Welcome Club Leaders!: Welcome Club Leaders! 2006 Club Leadership Conference Learn, Share, Apply September 8-9, 2006


Learn, Share, Apply: Learn, Share, Apply FRIDAY History Strategies Best practices Survey responses Good, Bad, Ugly AA guest speakers Tours Mission statement After hours Saturday Brunch Increasing leadership Data/Events tracking Club awards program Strategic objectives Wrap-up Tailgate Cyclones beat UNLV!


Goals of the Conference: Goals of the Conference Meet/Network Grasp our SWOT Best practices Communication Overall direction Education, you and us! Leave with new direction, invest in a new mission, new event and leadership ideas Enjoy yourself and have fun!


Ground Rules: Ground Rules Respect all opinions, thoughts and decisions Provide proactive feedback only Realize, there is no perfect club Comments are not to be taken personally; all ideas and information needs to get out on the table


Our Cheerleaders!: Our Cheerleaders! Board Jeff Johnson Julie Larson ISUAA Staff Cory Hanson and Katie Gieseke Beth Lott


Slide6: Leadership is an action, not a position


Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You!: Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You! The history of the ISUAA’s clubs program Key 21st century realities Breakdown of ISUAA club levels Visions and strategies for high-impact events


Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You!: Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You! History 1980’s Collected own fees, the ISUAA provided a mailer 1994 $1/household for club funding Approx. 60 clubs in 1995 Very little direction provided by the ISUAA Clubs were very inactive clubs Club reorganization in 2000 Will manage in-house funds (still working on it) Removed non-active status clubs We selected 20-25 key locations


Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You!: Loyalty, Pride, Tradition and You! ISUAA Mission Statement To become the lifetime partner in engaging all alumni, students, and friends with Iowa State University. ISUAA Vision Statement To engage the talents and resources of alumni, students, and friends in the life, work, and aspiration of Iowa State University


Key 21st Century Realities: Key 21st Century Realities Recruitment of students Legislative outreach Mentoring opportunities Supporting graduates Assisting with career opportunities Local welcome wagon Fundraising partner Information source Eyes and ears at the local level Critical planning partner Local, visible franchise Opportunities identifier Local leadership training ground


Our Recent Realities: Our Recent Realities 43% increase in the number of leaders (tracked) 67% increase in club events (tracked) Club growth Indianapolis, NY/NJ/CT, Southwest Florida Gamewatch attendance record of 5,500 (tracked) CASE VI Excellence in Programming Award 22 new Connection Cities


Our Recent Realities: Our Recent Realities 56% increase in e-communication touches Reorganization efforts Bay Area, Madison, Austin, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C., and Houston Implementation of Pride Level Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland, Bay Area, Southwest Florida, New York, and Indianapolis


A shared vision!: A shared vision! We must live outside of the box Strategies: Create new, locally driven event ideas Better/remove those events that are stagnant Find a membership twist at every turn Relevance of programming/demographics Data drives our business Embrace diversity Talk-the talk, walk-the-walk


Slide14: In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. ~Max De Pree


A shared vision!: A shared vision! 2. We must continue to increase the size, effectiveness of the club leadership base Strategies: Perpetuate leadership opportunities Ownership at all levels of leadership Buy into the club structure, processes Establish solid expectations Succession planning


Slide16: Our challenge is to leave future generations indebted to our contributions. ~Dean John Thomson ISU College of Veterinary Medicine


A shared vision!: A shared vision! 3. Support Iowa State and the ISUAA Strategies: Commit to the club structure Embrace the 21st century realities Build your network, block by block Lead by example Communicate multiple ISU opportunities A team effort will take us to the next level


Slide18: Absence of TRUST Inattention to RESULTS Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY


Slide19: We focus on the achievement of collective RESULTS We TRUST one another We engage in unfiltered CONFLICT around ideas We COMMITMENT to decision and a plan of action Hold one another ACCOUNTABLE for delivering against those plans


Club Structure: An Overview: Club Structure: An Overview Loyalty: Gamewatch – football, basketball Pride: Gamewatch plus one from the Tradition Level Tradition: Gamewatch, Celebrate/Network Iowa State, student relationship, community service


Event Opportunities: Event Opportunities Gamewatches Wine tasting Boat cruises Golf outings Professional sports Art festivals Tree plantings Speed networking lunches Adopt a classroom Special Olympics Guest speakers Breakfast club Food/clothing drives Young alumni welcome weekend Career networking Social networking


Event Opportunities: Event Opportunities New student send-off Legacy celebration Theatrical performance Habitat for Humanity Celebrate VEISHEA, locally Joint Big 12 event All-state of Iowa events Summer picnics and potlucks Legacy celebration Bus trips Tour local business Joint events with the University of Iowa ISU’s 150th birthday events


Event Opportunities: Event Opportunities Skiing/ice skating Host a tailgate Internships Alumni Admissions Program Visiting team support Increase local benefits program


Event Opportunities: Event Opportunities Young family support groups Seasoned-alumni gatherings Intramural teams Demographically charged events Meet your Board member Meet Shane!


Slide25: Don’t be afraid to try something new. An amateur built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.


Strategies for high-impact events: Strategies for high-impact events Plan to plan Hold regularly scheduled leadership meetings Divide your leadership group/work based on your event opportunities Plan and promote a yearly events calendar (July-June) Follow the events checklist Contact the ISUAA with meeting updates, event ideas, or new opportunities Why should alumni be interested?


Slide27: We overestimate the event and underestimate the process. Every fulfilled dream occurred because of a dedication to the process. ~John Maxwell


Strategies for high-impact events: Strategies for high-impact events Effective/Efficient communication Audience, purpose and context Textually eye-catching One central contact for RSVPs You have a wide audience base! You can also be more specific. Set your tone and expectations We must meet our audience where they are at


Strategies for high-impact events: Strategies for high-impact events Event Set-up Did you track attendance? Does it look like Iowa State? Are we welcoming everyone to the event? How can we engage our audience? Are we thanking people for attending? Was there enough of a benefit for attending? Why should people come back?


Strategies for high-impact events: Strategies for high-impact events Event follow-up/debriefing What worked well, what did not? What can we keep? What do we have to change? Thank you’s and appreciation! Will we have repeat attendees?


Strategies for high-impact events: Strategies for high-impact events B = f (P x E)


Best Practices: Best Practices ISUAA Club Policies and Procedures


Best Practices: Best Practices Membership Finances Insurance Communication


Best Practices: Best Practices Membership Have a member vs. non-member component Have an mechanism to sign-up new members Have a new member give-away Allow only members to enter for drawings Have a 'recruit a non-members only event' Have a 'thank-you members-only event' Find local business to honor ISUAA member discounts Know the member benefits Recognize members


Best Practices: Best Practices Finances Each club has an in-house club account We do not encourage local accounts Your ISUAA account is replenished each year Funds available to maximize local member benefits and assist with event payments Quarterly financial statements Provide us payment information, quickly paid


Best Practices: Best Practices Insurance Your club is covered under our blanket insurance coverage if: You use the ISUAA as your communications partner You use your in-house, ISUAA financial account for all payment functions for the event You do not enter into any legally binding agreements without the consent of the ISUAA


Best Practices: Best Practices Insurance You can reduce our liability by: At your event locations, asking for a copy of the venue or vendors’ certificate of insurance Not leading or promoting unlawful activity For events that may cause injury, obtaining a location’s waiver that removes all liability from the venue or the club/ISUAA


Best Practices: Best Practices Communication Plan early, according to your events checklist Utilize your Web capabilities New communications process Includes both e-mail and paper mailers


Best Practices: Best Practices Communications Kate Bruns, Assistant Director for Electronic Communications Emily Trevillyan, Program Assistant for Events and Communication


Best Practices: Best Practices Branding: Product, Price, Place, Promotion


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding What is a brand? Collection of images and ideas referring to the concrete symbols such as a name, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product or service. A brand serves to create associations and expectations among products and services made by a producer. A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, and symbols which are developed to represent implicit values, ideas and even personality.


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding In short Brands are the sum total of all the images that people have in their heads about a particular company and a particular mark.


Slide43:


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding Product/Service: Anything offered to satisfy a want or need How can we serve as the most important factor in the relationship with our alumni, back to ISU


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding An automobile offers personal transportation (core product), has many different features and attributes (actual product), and may include a manufacturer's warranty or dealer's discounted service contract (augmented product).


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding Price: Sum of all the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using our product/service. Member vs. Non-member pricing Value-added, tangible member benefits Do your prices accurately reflect a noticeable difference?


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding Place: Involved in making the product convenient for our target customers Location vs. Venues vs. Time How can each 'place' look like Iowa State? MapPoint can now assist us in our 'place' decisions.


Best Practices: Branding: Best Practices: Branding Promotion: Presentation of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor The ISUAA intends to convey a consistent, enduring image that continually reinforces the positioning of our products, service and organization Are we meeting our brand and audience expectations through our promotions?


Slide49: Club Leadership Survey Results


Club Leadership Survey Results: Club Leadership Survey Results Noteworthy qualitative responses: Leadership experience 42% positive, 46% negative Alumni experience 54% positive, 40% negative Additional services, ISUAA More communication/direction 53%


Break-Out Session: Break-Out Session The good, the bad, and the ugly The best way to have good ideas is to have a lot of ideas. ~Linus Pauling


Who is your Alumni Association?ISUAA Guest Speakers: Who is your Alumni Association? ISUAA Guest Speakers Breck Breitsprecher Kate Bruns Scott Dahl Carole Gieseke Susie Hamilton Julie Larson Emily Trevillyan


VISIONS AND ISUAA CLUBS: VISIONS AND ISUAA CLUBS VISIONS magazine builds awareness of overall clubs program and highlights occasional club activities Quarterly calendar listings for major club events Deadlines: Fall issue (September – January): July 10 Winter issue (January – April): Nov. 1 Spring issue (April – July): Feb. 1 Summer issue (July – September): May 1 The VISIONS calendar generally does not have room for routine club events (i.e., First Thursday events) Story ideas about alumni from your club areas


ISU WALL CALENDAR AND ISUAA CLUBS: ISU WALL CALENDAR AND ISUAA CLUBS Annual events listings (August through August) Deadline is April 1 List of all ISU clubs General clubs information ISU Clubs Web address


Who is your Alumni Association?ISUAA Guest Speakers: Who is your Alumni Association? ISUAA Guest Speakers Breck Breitsprecher Kate Bruns Scott Dahl Carole Gieseke Susie Hamilton Julie Larson Emily Trevillyan