EVENT IDEAS: Your programming calendar should include events as diverse as the alumni in
your chapter / club area. While you probably have certain events that people look forward to each
year (Game Watching Parties, Holiday Social, etc.), it is also important to incorporate exciting new
events which appeal to the various members of the chapter / club. The only limitation is your own
imagination.
The Alumni Association will purchase tickets (except for home football games) for events that require
an entrance fee. This allows for a “group” pricing. The Association will then offer the tickets at our
cost through the online registration.
Following are ideas of some special interests that might appeal to different groups:
Social / Networking:
Examples: artist’s opening night at museum with reception, Saturday bike ride, dinner party,
cocktail party, volunteer for local charity, attend lecture at local university, raffle for a book
scholarship, boat cruise, tasting at a local winery or brewery, block seating at a theatre
performance, holiday social, a pot-luck dinner.
Athletic:
Examples: Football Game Watching Parties, attending an event when any UGA team is in
your area, pre or post game tailgate, coordinating activities with other SEC groups when
possible, Fun Run, joining a local softball group (such as C.A.N. in DC) that organizes alumni
chapters and clubs to compete against one another or a sports outing to see a local pro or
semipro team or horse racing or NASCAR if there is a track in your area.
Big Dawg Challenge Golf is an ever growing sport and a wonderful way to raise funds. The
Alumni Association would like to see as many chapters and clubs as possible host a golf
tournament in their area and then have the winning foursome come to Athens to participate in
a final alumni tournament for the right to be called the Big Dawg of all of the chapters and
clubs across the country. This project would take about eighteen months to complete and
would require the commitment of the entire network to be successful.
Details on how to host a golf tournament can be provided.
Family-Oriented:
Examples: Cook-out at a local park or visiting an amusement park or a zoo, going to the
circus, a hike, fun run.
Student-oriented / Admission:
Examples: Keys to the Dawg House – this type of event involves an Admissions counselor
attending the gathering to address what it “takes” to be considered for enrollment at UGA. It is
an “inside track” session. Admitted students reception (Freshmen Send-Off), career
receptions, welcome freshmen / first year picnic, social for graduating seniors from your area
or mentoring programs.
Multicultural Events:
All will enjoy learning about and experiencing aspects of the many cultures and heritages that
are represented in our alumni population. UGA has to its credit many alumni from every walk
of life. It is important that these alumni be incorporated into the chapter’s / club’s operation.
Find out how much fun it can be to plan an event around a cultural festival. This is especially
easy in larger cities.
Examples: Dim Sum for Chinese New Year, Greek Food Festival, Cinco de Mayo Fiesta,
Holocaust Museum tour, Jazz or Blues concert or a performance by African/African-American
dance troupe.
Networking:
Bulldog Breakfast Clubs, Dinner With A Dozen Dawgs, First Thursday, Bulldogs After
Business Hours, Welcome To the Area can all be held at convenient locations are a great
opportunity for alumni to network. Speakers on specific career topics can be an added touch to
these gatherings.
A Bulldog Breakfast Club (BBC) is a networking event that brings alumni together for the
purpose of sharing several commonalities: their love of UGA, a desire to meet other alumni in
their area and an opportunity to mingle with alumni who may be employed in the same
profession. A BBC can also be used to welcome new alumni to your chapter / club.
Dinner With A Dozen Dawgs is a way to connect students and alumni to help personalize the
UGA experience. Alumni Association members open their homes to students and / or fellow
alumni for small dinner parties, bringing everyone together in a warm friendly environment
for good food, conversation and Bulldog camaraderie without a set agenda. This is a good way
to help students learn how to network and to understand how to be involved with a chapter /
club when they graduate.
If this is an event that the chapter / club wishes to coordinate, contact the Association for a list
of students in the area who may be home for the holiday or break to invite. The host is
responsible for all expenses. No alcohol can be served at any event where students are in
attendance.
First Thursdays is basically a Dinner Club. Your group can select a different restaurant to
gather for a Dutch Treat meal once a month. By planning these events well in advance the area
alumni can schedule their time so they can participate. This is a wonderful way to connect
alumni on a wide scale and on a regular basis.
Bulldogs After Business Hours is another title for a Happy Hour.
Welcome To The Area activity is a great way to connect with and involve the graduates who
have recently relocated to your chapter / club area. The Alumni Association can supply you
with a list.
Educational: There are numerous people in your community (many are alumni) who will make
excellent speakers. Seek out these individuals and invite them to share their knowledge by building an
event around them.
Lunch & Learn can also be a networking event where a group of alumni with a shared interest
can be gathered to hear a speaker who is successful in that shared field, for example the CEO
of a business targeted toward Terry graduates. These events can be held at a local restaurant
during the lunch hour as a Dutch Treat function.
NOTE: If your chapter / club wishes to invite a UGA faculty or staff member to participate in an
event it is imperative that the request go through the Alumni Association.
SEC Activities - A very popular and growing trend in chapter / club programming involves
cosponsoring events with other local SEC alumni organizations. SEC picnics, parties, game watchings,
and blood drives are just a few of the programs that have been held. Contact the local SEC Alumni
Associations that follow to find out if they are represented with an alumni chapter / club in your area.
SEC Alumni Associations
University of Alabama
University of Arkansas
University of Florida
University of Kentucky
Louisiana State University
Mississippi State University
University of South Carolina
University of Tennessee
http://www.ua.edu/alumni.html
http://www.arkalum.org/
http://www.ufl.edu/friends/
http://www.ukalumni.net/
http://www.lsu.edu/alumni/
http://www.msstate.edu/web/friends/
http://www.sc.edu/alumnisites/
http://www.utk.edu/alumni/
SoloSENIORS: This type of constituency group is focused on the needs of mature (50 years of age+)
professional who are single. These individuals, many times, have very different needs and wants.
Hosting events that bring them together will be a benefit for your organization as well as for those
graduates. Suggested events include: movie nights, dinner clubs, attending community arts functions
(museums, theatre, etc.), dancing lessons, cards, etc.
Young Alumni: Individuals who have graduated in the past 10 years usually have different
interests, but if some events are not included to focus on their interest they will never become
involved with the chapter / club. Some suggestions include: trip to the beach, ski trip, whitewater
rafting or a concert, singles night, barbecue, a hike, a fun run, UGA Happy Hour or a tour and
sampling at a local microbrewery.
Community Service: This has become an age of volunteerism. Having your chapter / club actively
involved in such a project is a great way to benefit your community as well as bring your area alumni
together for a worthy cause.
Examples: Habitat for Humanity (Paws Across America), Dawgs Feeding Dogs, Food Banks,
Book Drive, Relay for Life, Special Olympics, Adopt-A-Highway program or Public School
reading programs.
Paws Across America This has become an age of volunteerism. Having your chapter / club actively
involved in such a project is a great way to benefit your community as well as bring your area alumni
together for a worthy cause. The concept that became Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1942 by a
UGA alumnus, Rev. Clarence Jordan ’33.
The Alumni Association has selected May 16, 2009 as Paws Across America day when as many of the
chapters and clubs as possible will commit to a Habitat project in their area. This would allow UGA to
have a tremendous impact from coast to coast while benefiting multiple communities.
To learn more about Rev. Jordan’s contribution to the creation of Habitat for Humanity visit the
following web site: http://www.koinoniapartners.org/History/index.html.
In FY08, 11% of all chapter and club events were community service activities. A total of 1,706 hours
of community service were logged by UGA graduates = Dawgs Making A Difference!
Types of Events in FY08
0%
Social
6%
Meeting
11%
30%
Networking
Athletic
12%
Community Service
Student
Educational
13%
28%