Rutgers University - Alumni Association President Message
Purpose: To urge alumni to advocate for Rutgers upon learning about unprecedented proposed state budget cuts for higher education.

Target: Alumni in New Jersey
Delivery dates: April 18, 2006 through June 22, 2006
Emails sent: 20
Total recipients: 290,769

For the fiscal year 2006-2007, a New Jersey state budget was proposed that would cut $169 million in state aid to public institutions of higher education; almost $100 million in funding was proposed to be cut from Rutgers. Through a broadcast email campaign, Rutgers was able to get the voices of thousands of alumni heard in the state capital.

First, an email went out to alumni on April 18 on behalf of the president of the university. The email urged alumni to take action in support of funding for higher education. This was followed by an email on May 5 urging alumni to attend Rutgers Day in Trenton, another effort to advocate for Rutgers. About 350 attended.

These two emails and the event were followed by a coordinated effort to send 17 broadcast emails on behalf of each of the university's alumni association presidents to reach out to their specific alumni constituents to further advocate for Rutgers.

A final urgent message went out to all New Jersey alumni on June 22, a week before the New Jersey budget was to be finalized. In total, after the state budget crisis was finally resolved on July 5, higher education was now only to be cut about $104 million, with Rutgers restoring about $34 million in state aid. More than 90,000 email messages and letters were sent to the leaders in the state government advocating for Rutgers.