TULANE UNIVERSITY REUNION VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK
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WELCOME! Thank you for being a class leader! Without your leadership, expertise, and enthusiasm, reunion weekend would not be possible. Whether it’s through your class outreach, program planning, or your efforts in helping your class reach their class goal your role as a reunion volunteer is vital to the success of this milestone celebration. As a class leader and ambassador of Tulane, your passion for the university will pique interest among your classmates, inspire them to prioritize celebrating your reunion, and most importantly, add more fun to the weekend. Together, through your class gift, your class will also make an incredible impact on future generations of Tulanians. To help you better prepare for the year-long celebration, we have created this volunteer handbook for you to use as a reunion reference guide. In addition to this resource, we ask that you contact your Class Officer throughout the year with any questions and suggestions that you may have. We are here to support you and assist you in any way. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to Tulane. We are thrilled to have the privilege to join you this year to create a reunion that strengthens your bond with Tulane and your fellow alumni, and helps ensure the future of Tulane for years to come. Thank you for all that you do for Tulane!
Sincerely,
Suzanne Plaisance, NC ’96 Senior Director of Development, Reunions
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BEING A CLASS LEADER Reunion volunteers make the Tulane Reunion experience special. As a member of this dynamic group of alumni leaders, you help classmates reconnect with each other, Tulane and New Orleans in three main ways: ■■ Help bring classmates back to campus and New Orleans for Reunion Weekend. ■■ Encourage participation in activities throughout the year, including class-specific social media and regional events. Lead by example by attending events and posting to social media platforms. ■■ Celebrate the power of collective giving by making a gift to Tulane in honor of your reunion year and encouraging your classmates to do the same. Reunion volunteers make an impact by personally reaching out to classmates and by giving the university feedback on reunion communications and class parties. Together, you reach far more alumni than the university could on its own. Your year-round excitement for your reunion will make your reunion celebration a huge success. 3
TIME COMMITMENT AND T U L A N E S TA F F S U P P O R T As a reunion volunteer, you are part of your “Reunion Class Committee.� Your Reunion Class Officer will work with you to customize your role based on your desired time commitment and level of involvement. You will be kept up to date with regular communications especially tailored to volunteers and all of your efforts will be supported by your Class Officer.
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C E L E B R AT E YO U R REUNION ALL YEAR LONG JANUARY–JUNE ■■ Join your class Facebook group using this link: https://www.facebook.com/tulane.reunions ■■ Make sure you update your contact information using this link: http://tulane.edu/alumni/update ■■ Save the date and spread the word! As soon as the date of Reunion Weekend is announced, share it with friends and classmates by email, text and on social media. Kickoff the year-long celebration at local and regional alumni events including Mardi Gras parties, crawfish boils and more. ■■ If you are in New Orleans for Jazz Fest, join your classmates on campus for your Pre-Reunion Jazz Fest Brunch, and enjoy round trip shuttle service to the festival. ■■ Gather with fellow reunion volunteers from all classes in your area or online at reunion outreach events. 5
■■ Consider making your reunion gift or multi-year commitment prior to June 30th. All new gifts and pledges will be counted up-front and celebrated throughout the year. (For more information about giving, please see the “Your Class Gift” section of this handbook.) ■■ Before summer vacations begin, reach out to your classmates to build excitement for reunion festivities. Share the names of friends and classmates you will be contacting with your Reunion Officer. ■■ Confirm your travel plans for Reunion Weekend!
J U L Y – R E U N I O N W E E K E N D ■■ Lead by example: Finalize your gift to show your support. ■■ Register for Reunion Weekend. ■■ Follow up with friends. ■■ Pack your bags! Enjoy a weekend in New Orleans reconnecting with classmates, Tulane and the city.
AFTER REUNION WEEKEND ■■ Maximize your class’s impact by encouraging friends who haven’t given to participate in your class gift before year’s end. ■■ Provide feedback to your Class Officer on your year-long experience. ■■ Suggest classmates who may be interested in volunteering in the future.
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REUNION WEEKEND Here is what you can expect at the celebration:
FRIDAY ■■ On-campus events including inspired lectures, updates from senior university administrators, tours and open houses. ■■ Reunion Leadership Reception with other reunion volunteers and lead donors celebrating their reunions. ■■ Class welcome parties at favorite New Orleans restaurants and venues.
SATURDAY ■■ Tailgating and pre-game activities for the whole family, followed by the Homecoming football game in Yulman Stadium. ■■ After-parties that keep the celebration going, all over the city, for one last hurrah prior to the close of Reunion Weekend. 7
THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND ■■ Mini-reunions that bring together fellow participants from various activities, sports and special interests. ■■ Special community service and cultural opportunities available for reunion-year alumni and their guests.
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HONORING YOUR CLASS LEGACY Reunion years offer a special chance to celebrate the power of collective giving and make a meaningful impact on your alma mater. Each year, reunion celebrants give millions of dollars to the university, which supports Tulane’s top priorities, like providing financial aid to students in need. When you contribute to your class gift, you honor your class legacy and invest in future generations of Tulanians. All gifts and pledges count towards your class gift.
WHY GIVE? Tulane’s alumni giving percentage is an important statistic that grantmaking and ranking organizations consider. Your participation sends an important message: That alumni love Tulane and care about its future. Gifts in any amount help current and future students, and even boost the value of your own degree! 9
DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR TULANE THIS REUNION YEAR All new gifts and pledges made to Tulane during the Reunion Class Gift campaign are counted towards your class gift. There are three ways that you can participate: ■■ A one-time gift celebrates your reunion year and honors your class legacy. ■■ Recurring gifts allow you to make a big yearly impact with smaller monthly or quarterly gifts. ■■ A multi-year pledge will be recognized and counted completely for individual reunion donor credit and in class giving totals, while furthering your impact through to your next reunion. To make a gift visit giving.tulane.edu/reunions or call your Class Officer.
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EXAMPLES OF C O M M U N I C AT I O N S TO C L A S S M AT E S VOICEMAIL MESSAGE Hi ______________________ , it’s ______________________ from Tulane! I am on the _____th Reunion Committee this year and wanted to reach out personally to let you know what we have in store. Reunion Weekend will be November ___–___ in New Orleans and I hope you’ll join me there. Call me back so we can talk more!
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REGISTRATION EMAIL Dear [classmate], Can you believe it’s been ______ years since we graduated?! I hope you’ll save the date to attend our Reunion: November ____–____. I’m planning to be there and I am also on the _____th Reunion Committee, so if you have any suggestions or questions, let me know! Registration is now open. You can sign up here for the full weekend of events and get tickets to our class party on Friday night at ________________ and the Homecoming game on campus. Now is also a great time to book your travel! Tulane has exclusive hotel blocks just for us, but they won’t last forever, so book now! Whether or not you can attend, you can make a gift in honor of the reunion here. Gifts and pledges of any size will count towards our Class Gift goal.
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P O I N T S o f PR I D E • Tulane continues to rise in the U.S. News and World Report Best College Rankings, moving from #41 to #39. • Tulane is 1 of only 25 private institutions with both membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) and to have a designation of Research 1 by the Carnegie Foundation. • The Princeton Review rates Tulane in the “Top 10” in three categories: Best Quality of Life (#6), Most Engaged in Community Service (#1) and Best College City (#2). • Tulane has a total of 6,750 total undergraduates representing 50 states and 58 foreign countries. • 85% of students travel more than 300 miles to attend Tulane, and the average student travels over 900 miles to campus, making Tulane one of the most geographically diverse schools in the country. • 29% of Tulane undergraduates are international or students of color. • 780,347 community service hours were logged by the Tulane community in 2015.
Points of Pride continued... A.B. Freeman School of Business recently broke ground on the expansion of the Goldring/Woldenberg Business Complex, creating a 45,000 square-foot, four-story addition and renovating 40,000 square-feet of existing space. The Howard-Tilton Memorial Library celebrated the completion of the 5th and 6th floor buildback project, which added much needed storage systems and allowed for better use of existing space. The Newcomb College Institute selects twenty intellectually curious and motivated women each year to participate in the Newcomb Scholars Program, an interdisciplinary learning and leadership experience. The recent groundbreaking of Mussafer Hall dynamically combines key Newcomb-Tulane College services dedicated to the students’ academic and personal success. The School of Architecture was honored as one of the best architecture programs in the United States by DesignIntelligence Quarterly, and Dean Ken Schwartz was also recognized as one of the 25 most admired educators. The School of Liberal Arts Management Minor (SLAMM) introduces non-business majors to management practices and principles, and is one of the fasting growing undergraduate minors. The Tulane Brain Institute, a joint venture of the School of Science and Engineering, the Schools of Medicine, Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Liberal Arts and the Tulane National Primate Research Center, conducts brain-related research and neuroscience endeavors across campus. 142 Green Wave student-athletes were named to the 2015-2016 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.