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REUNION PLANNING GUIDE |
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REUNION PLANNING GUIDE |
PLANNING A REUNIONClass reunions can provide an opportunity to reacquaint classmates, to strengthen friendships, and also to rekindle the Savannah State way of life. Reunions also provide for ongoing support and goodwill for the university. This step-by-step planning guide will help you to connect with alumni and friends. Planning a reunion is an investment of your time and talents, and in the end, it’s completely worth it. Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs and let us know that you are going to begin planning a reunion. There will be many opportunities for us to aid you with the planning, if you so desire. You may reach us at (912) 356-2427. You will want to enlist classmates that are willing to put time and effort into planning. Look for people who are just as passionate as you are about having a successful reunion. Typically, class officers or student body officers have often shouldered the responsibility to spearhead reunion efforts; however, this isn’t always the case. It is important to select committee members who reflect all of the diverse types of personalities who made up your class. Organizing a Reunion CommitteeThe reunion chair is encouraged to recruit classmates to help coordinate various components of the weekend. The following volunteers should be recruited, but are optional: · Entertainment - hires musical entertainment and coordinates any other class-related outing/activity such as a step show, dance, museum tour, etc. · Logo Item - designs and orders the logo item worn in the parade · Meals - works with the caterers to plan menus and arrange meal times · Children's Activities - arranges children's activities that will accommodate families or times when other activities are not planned · Outreach/Inclusion - coordinates effort to contact classmates to encourage reunion attendance. Can involve 3-7 people.
The following responsibilities are managed by Class Officers or committee volunteers: · Budget/Class Reunion Fee - The class treasurer develops the reunion budget, sets the class fee and pays bills · Class Officer Succession Plan - Class Officers should oversee the process of recruiting new class leadership. A call for volunteers should be part of the March class mailing. Usually a number of meetings will be needed in order to organize the reunion. The initial meetings are typically devoted to collective thinking of the committee in selecting the theme and format of the reunion, and for assigning any tasks necessary to committee members. Committee assignments may include, but are not limited to, facilities reservations, caterer orders, beverage procurement, reunion invitations, various aspects of the reunion program and activities and reunion finances. If meetings are difficult to organize due to geographical differences, please contact the Office of Alumni Affairs for ideas, perhaps on-line chat rooms or conference calls would suffice. Send a Letter to the Entire Class In most cases, classmates who are not personally contacted are unlikely to attend. The letter should include the following: a form requesting biographical data, a survey of desired reunion activities, a list of “lost” classmates and a request for any information available on these people, and a postage-paid return envelope. Having the input of every class member will make the task of accommodating each individual’s different interests less challenging. Select the Dates, Accommodations, and Venues Reunions are always scheduled over Homecoming weekend. We will also help you in selecting an appropriate venue, as well as provide you with a list of local accommodations and nearby restaurants. An interesting program will make for a more enjoyable reunion. However, generally alumni come to reunions to catch up with old friends. Whatever program is planned should not interfere with that primary purpose. If your reunion will take place over the Homecoming weekend, ask the Office of Alumni Affairs to provide you with a schedule of the Homecoming activities that are scheduled. Select your menu for each independent event if there is more than one. Many of your ideas might stem from the initial survey that you will be sending to each class member. Remember to inquire about vegetarian meals. Catering professionals appreciate as much specific information as you can provide to them beforehand. Budget your menu accordingly, and make contact with your desired restaurants or catering companies. We are again happy to assist you with that decision. Invite Special Guests Ask any classmates who have gone into high-profile positions, maybe favorite professors, or anyone else you have in mind to speak on reunion night. On many occasions, the guests will speak while the meal is being served. On the other hand, if the seating pattern permits, dining environments foster good conversations. You should keep these scenarios in mind. Send a final letter In addition to the first mailing, each class member should be contacted by a formal letter from the committee. If deemed necessary, personal contact may help to overcome feelings of reluctance or indifference that some may have with regard to attending a reunion. The letter should include a summary of all planned activities, and requests for any pre-payments you need to receive. ROLES 1. Communicate with classmates. The class agent stays in touch with the class primarily through the writing of periodic letters. The class agent selects the content of the letters based upon whatever information is deemed important. Past experience has shown the best class agent letters offer a combination of news on past and upcoming university events, coverage of campus news, and as much information about classmates as possible. To help, the Alumni Affairs Office provides an entire system of information and support:
a. All letter formatting, production, and mailing done by Alumni and Parent Relations. The class agent simply needs to send the letter to Alumni and Parent Relations. A staff member takes care of formatting, reproducing and mailing /emailing the agent’s letters. To aid in production, the office prefers electronic copies of letters in Microsoft Word. Once the class agent writes the letter and sends it to the Alumni and Parent Relations office, his work is done!
b. A monthly bulletin called the Tiger Reunion Gazette. Each class agent receives the Tiger Reunion Gazette, which includes items of interest about upcoming events, faculty and staff changes, construction updates, news on the sports teams, etc. The Tiger Reunion Gazette is sent as an email and is also posted on the web. The email version allows the class agent to easily “cut and paste” stories from the email or from related World Wide Web links. Class agents not using email will receive the newsletter via snail mail.
c. Alumni Online Community. All SSU alumni have access to SSU’s on-line alumni database through Alumni Online Community. This database is updated every day and provides a number of different search options – class year or years, locations, majors, fraternities, etc. Each alumnus has an individual user name and password available from the Office of Alumni Affairs.
d. Class rosters. The Office of Alumni Affairs can provide updated information on all classmates including address, phone number, email address and other class specific information. This information is typically distributed as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
e. Color printing/campus photographs. Thanks to the generosity of several class agents and other alumni, the Office of Alumni Affairs has the ability to include color photographs and illustrations in letters. In addition, staff members have digital cameras and can include campus photographs if desired.
f. All the help and support needed. The Office of Alumni Affairs will help class agents with guidance on writing letters and with useful information that might be included in the letters. COMPREHENSIVE CLASS REUNION GIFT · Gifts and pledges including those to the Savannah State University Annual Fund. · Planned giving by classmates through trusts, wills, life insurance, etc. · Gifts realized by the university through estates. · Gifts of items to the university, such as art and books. A comprehensive reunion gift better recognizes the total giving by a class and offers the opportunity for members of a class to support a wide range of needs at the university. |