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Alumni Magnet
For all alumni club events and initiatives, the UIAA strongly encourages your club to utilize it’s Alumni Magnet node to promote the event or initiative to all alumni in your region. The UIAA also encourages that your club collect event registration for all events (paid or unpaid) through your club’s Alumni Magnet node. If your club is planning to request tier funding reimbursement for the event, your club will need to promote the event to all area (for regional clubs) or your core demographic (identify and affinity groups) alumni through your Alumni Magnet node. If your club does not currently have an Alumni Magnet node, please contact Tyler Gagai at gagai@uillinois.edu.
Logo and Assets Assistance
The UIAA has partnered with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Branding to provide each alumni club with a branding and photo toolkit to provide your club with assets for website, social media, solicitations, and in-person events. Please note that if your club currently uses a custom club logo, your club is welcome to continue using the custom logo. The assets provided are otherwise standardized.
Your club’s toolkit will contain the following assets:
- Avatar logos for social media and club website
- Photos of university life and athletics for use on social media, club website, e-mail newsletters, and event promotion e-mails. These images were taken directly from the University of Illinois image database.
- Club letterhead for physical mailings and sponsorship solicitation letters
- Business card templates with club logo and information
- Nametag templates with club logo for in-person events
Your club’s toolkit is stored within it’s own Box folder, and is available upon request. If your club would like to utilize it’s branding and photo toolkit, please contact Tyler Gagai at gagai@uillinois.edu.
Social Media Strategies
Almost every Illini Club leverages social media to help engage their audience and promote club activities. The UIAA strongly recommends that all alumni clubs maintain at least a Facebook page to promote the club, but LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter can be effective in helping you reach different audiences. The UIAA can also help your club create a group on our IlliniLink platform.
Here are some strategies that the UIAA recommends to maximize your impact and reach on social media:
- Create an event on your club’s Facebook page for all club events. If your club is accepting registration through it’s Magnet node, make sure to link the registration page to the Facebook event page
- Utilize the high-quality images provided in your club’s branding and photo toolkit
- Place an emphasis on quality posts over the quantity of posts. Posting too often may lead some to either muting or unfollowing your group’s page.
- Use your social media pages to keep your audience informed about the university itself. The UIAA recommends publicizing information from the Illinois News Bureau and Illinois Athletics
- Consider highlighting a club leader or local alum as the “Illini of the Month” to foster greater connectivity to the club. Please make sure that you receive the permission of any alumni that your club wishes to highlight
- Post photos and videos from club events to promote your club.
- After an event, create a post to thank everybody for coming to the event, with some photos of the events and participants
Optimizing Your Club’s Website/Alumni Magnet Node
When alumni are looking for a club in their area, their first stop is often the UIAA website. From there, alumni can browse our listing of alumni clubs, and find the club for their region, identity group, or affinity group.
Much like your club’s social media pages, keeping your club’s website up-to-date with relevant information demonstrates that the club is active.
For club website content, please consider making sure that the following information is current and relevant:
- Post all upcoming club events on your Magnet node
- Regularly publish a club newsletter in addition to publishing the newsletter content as “Club News and Announcements” on your Magnet node
- Ensuring that your club’s leadership board information is accurate on your Magnet node, including information on how alumni can get involved with the club
- Information on how alumni can contact the group
- If your club has a scholarship or dues-paying membership program, please make sure all relevant information is updated and accurate