ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PLAYBOOK
PLAYBOOK OVERVIEW Background: as part of the Membership for Life campaign launched in 2016, the Alumni Engagement Committee identified a need for a resource that serves as a guide to help brothers start alumni associations How to use this document: this playbook is meant to provide a brief overview of how to start and operate an alumni association and provide useful tips and resources that proved successful for other alumni associations Sections: Getting Started: a few first steps to start your association Ongoing Operations: tips and things to keep in mind after you are up and running Resources: useful tools and templates Contacts: reach out to these folks with questions or support needs
GETTING STARTED
GETTING STARTED Determine structure: An alumni association whether it is serves all alumni in a designated geographic area or serves only those alumni who graduated or concluded studies at a particular chapter is a legal entity and has IRS and state reporting requirements. The entity will need to be registered in the state where the it is chartered as well as with the IRS. Types of IRS organizations: There are several types of tax-exempt 501(c) organizations designated by the IRS. You should determine what the purpose of your alumni association will be so you can apply for the appropriate not-for-profit status. For alumni associations, the most common designations are either: 501(c)3: an organization set up for educational purposes 501(c)7: an organization set up for social purposes Registered Agent: A registered agent handles the filing paperwork within a state, and sometimes helps with IRS registration. They serve as the point of contact for legal matters related to the entity filings. The registered agent ensures that the proper legal filings are done on time to prevent dissolution of the entity. A registered agent can be almost anyone depending on the state, but it is recommended that the registered agent be a lawyer or an accountant. They likely charge a small fee for this service, but it will prevent future headaches to have a professional handle reporting requirements.
GETTING STARTED - continued Build your roster: start by developing a roster of alumni that you can reach out to begin developing your board and invite to events and/or send ongoing communications The Fraternity Service Center can provide a list of alumni in your city or from your chapter that can serve as a starting point. You need a minimum number of 10 members to get started. The roster typically needs to be refined over time as you identify new brothers or receive updated contact information. It is a good idea to establish your own database (rather than spreadsheets) to make it easier to keep alumni contact information up-to-date. Draft By-Laws: create By-Laws to determine how the association will operate from an organizational and financial perspective and based on your chosen tax-exempt status. Sample By- Laws are available from the Fraternity Service Center. Recruit your board: engage other alumni to join the board to help run the association The By-Laws can help frame the responsibilities and commitments and number of various board positions Once the board is finalized, hold a meeting to approve the By-Laws
GETTING STARTED - continued Call the Fraternity Service Center: get in touch with the National Office to let them know you want to formally start an alumni association and pay the $100 registration fee Setup a bank account: a bank account will be needed to collect dues and pay for events Many times a bank requires an approved copy of the by-laws, minutes from the meeting when the by-laws were approved, and a signed letter from the Fraternity validating your association registration and copies of state and IRS registrations Link your bank account to a PayPal account for future fundraising purposes and obtain a VISA logo or MasterCard logo bankcard for expenditures (in addition to checks). Establish a Communication Strategy: Alumni are interested in what is going on with other alumni and also what is going on with their Chapter. However, alumni get all kinds of solicitations and do not want to be perceived as a walking ATM machine. It is important to practice Friend-raising before Fund-raising. And you want your communications to stand out from other communications they receive consider a custom logo used repeatedly to establish an identity. Whether you utilize hard copy mailings, email communications, or a Facebook group or page, you need to establish a forum for communicating important information to your alumni on a consistent basis.
ONGOING OPERATIONS
ONGOING OPERATIONS Communications: setup your email distribution and social media accounts to communicate with your membership (see Resources section for sample of tools) Communication tools such as newsletters, event invites on Facebook, and posts on LinkedIn groups can help increase membership in the association and attendance at events Establish meeting cadence: determine the meeting schedule for the board Develop event schedule: determine the events the association will plan and add them to the calendars of the brothers The type of event will be determined by your budget and appetite of your members; examples of events include happy hours, lunches, golf outing, sports game outing, and Founder s Day event Compliance: there are a few recurring compliance items the association must complete each year 990-EZ tax form: The alumni association will need to file a tax form each year with the IRS to report revenue/donations and expenditures. If your alumni association has chosen to be a 501(c)7 entity, it can be registered as a non-profit entity under the national Fraternity Service Center umbrella. (note: failure to file the 990 form annually will result in losing the tax exempt status and potential fines for the alumni association) Annual Alumni Association report: The alumni association president will receive an annual request from the Fraternity Service Center to complete the annual report and pay the annual dues of $100
RESOURCES
RESOURCES Resource Description Links / Files Communication Mailchimp Platform to manage your roster and develop email campaigns Facebook LinkedIn Create a Facebook group and invite members to join Use the Facebook group to post information about events and also create invites Create a LinkedIn group and invite members to join Use this to post information about events and facilitate networking Financial PayPal Platform to handle payment transactions, especially useful for collecting dues or event admission fees Use the PayPal Tools to create payment buttons to embed in emails Purchase the Point of Sale card reader to be able to take credit card payments on your phone at events Sample By-laws Example by-laws from other alumni associations Organizational Organizational Charts Example organization structures from other alumni associations PowerPoint template SAE PowerPoint template 990 Tax Form Overview Details on 990 form Alumni Association Annual Report Link to Alumni Association Annual Report
CONTACTS Deran Abernathy Associate Executive Director of dabernathy@sae.net 847-513-2374