Alumni Communication

Whenever communicating with your chapter's Alumni make sure you know how they prefer or even are able to receive communications. Some of our older Alumni may not have access to or may not regularly check email. On the other hand mail may take much longer to reach Alumni who live overseas. One method of communication likely will not be the best solution for all of your Alumni communication.

Send mail, stay in touch

• Birthday cards - Birthday cards are an excellent public relations move with alumni. To send birthday cards, a listing of alumni birthdays arranged by months should be prepared. On the first week of each month, birthday cards should be sent to alumni having birthdays in that month. Birthday e-cards are an excellent option to reduce costs.
• Holiday cards - Season's Greetings cards: Season's greeting cards should be mailed in early December. If this is not cost efficient, create an e-card and distribute via e-mail.
• Anniversary cards
• Thank you cards - Send thank you messages when ever Alumni participate in chapter activities. Thank them in person at events and send them something personal to let them know what their participation meant.

Newsletters

Main Article: Alumni Newsletters

Online Invitations

Consider using a tool such as Evite.com or Facebook Events which will allow your Alumni to see who is coming to an event ahead of time. Knowing some old friends will also be attending an event will make it a lot easier for your Alumni to commit to attending.

Alumni Spokesperson

If you know certain Alumni will definitely be coming back for a big chapter event, consider asking them to send out some of the communications to their fellow Alumni. Receiving an invitation from an old friend may be more convincing than only hearing from the Alumni Committee Chair who they may never have met. Again, consider publicizing which Alumni have confirmed they are coming.

Timely Invitations

Chances are your Alumni are living in various parts of the country which would require them to plan ahead of time how they will be traveling. Sending out invitations several months ahead of time not only gives them time to look into flights but also allows them to request potential time off from their job and schedule their work projects accordingly. Even if all the details are not set, send out a "Save the Date" notice and follow up with location or cost details. Send out invitations and reminders 3 months, 1 month and one week prior to the event.

3 Months (or earlier)

• Send the invite with the date and as much information as possible
• Include housing information; contact information for local hotels and ways to request housing with brothers
• Tell them which Alumni are already planning on attending

1 Month

• Send the invite with the date and as much information as possible, hopefully all the details are finalized
• Include housing information; contact information for local hotels and ways to request housing with brothers
• Update telling them which Alumni have send in an RSVP

1 Week

• Let them know you are excited they are coming
• Send out an event itinerary
• Ask for flight or travel information and arrange pick-ups if necessary
• Give them emergency contact information; cell phone numbers

Personal Communication

One way to personalize the alumni relations program is to assign each member to write one Alumnus/a about the one thing they have in common: Phi Sigma Pi. This personal style may reconnect some Alumni back to the brotherhood. Having members of their family line involved with the communications may provide an additional incentive for them to feel attached to the chapter and its growth.

Fish Bowling

This method is having one group blindly pick names (out of a fish bowl, hat, etc) of people they will contact. These contacts could be;

• Alumni - Alumni: Have Active Alumni reach out to inactive Alumni and share the value of them participating. You could have Alumni within the same family line share the value of being involved in family line events/communication. You may also have Alumni invite other Alumni to participate in an event like a [panels].

• Alumni - undergrad: Have Alumni trade emails with an initiate to teach them the value of being a Brother for life. You could also have undergraduate Brothers reach out to Alumni to reengage them in chapter activities.