University of Illinois Alumni Association Clubs Program (Tier System) Guidelines

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The University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA) is proud to assist its alumni clubs through resources, guidelines, and expectations that we refer to as a “tier system” that is designed to maximize the engagement opportunities for the alumni in their region or their target alumni demographic.  Under this tier structured, alumni clubs are allocated resources and provided guidelines based on their club’s own goals, volunteer bandwidth, and alumni population.

Resources Provided

Alumni clubs who participate in this program can expect the following resources from the UIAA:

Up to $1250 annually to support the clubs’ events and initiatives
  • Tier system financial assistance will take the form of check reimbursements to either the clubs or the volunteer who made the associated purchases related to the event
  • For Main Quad level clubs, there is a maximum of $500 per event that can be reimbursed. For Illini Union and Morrow Plot level clubs, there is a maximum of $250 per even that can be reimbursed.
  • In order to qualify for reimbursement, either the club leader or the club itself must provide an itemized receipt that shows the items purchased in addition to the final total.  Additionally, the club must advertise the event to all alumni in their region and provide an attendance list for the event. There is no minimum attendance requirement for a club to receive a reimbursement for event costs.
Branding Support
  • Your club will be provided a logo and branding toolkit created by our partners in Strategic Marketing and Branding here at the University of Illinois
  • Your club’s toolkit will contain the following items: logos for use on social media or club’s website, club logo banners for social media and club’s website, business card templates, nametag templates, letterhead templates, and high-quality photos from the university’s image database to be used on clubs website, marketing materials, and social media.
  • If your club is already using a custom club logo, your club may continue to use this custom logo.
Featured Speakers List (Coming Soon)
  • Our featured speakers list features faculty and staff that will support lifelong learning opportunities for your alumni club and enhance the pride and affinity that our alumni have for their beloved university.
  • Guidelines regarding speaker list requests
    • Any speaker requests will need to be submitted to the UIAA at least a full 90 days in advance of the event date
    • The UIAA recommends that you provide up to 3 potential dates for the event when submitting your request so that we can better attempt to accommodate your request based on the speaker’s schedule.
    • Clubs are limited to one speaker request annually (July 1-June 30)
    • The UIAA will agree to pay for the costs related to the speakers travel, including lodging and transportation.
    • Club will agree to advertise events with featured speakers to all alumni in their region or target demographic
Access to Club Leader Resource Website
  • Clubs who elect to participate in the tier system will have access to the club leaders resource website, which you are currently viewing.
  • Please see menu for full options and resources available on this website
Quarterly Tier Progress Report

On the first week of the new quarter (October, January, April), you will receive a tier progress report update from the Director of Alumni Clubs.  Your tier progress report will include the following information

  • Number and Types of Events hosted year-to-date
  • Amount of tier funding available for remainder of fiscal
  • If annual club leadership roster has been reported
  • Number of board meeting minutes reported
  • If tentative year-out calendar of events has been reported
Annual Alumni Regional Profile and Zip Code Heat Map for Club Region
  • In late summer, your club will be sent an updated Alumni Regional Profile with the following demographic information for your region
    • Number of alumni by graduation decade (20s, 10s, 00s, etc.)
    • Number of alumni by college graduated from
    • Number of alumni by gender
    • Number of emailable alumni in your region (how many alumni you can expect to reach via e-mail promotion through your Magnet node)
  • The sending of this information in late summer is to coincide with and account for the most recent graduating class being uploaded to our central database.
  • Your club will also receive an annual “heat map” which shows the concentration of alumni in your region by zip code.  The purpose of this resource is to allow your club to see where concentrated pockets of your alumni are residing to aid in planning events that make it easier to attract larger audiences.

Programs Guidelines

Alumni Clubs who participate in this program will agree to the following guidelines in exchange for UIAA resources:

Minimum number of Constituent Journey Events per Year

The minimum number of events per fiscal year varies based on your club’s desired tier level:

  • Main Quad Club – 4 total Constituent Journey events per year, with at least 3 events from separate Constituent Journey event categories.  For example, if your club may elect to host 2 Athletic events, 1 Community Service event, and 1 Networking event per year to achieve the Main Quad tier designation
  • Illini Union Club – 2 total Constituent Journey events per year with both events representing different event categories.  For example, an Illini Union club may host one Arts event and one Community Service event to achieve the Illini Union tier level.
  • Morrow Plots Club – 1 total Constituent Journey event per year.

Receiving credit for Constituent Journey events

  • In addition to planning and hosting your Constituent Journey events, the UIAA asks that your club promotes the event to all alumni in your region or target demographic (via club’s magnet node) and provide an attendee list after the event has been hosted.   If your club utilizes its Magnet node to collect registration, the UIAA requests that the club notates any “no-shows” in your post-event report to the UIAA.

Tentative Year Out Calendar of Events

Alumni clubs will be asked to provide a tentative year-out calendar of events by June 30 every year in order for their tier/club status to be certified.   Please note that the operative word is “tentative” as the UIAA is mindful of volunteer bandwidth, shifting priorities, and that special event opportunities will likely arise over the course of the year, and we want to empower your club to program for your alumni at your discretion.   Providing a year-out calendar of events will allow your club to better leverage our communication resources when applicable, including boosted social media posts, inclusion in our monthly alumni digest e-mails, and allowing the Director of Alumni Clubs to correspond with the club in a timely manner to coordinate these resources.

Reporting Board Meeting Minutes

Alumni clubs will be asked to report a minimum of two board meeting minutes per year to the Director of Alumni Clubs.   Much like the tentative year-out calendar of events, reporting your club’s board meeting minutes will allow your club to better leverage our communication resources when applicable, including boosted social media posts, inclusion in our monthly alumni digest e-mails, and allowing the Director of Alumni Clubs to correspond with the club in a timely manner to coordinate these resources.

Report Annual Club Leader Roster

Alumni clubs will be asked to report their club leadership and volunteer roster by June 30 each year.   Your club board leadership roster ensures that the UIAA has an accurate snapshot of the strength of our club’s program, but also allows UIAA to ensure that your club’s leadership board is receiving correspondence from the UIAA that is particularly relevant to our alumni club volunteer leaders.