Founders Day SPEAKERS GUIDE 2015
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Founders Day 2015 About the Wisconsin Alumni Association...4 About WAA Chapters...4 Proud Partnerships...4 The Making of Founders Day...5 Founders Day 2015 at a Glance...6 Founders Day Season...7 How It Works...8 What to Expect as a Speaker...9 Travel, Lodging, and Reimbursement...10 Typical Founders Day Schedule...11 Speaker Checklist...12 WAA Contacts...14 ANDY MANIS The UW is in your community. 3
About the Wisconsin Alumni Association The Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) was founded in 1861 to promote the welfare of the University of Wisconsin and serve the interests of its alumni. Today, WAA carries out its mission through marketing, communications, services, and programs such as Founders Day that link alumni to the university, the university to alumni, and alumni with each other. About WAA Chapters There are more than 75 alumni chapters in cities worldwide. These chapters support the university and foster connections among graduates through events and programs, including social outings, scholarship fundraising, cultural events, and Founders Day celebrations. Proud Partnerships Thanks to the support and dedication of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Alumni Association, University of Wisconsin Foundation, and WAA chapters around the world, Founders Day plays a vital role in alumni-outreach efforts and advancing the university s key initiatives and priorities. 4 Founders Day 2015
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES The Making of Founders Day On February 5, 1849, 20 students gathered in a small, brick building just off the Capitol Square in Madison to study arithmetic, grammar, geography, and Latin with Professor John Sterling. It was the first day of class at the University of Wisconsin and the founding of the university as we know it. From those humble beginnings, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has grown in size and prestige. UW-Madison is now ranked 24th worldwide in the recent Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai s Jiao Tong University. To commemorate the UW s earliest days and its history of academic excellence, alumni chapters began holding Founders Day celebrations in the early 1900s. In 1919, student leaders organized a campus event in the Red Gym. And in 1924, the Wisconsin Alumni Association took over hosting duties with a campus celebration at which more than 6,000 people packed into the Stock Pavilion for music, birthday cake, and fireworks. Today, Founders Day is celebrated in more than 50 cities across the United States and around the world, with a focus on the UW s core mission of academics, research, and public service. It is also celebrated on campus by future alumni. Typically, Founders Day season runs from February through May of each year. The UW is in your community. 5
Founders Day 2015 at a Glance Often the most high-profile and highly attended event of the year for chapters Consistently engages nearly 2,500 valued alumni every year (approximately 360,000 engagements throughout its history) Raises more than $20,000 in matching scholarship contributions for local chapters every year Offers an opportunity for alumni to connect with their alma mater and each other, and for campus partners to advance the university s larger strategy for alumni, donors, and friends Events are scheduled in these chapter areas* Antigo Atlanta Austin Baltimore Beloit Big Apple Badgers (New York City) Boston Brown County Chequamegon Bay (Ashland) Chicago Chippewa Valley Cincinnati Columbus Denver Door County Fond du Lac Fort Atkinson Fox Valley Green County Heart of Illinois (Peoria) Houston Indianapolis Kansas City Lakeland Badgers (Minocqua) Los Angeles Marshfield Milwaukee Motor City Badgers (Detroit) Orange County Portland, Oregon Price County Racine/Kenosha Raleigh Rochester, Minnesota Rockford (northern Illinois) Sacramento San Antonio (southern Texas) San Diego San Francisco Sarasota/Manatee Sauk County Seattle Red Rock Badgers (Sedona) Sheboygan St. Louis Tampa Bay Tucson Twin Cities Twin Ports (Superior/Duluth) Valley of the Sun (Phoenix) Washington County Waukesha County Wausau West Palm Beach, Florida *As of February 2015 6 Founders Day 2015
Founders Day Season: Meet the UW Community in Your Town Founders Day is a time when University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni gather with other UW alumni in their community to celebrate the university and its academic accomplishments. It s a chance for alumni to reconnect with one another and strenghten their ties to their alma mater. This focus on the university s educational mission and academic achievements is designed to build and strengthen relationships that cultivate pride and investment in the UW. So, to further engage attendees and those stakeholders who couldn t attend a Founders Day, WAA is offering additional ways for alumni to share their pride throughout Founders Day season by extending the celebration online: On Twitter, alumni are encouraged to use the hashtag #UW1849. WAA will provide sample text and images for alumni to share on the actual day of Founders Day (Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015) to kick off this season of celebration. Alumni will be asked to urge their Facebook fans and Twitter followers to share their pride by saying why they re proud to be a part of UW-Madison s past, present, and future. WAA will also remind alumni that it s okay to brag to friends that they re Badgers! And that they should follow @WisAlumni on Twitter and check uwalumni.com/foundersday often for easily shareable content (university news, fun facts, photos, and more) that supports the message of Founders Day. We encourage you to use these resources in your social media communications when you speak at a Founders Day event. Get the latest information about Founders Day and other programs by updating your contact information through myuwconnect.org. The UW is in your community. 7
How It Works Because Founders Day is one of the most important ways in which WAA fosters pride, advocacy, and private support for the UW, the planning process for this year s celebrations began almost immediately after the previous Founders Day season ended. This planning entails developing an annual theme and working closely with chapters to discuss potential event dates and speaker topics. Local chapters then begin planning the format for their events. Each chapter shapes Founders Day events to meet the needs of its alumni and to take advantage of a local venue or attraction. Founders Day is a key moment of celebration for WAA chapters. For some, it also serves as the most important annual event for local fundraising, recognizing student scholarship winners and honoring prominent alumni as Badger of the Year award recipients. Depending on the location, Founders Day attendee numbers can range from 25 to more than 150. To present a successful event, WAA representatives are in close contact with alumni chapters to ensure quality event planning and execution. To assist chapters in promoting their events, WAA sends print invitations roughly six weeks before the event to past attendees, WAA members, board of visitors, members, alumni award winners, campus constituents, and other highly engaged alumni in chapter regions. Invitations are also sent to all alumni in chapter areas with 1,000 or fewer alumni. Email invitations are sent to all alumni in a chapter area who have a current email address on file. A registration link and event details are posted on the chapter web page four weeks before each event. 8 Founders Day 2015
What to Expect as a Speaker Thank you for accepting our invitation to speak during Founders Day season. Your appearance is vital in reinforcing the UW experience for alumni. We strongly encourage you to contact your department s director of development as soon as possible. He or she will be an invaluable resource. To ensure that you get as much out of Founders Day as the alumni in attendance, WAA will offer an orientation designed to inform you of the Founders Day process and make you aware of what you can expect at your particular event. When preparing for your event, you should plan to give a 20- to 25-minute talk, with time for questions afterward. Regarding your presentation, you are encouraged to coordinate your talking points to align with the theme Meet the UW Community in Your Town. We strongly encourage you to demonstrate the impact that your work has in the community to which you are speaking, and how alumni have helped shape it to what it is today. To assist you in your preparations, we will provide you with demographic profiles of your audience. These profiles will contain a variety of information that will help you shape your message. Also, once you are confirmed as a speaker, you will be asked to provide the following information as soon as possible. It will be included in the invitations and on the website: Full name Title, department, specialty, educational background, career highlights Your experience working/teaching at UW-Madison Title of your Founders Day speech/presentation Brief description of your speech/presentation Experience/background in your speech/presentation s topic The UW is in your community. 9
What to Expect as a Speaker, continued Shortly after your Founders Day event, you will receive a brief survey about your experience. We ask that you fill it out completely and candidly, in the hope of improving the program for future speakers and for gauging your interest in participating in upcoming outreach activities. Along with your appearance at Founders Day, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this time away from campus to connect with individuals who are potential donors to UW-Madison or to your school or college. Please contact WAA or your director of development to discuss various opportunities, identify alumni attendees who may warrant special attention, and schedule development meetings. Travel, Lodging, and Reimbursement Founders Day speakers generally make their own travel arrangements according to standard university policy. If you need assistance in making your travel and lodging arrangements, please contact WAA at your earliest convenience. Speakers are eligible for reimbursement for their travel expenses, but the Founders Day program does not provide an honorarium. You are asked to submit expenses within two weeks after your event. WAA will provide a reimbursement form to complete and to which to attach receipts. The final deadline to submit materials for travel reimbursement is Monday, June 1, 2015. Planning Your Program The most successful Founders Day programs meet the following criteria: Total run time of less than one hour Limited number of program elements to avoid confusion Speaker is scheduled first or early in the program 10 Founders Day 2015
Typical Founders Day Schedule Welcome by Chapter Leader or Evening s Emcee 5 minutes Wisconsin Alumni Association and UW Foundation Welcome (if applicable) 3 minutes each Dinner Introduction of Featured Speaker 2 minutes Speaker Presentation 20 25 minutes (plus 10-minute Q&A) Scholarship Recognition 2015 (if applicable) 5 minutes Presentation of Badger of the Year Award (if applicable) 5 minutes Badger of the Year Acceptance (if applicable) 10 minutes Raffle Drawing or Silent Auction (if applicable) 5 minutes Closing Remarks and Singing of Varsity 2 minutes RYAN BROOKS The UW is in your community. 11
Speaker Checklist Once your Founders Day date is confirmed: Immediately after confirmation, provide the following for the print invitation, email, and website: Full name Title, department, specialty, educational background, career highlights Your experience working/teaching at UW-Madison Title of your Founders Day speech/presentation Brief description of your speech/presentation Experience/background in your speech/presentation s topic Provide a brief bio for the website Before your Founders Day event: Inform the local chapter and/or WAA about your equipment needs (e.g., LCD projector, laptop, laser pointer). Make travel and accommodation arrangements. If you need assistance, please contact WAA. Provide your itinerary and cell phone number to the local chapter representative and WAA. Contact WAA if you would like to see a list of registrants before the event. 12 Founders Day 2015
At your Founders Day event: Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the event to check the equipment setup. Introduce yourself to the local chapter president. Touch base with the WAA representative who s present (if applicable) to confirm talking points, speaking arrangements, etc. Be prepared to mingle with alumni prior to the actual program. Note that Founders Day events have a local focus. Traditionally, a chapter representative will offer a short update on local chapter events, scholarship program, fundraising auction, etc. After your Founders Day event: Submit your receipts and expense reimbursement form to WAA within two weeks after your event, and by Monday, June 1, 2015. Complete an online speaker evaluation, which will be emailed to you following your event. The UW is in your community. 13
WAA Contacts If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about your upcoming presentation, please feel free to contact any of the following Wisconsin Alumni Association representatives. They will help you out in any way possible. Nancy Powell Geographic Outreach Coordinator 608-262-7427 npowell@waastaff.com Mike Fahey Managing Director, Advocacy and State Relations 608-263-2645 mfahey@waastaff.com Jeff Wendorf Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development 608-262-9645 jwendorf@waastaff.com 14 Founders Day 2015
Notes The UW is in your community. 15
Founders Day 1849 2015 uwalumni.com/foundersday COVER: ANDY MANIS BACK COVER: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES