Alumni Association Best
Practices
“Loyal Sons of Minerva…beyond the walls of our Alma Mater.”
Intended Outcomes
Define focal points “brand” for successful A.A.
Open discussion on potential stumbling blocks
Open new communication lines between A.A.s
Engage alumni and grow our alumni brotherhood!
What Can a Successful A.A. Do?
Enjoy and expand the bonds of brotherhood beyond
graduation and home chapters
Develop the Brother Alumnus professionally
Serve the undergraduate chapter or areas as mentors,
advisers, or board members
Stay young in Ritual, Member Development, Mentoring and
Recruitment
Strong alumni ties guide strong chapters
Develop future volunteer leaders in Sigma Alpha
Epsilon
What Makes Successful A.A.
Availability
Communication
Consistency/Repeatabilty
Successful Chapter practices carry to successful A.A.
practices…and vice versa!
Network with other A.A.s in the Realm and apply for
awards!
Alumni Associations tend to be isolated and static…needs to
change to keep our alumni active.
Awards, updates in The Record, and new ideas from other
AAs help growth.
What Can a Successful A.A. Do?
Availability:
Leaders of the A.A. should be available to college seniors,
brothers new to the area, and general inquiries
Communication:
Build and maintain an email database. Send regular
(quarterly) e-newsletter. Yearly hard mail newsletter.
Oregon Alpha e-newsletter
Consistency/Repeatability:
Set social calendar as early as possible. Best A.A.s hold the
same event annually. Busy Alumni need time and
predictability to attend events
e.g. Old Crow Christmas Tradition in Denver
e.g. Toledo hands out coins with three events: Steak Roast,
Founders Day, Golf Outing
Benchmark Events Bring Back
Alumni!
Examples of Events throughout realm
Homecoming should be the platform for Alumni Association
activities, not THE sole event
Kansas City AA Christmas Fundraiser
Greater Atlanta AA Speaker series
SAE National Softball, Golf, Poker, etc…all these started as
local alumni ideas!
Find ways to support the chapter
Mentoring programs
Newport, CA “Blazer Drive”
Buy graduation cords for seniors
Recruitment events and use the Ritual: build the Graduation
Ceremony
What Can a Successful A.A. Do?
Successful A.A. operate much like successful chapters
on the next level!
Collect regular dues
Submit paperwork regularly with FSC
KEEP RECRUITING to build the bench!
Interact with other A.A.s and compete for annual awards
Make the most of Convention
Raise Money
Send more undergraduates to Leadership School
Create a trust through Foundation to award scholarships
Improve the lives of undergrads
Recognize Successful Alumni!
Coordinate keynote speakers for events
Volunteer awards should be utilized
Building the Bench
Alumni Associations are the broadest and most social
aspect of Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s powerful volunteer
system
Alumni Mentors, Housing Corporations, and Advisory
Boards typically find members from successful and
active A.A.s
Volunteerism at high levels of SAE are driven by
alumni associations!
Building the Bench The best A.A. have active members of all ages and
experiences: young alumni, family men, and retirees.
Each brother and his professional experience build
strength in the A.A.
Attracting a diverse A.A. group comes from a
balanced variety of social events
Founders Day attracts everyone
Monthly Happy Hours might only attract younger members
Golf outings might only attract older members
The KEY is to overlap and interact your A.A. and provide
them a network of brotherhood and growth.
Resources Available
TGI Online Certification Program thetgi.sae.net
www.saerecord.net
Alumni Awards link on thetgi.sae.net
Everyone should use www.sae.net to stay informed and find
resources
Outstanding Housing Corporation Award
Outstanding Chapter or Area Alumni Association Award
Bill Fiscus Outstanding Area Alumni Association Award
Stuart Zoock Outstanding Alumni Advisory Board
Outstanding Alumni Association and Housing Corporation Communication Award
Special Event/Project Award
Question-and-Answer
Session
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