you and your organization want to make is closely aligned to your overall mission and
values.
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2.
With each project, use a theory of change to identify the impact and outcomes (the changes you
want to make – in the short, medium and long term) from your project.
3. Plan and cost your inputs (resources) and activities to enable these outcomes. These could be
group activities, individual mentoring and support, skills sessions. What resources do you need –
expertise, materials, space, marketing.
4. Be clear about your outputs (what is produced) from the activities. These could be CVs, job
applications, film, presentations, journals, recordings.
5. Who is the Impact Evaluation for? Who is your audience? Be clear about who the evaluation is for
so that you measure impact relevant to the audience and use appropriate language.
6. Think about what form your final evaluation report will be in. This could be a written report with
graphs, diagrams, videos, recordings or a mixture. How are you going to tell participants’ stories?
7. Think about what form would best suit your target audience? How might your work be applied in
another place or with another group?
Decide what you are going to measure at the beginning of your project. You may wish to think about
the extent a project empowers individuals or communities and then show this through measuring
aspects like confidence, connectivity, skills at the start and again at the end of a project. Examples of
measurable empowerment include be:
a.) increased confidence and self-worth
b.) increased knowledge and skills
c.) increased economic benefit
d.) managing life better (less anxiety / depression / loneliness, more engaged in their community or
new friendships)
e.) re-engagement with education.
8. Determine the measurement methodologies you will use. That way you will know to what extent
you’ve achieved the changes you want to make. This will be both:
a.) quantitative data (collecting information on number of people participating, their
b.) personal details, register of attendance)
c.) qualitative information– to show the individual journey travelled; this means they
d.) identify where they are at the start of the programme and again at the end to see how far they’ve
progressed in whatever area they are seeking to change or improve.
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9. Measurement and evaluation tools: include surveys questioning participants’ environment,
employment, health, financial inclusion, age etc., questionnaires identifying what they have learnt
and storytelling strategies such as films and recordings as well as personal endorsements.
10. Create final evaluation and report in whichever form you have chosen; demonstrating your
impact against the project ambitions. You should be able to show the impact of the arts and culture
activities on the initial need or problem you identified.
8.2 MEASURING PROGRESS AND RESULTS IN RELATION TO GOALS
It helps to articulate the vision of your institution, why it exists and what it does. Since benefits of
your operations often can be materialized only in the long term, you need to have metrics that show
progress of operations and how you are working towards achieving the goals set for the longer run.
Because alumni relations and fundraising need heavy investments to be successful, it is clear that
measurable goals need to be set. Major progress in alumni relations and fundraising can be accomplished
with sufficient resources and comprehensive planning if the goals set are clear and the organizations
share understanding of them.
Keys to success tracking and measurement can be summed up in the following way:
1) Use multiple channels.
2) Build and steward lifetime relationships.
3) Measure attitudes and behaviors. Use metrics to track progress.
4) Do stakeholder survey.
5) Conduct regular research.
6) Value alumni and donors in all their roles.
8.2.1 TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT AND LEVEL OF INVESTMENT– INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
You need to start with long-term thinking and be systematic, team-oriented and ethical. Topmanagement support and involvement is essential. You will need to invest in professionals and other
resources that are needed to succeed. Data systems and data management that are a crucial element
for successful fundraising; infrastructure that is needed to support success. Your staff mission is to
help in articulating the vision, enabling success and leading from behind and below. Your staff has to
stay flexible, innovative and reinventing ways to do improve the profession. There are a few metrics to
consider:
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1.
Fundraising overall is a very labor-intensive profession. That is why it is really important to realize
how many major gift prospects one fundraiser can handle and how that affects the expected
results in fundraising.
2.
How much the top management allocates time to fundraising, number of major gift visits made,
number of events hosted, number of calls made to prospects and donors, number of thanking
events.
8.2.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH AND HIGH-QUALITY DATA
MANAGEMENT IN MEASURING SUCCESS
Measuring needs to be based on regular research: asking, scanning and assessing. Listening to the
constituencies and providing feedback loops should be a constant activity. Metrics should exist to help
tracking progress weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Effectiveness of each program should be
measured. In measuring the outcomes, it is hard to show interdependency but you can find correlation.
Seeking correlations and seeking the effect, not just numbers, is the way to proceed. Measuring is
about a cost-benefit analysis: was its real worth is, what was the cost per alumnus/donor, does the
potential positive outcome outweigh the staff time and other resources. Performance metrics should
be in place for staff performance, too, to measure outreach and success.
High quality data management is a combination of people process and technology.
a.) People: In institutional giving, e.g. prospect research is essential in fundraising success and
institutions need to invest in people doing that. Each researcher is dedicated to each organization
and people are assigned to specific prospects. It is important to assure that many people do not
contact the same prospect. The success in prospect research can be measured in tracking progress
in the qualifying categories for prospect research: – how much information has been collected and
analyzed, to evaluate how many of the qualified major gift prospects actually lead to donations.
b.) Process: Online tracking system is the key to the alumni relations and fundraising processes – all
personnel add info about the meetings and connections and their status into the system, records
are followed closely, which events or gifts are closing and when, active contacts, proposals or
request, declined proposals. Success in the fundraising process can be evaluated according to
the fundraising cycle: – number of identified prospects, number of prospect meetings, number
of scheduled meetings to strategize with staff and talk about coming meetings and donations,
number of prospects in different cultivation phases, number of prospects in the ask phase.
c.) Technology: The database is the backbone of success in alumni relations and fundraising. The goal
is to have one general system that benefits the whole institution community. New innovations in
technology create new ways of data management:
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8.3 INDICATORS FOR MEASURING SUCCESS IN
ALUMNI RELATIONS
In advancement, Alumni relations come first. Creating relationships and establishing alumni activities
should start early, pre-admission or with student programming. Time to actively raise funds comes
later. Alumni value higher education; for alumni, rich educational experience creates responsibility to
help the next generation. It is vital to stay in touch with alumni, and it goes far beyond giving money.
And once you stay in touch, they will in fact support the institution – if the institution is still, truly,
there for them. Throughout the study tour, the importance of creating value for alumni in all their roles
within the institution was strongly emphasized. That is why alumni programs cannot be measured only
in terms of alumni participation in fundraising, but with indicators created to measure the different
activities and participation forms during the different phases in the lifelong relationship between
alumni and the institution.
The alumni satisfaction rate is a key measure in evaluating how successful alumni relations programs
are. The rate contains components like pride of your own institution, appreciation of alumni programs.
Alumni satisfaction rate can be measured by surveys and enquiries with questions such as would you
recommend, would you do it again, would you attend. Some of the areas of measurement in alumni
relations include;
1) Number of contactable alumni
2) Engagement and participation
a) Events
b) Programs
c) Profile updates
d) Recommendations to others
3) Giving
a) Total amount of alumni giving
b) Alumni participation rate
4) Volunteers
a) Number of volunteers
b) Hours of volunteer work
5) Student participation
Some of the elements you’ll need to have in mind for successful alumni programs include;
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1) Effective and interactive information systems.
2) Alumni association with clear identity governance structure.
3) Defined volunteer structure with expectations, roles, responsibility and accountability.
4) Effective internal organization including programs, staff, funding sources and records.
8.4 INDICATORS FOR MEASURING SUCCESS IN
FUNDRAISING
Results are always evaluated also in accordance with the investments made. This systematic view and
approach fully apply also to alumni relations and engagement. Areas of measurement in fundraising
include;
1) Measure investment; number of staff, budget total investment over the years.
2) Measure attitude and behavior
3) Measure donors and donor types
4) Measure fundraising activity
5) Measure stewardship
6) Measure goal achievement
8.5 MEASURING COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
Branding, marketing and communications are critical to the success of all your efforts. Brand
differentiates institutions from one another and it is the most valuable asset the institutions have. Brand
is the result of a long-term strategic process and describes the institutions’ promise as perceived by key
audiences. To communicate efficiently, hard work reaching out to alumni and other constituencies,
branding and targeted communication are needed. Success in communication requires you to:
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1.
Conduct regular research.
2.
Measure attitudes and behaviors.
3.
Scan the environment and assess external reactions to internal decisions.
4.
Manage institutional reputation.
5.
Provide feedback loops.
6.
Use multiple channels.
7.
Involve the entire institution: coordinate communications and marketing efforts across
8.
campus
9.
Tell compelling stories.
10. Reflect institutional values.
11. Plan before the crisis, live your values during the crisis, evaluate after the crisis.
12. Conduct strategic programs of two-way information exchange with key constituencies.
8.6 CONCLUSION
8.6.1 LISTENING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TALKING
Success in fundraising requires that your leadership is accessible and available as chief spokespersons
for the association. Messages should be kept clear, simple, direct, honest and the big-picture in mind.
The essential message is that for any institution with clear goals in development, philanthropic revenue
will make the difference between being excellent and just surviving. All institution’s representatives
should deploy this message passionately, articulating the vision and setting example.
Your communication strategy should be a combination of both financial and social impact metrics,
and should consider statistics and personal stories that convey your impact. Effective communications
strategies revolve around content tailored for your target audience, reliable data and transparency.
Having a mission-aligned strategy builds trust in your organization, develops the capacity and
commitment of your staff, communicates your social impact clearly to potential or existing donors,
investors and board members, and promotes collaboration or opportunities for others to join in your
mission.
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9. BEST PRACTICES FOR A SUSTAINABLE
ALUMNI MODEL
KEY AREA
BEST PRACTICE
9.1 FUNDING
Create a symbiotic relationship with the college in order
to reduce costs of running the association e.g. the college
(being the biggest beneficiary) can contribute by housing
the alumni office and/or staff
Establish a perpetual endowment fund/foundation from
whose proceeds the association may run its’ programs. This
creates stability & sustainability of funding
Be entrepreneurial by Innovating programs, projects
and products that generate additional revenue for the
association
9.2 ENGAGEMENT
Encourage engagement by structuring value/benefits for all
categories of alumni, including the students in college; and
offering additional incentives for engagement. Engagement
avenues may include offering one’s time, talent or treasure
Create and articulate value to alumni including networking,
sustaining friendships,
Stay relevant to both the college and the alumni by
continuous engagement, surveys and roundtables
Closely connect and align your activities to the priorities of
the college
Closely monitor, measure and encourage engagement and
impact from the form 1 girl to the oldest alumni. Aim at
converting every contact to givers
9.3 GOVERNANCE
Stay interdependent with the college by aligning the
association with the leadership, programs and activities of
the college and maintaining a good relationship with the
college, without compromising your independence to be
able to offer oversight to the college. Independently elect
your leadership and lobby for representation in the board
of the college to champion and advocate for the interests
of alumni
Diversify the leadership to cover all age-groups and
structure your membership to reflect the peculiar needs of
each age-group and create an aspirational cycle e. g what
the students look up to, what the young graduates look
up to, what the mid-career alumni look up to and what the
senior alumni look up to
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9.4 GROWTH
Start with developing a vision and a Strategic Plan for the
association
Begin fostering lifetime commitment by recruiting members
right from the time they get admission numbers in form1
9.5 MEMBERSHIP
FEES
Start with Membership Fees
Clarify value/benefits to members who pay membership
fees. Also clarify what goes to admin work and what goes
to the college.
Grow towards universal membership by reducing reliance
on membership fees and innovating new revenue and
engagement channels
Create awareness about the alumni association and
encourage giving rather than paying.
Membership Fees increase engagement especially during
renewal time; Generates a commitment from members;
Creates a sense of pride (feel- good vibes) in the members;
and generate regular income you can budget on.
However, Membership Fees may also create a negative vibe
from non- members who do not appreciate the benefits of
paying membership fees. This can often lead to a divided
alumni community and generate heavy admin overheads in
distinguishing between alumni services and membership
services
9.6 SAMPLE MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT MODEL
9.6.1 FACTORS TO CONSIDER
1.) Inclusivity: make as many alumni as possible feel and be part of the association
2.) Funding: Eliminate direct competition between fundraising for needs such as scholarships and
membership dues
3.) Create synergy between the association and the college
4.) Adopt a Membership Model that promotes engagement, encourages giving and widens the donor
base. The more an individual engages or gives or expands your network, the more benefits she
gets entitled to
5.) Package membership to take into account alumni donations in various funds (such as Alumni Support
Fund & Endowment Fund) as well as participation in various activities such (Such as Mentorship,
Sports, Sponsorship, Personal Wellness, Training, Work- shops, Fun-days and networking events).
You can become a member by participating in Your Alumni Programs, contributing to various funds
or by paying a membership fee.
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6.) Structure membership to take into account diverse alumni characteristics such as age, financial
capability, availability, locality, skills and experience
7.) Create value-addition programs for member benefits by incentivizing members to engage in
activities such as
a.) Organizing, Hosting or attending Alumni Events
b.) Hosting Your Interns or employing Your alumni
c.) Volunteering in various causes & Programs including Mentorship, Fundraising and Secretariat
Support
d.) Belonging to or Leading regional chapters or Class Groups
e.) Actively Participating in a Sub-committee or Boards of Your alumni/college
f.) Partially or fully Sponsoring students at Your or collage
g.) Contributing to the Endowment Fund Initiatives
h.) Contributing to the various Funds including Projects Fund and Alumni Support Fund
i.) Recruiting or referring new members, corporates, alumni and other relationships to the
association
j.) Assisting Prospective students to successfully apply to Your college
k.) Frequently using your mobile app or logging into your website and sharing content
l.) Participating in your digital community by posting or sharing your posts and commenting on
them (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.)
m.) Responding to your SMS, Emails and WhatsApp Messages
9.7 SAMPLE PROPOSED MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
BENEFIT CATEGORY
Examples of Benefits
Career Related Benefits
Job-search assistance programs Job Networking Platforms
College Related Benefits
Parking Space facilities
Library facilities
Accommodation facilities
Conferencing facilities
Education Related Benefits
Discount on classes e.g. music classes for children; coding
bootcamps, etc.
Financial/ Insurance Related Benefits Group Life Insurance; Last expense insurance, group medical
insurance, etc.
Partnerships/ Business
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Discounted rates on group club memberships, discounted
rates on services by alumni; shopping discounts with
supermarkets, petrol stations, restaurants, etc.
9.7.1 MORE EXAMPLES
1.) Access to Camping facilities at your College
2.) Access to facilities at your College for conferences, weddings, music, sports grounds, etc.
3.) Access to Exclusive Networks (Senior alumni in Government; C-Level Executives Networks
etc.
4.) Access to online Alumni Business Directory/ Database
5.) Career Networking Opportunities
6.) Access to Scholarship Material and Advise
7.) Discounts at Alumni Events
8.) Opportunity to support college projects & sponsorships
9.) Exclusive Access to select Recreational Facilities through strategic partnerships
10.) Parking Space at the College Premises
11.) Career Coaching & Mentorship opportunities
12.) Subsidized Fees at Alumni Owned Facilities/ Services such as Doctors; Lawyers; Rental
Properties etc.
13.) Access to group investment opportunities such as class groups
14.) Access to Welfare Support coordinated by the Secretariat such as group life insurance
15.) Legacy Opportunities e.g. Nomination to the board of the college or Leadership Positions
in the association
16.) Access to Alumni Support Fund
17.) Discounts at selected Retailers through strategic partnerships
18.) Access to select Sports Clubs/ Members Club Facilities E.g. United Kenya Club, Parklands
Sports Club, Muthaiga Country Club etc.
19.) Recommendations by the Association and vouching for job interviews etc.
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