Managing a University of Leeds global alumni group

What do you want alumni to gain from participating in the group? Think about one or more of the following: 

• Encourage social connections and create a sense of community
• Provide professional contacts and career development opportunities  
• Maintain a connection with the University and share news  
• Unite alumni around shared interests or activities  
• Provide lifelong learning opportunities and share knowledge  
• Plan group activities that support the values of the University and help to create a positive and respectful image of the University community at all times.

Having clear aims will help promote your group and ensure that group communications and activities meet alumni expectations.

• Choose and manage a social media platform of your choice (eg Facebook, LinkedIn, WeChat, Whatsapp) 
• Keep in contact with each other  
• Post items regularly 
• Recruit new alumni 
• Promote group events  
• Share group celebrations 
• Use the tag #leedsalumni so we can follow and share your group’s activity. 

There is strength in numbers and from experience it is best when the group leader has at least one other person to help with group activities so that the workload is shared. Whether your group is small or large, you should consider who is responsible for the following key roles and tasks:

• Leader – represents the group at University events and takes overall responsibility for how the group is run
• Point of contact – keeps in regular contact with the main University contact, ensuring that news and updates are exchanged regularly between the group and Leeds 
• Communications – maintains the group’s online platform and shares updates with alumni  
• Events/activities – schedules and organises group activities 
• Finances – oversees any income and expenditure from alumni for events or activities. All groups must be financially self-supporting. Please don’t open a bank account or make any financial commitment in the University’s name as the group cannot act on the University’s behalf. 

As the group leader, we encourage you to actively promote and maintain your social media platform on a regular basis. To get you started we suggest the following:

• Post at least once a month
• Look out for updates on University news and activities from your main contact. They will encourage you to get involved in activities which you can promote on your pages and spread the word
• Check the University social media channels and share posts that your group will be interested in; perhaps our research, rankings, written features, podcasts, events, or new developments on campus
• Do you have any photos from when you were at University? Post a photo and share your memories from your time at Leeds; a great way for people to engage in the group and feel nostalgic
• We can help promote your group to alumni in your region via email and social media. Keep us up-to-date with any changes within the group and don’t hesitate to ask for further tips and support in maintaining your group. 

As alumni, your support can have a big impact on the future success of the University. Activity and priorities will vary depending on where you are in the world so look out for opportunities to get involved in some of the following activities: 

• Supporting University events in your country by providing guidance on timings, venues, and helping to promote them via social media
• Meeting with University staff during international visits  
• Assisting with student recruitment fairs or offer-holder mixer events  
• Providing professional advice and support for current students and early career alumni 
• Welcome returning graduates to help them feel connected  
• Representing the University at local events.

Face-to-face events are a great opportunity to bring people together in a fun and informal way. You may want to consider some of the following types of events:  

• Social events – meet-ups, dinners, celebrations, reunions  
• Social and environmental impact – engage in a local community or charity project  
• Cultural visits – trips to local beauty spots or historic/cultural sites  
• Book club – you could create a book club for your group, or join the Leeds Alumni Book Club  
• Professional networking events – talks, workshops or panels. We can help with finding or approaching speakers. 

Other ideas that may be useful or fun at your event might be:  

• Inviting attendees to introduce themselves to encourage networking and welcome anyone who is new to the group or a recent graduate to welcome them home  
• Encouraging alumni to bring old photos or items that remind them of their time at Leeds
• Creating a quiz about Leeds – a fun activity and a great way to share memories  
• Taking a group selfie and posting it on social media with #leedsalumni.

Where possible email the Advancement team at alumni@leeds.ac.uk about six to eight weeks before your event. We can send invitations and reminders to promote the event and encourage attendance. Simply provide us with the following information: 

• Date and time 
• Location  
• Event name/title 
• Cost to attend, pay on the day or pay in advance  
• Can alumni bring guests?  
• Is there a dress code?  
• Dietary requirements, if there will be food. 

Remember, events must be self-funded by alumni. To encourage people to commit to the event you can request payment from attendees in advance and we recommend all payments are made online. Don’t forget to keep a record of who has paid and ensure they receive a receipt.

• Please keep a list of alumni who have registered and those who actually attend on the day.  
• We can provide a template document to help with collecting details but please collect data responsibly and according to your local laws. Do not share confidential personal information such as email addresses with anyone, including the University. However, we will require a list of attendees so that we can update the University alumni database. 
• We would love to hear how everything went, so please send us some short text and any photos from the event, along with your attendee list, so that we can promote the group and share your success on our social media, e-newsletters, website and other alumni publicity. 

Your alumni group is all set and you can now start planning activities to engage local alumni. We look forward to hearing from you soon. #leedsalumni