It is requested that all Duke Alumni Clubs follow the Duke University Alumni Affairs (DAA) standards in the following ways:
Align with the DAA's mission: We engage, connect, and celebrate alumni and friends of Duke University.
Provide programming for diverse interests and age groups.
Communicate with Club members and potential members using only the resources provided by the DAA.
Per Duke University's Trustee-approved confidentiality policy, distribution lists are to be used only for Duke-related business and are not to be distributed without permission from the DAA staff.
THE DAA PROVIDES TO ALL CLUBS
Web/Mail
Two (2) print newsletters per year (additional newsletters are negotiable)
Calendar listings on the Duke Alumni web site calendar (www.dukealumni.com)
Web site and internet support
Duke Alumni Affairs staff support
Monthly emails (HTML formatted) to Club membership
Membership Lists
Lists of local alumni and parents are administered through the DAA. Club leaders may consult with the DAA staff representative for the purpose of promoting the DAA and affiliated events.
Event Invitations
When the DAA office sends a communication on behalf of the local Club, it is sent to all area alumni (those who have completed at least 2 consecutive semesters at Duke University), parents of current students, and "friends" of Duke University. "Friends" consist of non-alumni volunteers and donors of a level determined by the University.
Event information will also be posted on the DAA website, www.dukealumni.com.
University Speakers and Programs
The DAA staff will work with Club leaders to secure speakers from the University. Potential speakers include the president, deans, professors, University administrators or athletic representatives. If you have a particular request, please contact your DAA staff representative as soon as possible. One speaker per year is available at the DAA's expense - additional speakers will be charged to the Club. Please visit www.dukenews.duke.edu/resources/experts for examples of potential speakers.
DAA Representatives Involvement
It is the goal of the DAA staff to visit each alumni Club at least once every academic year.
Finances
The DAA is able to provide start up money for new Clubs - new Club Leaders should speak with their DAA staff representative for more information. For additional information on Club bank accounts, please visit the FAQs section of the Clubs website: www.dukealumni.com.
GENERAL OPERATING GUIDELINES
Purpose
The purpose of each alumni Club shall be to build lifelong ties to the University among alumni, by cultivating pride in the institution and passion for its success, so that commitment to Duke is a priority to its alumni and friends.
Membership
Membership shall consist of those alumni, parents and friends of Duke University who reside and or receive mail in the Club's local area, as determined by the zip code of the preferred mailing address of the individual. All alumni, parents and friends are considered members of the DAA and are automatically included in regional communications, unless they ask not to be.
If a Club charges dues, dues paying members should be kept separate as a subset of the larger membership group and lists of local dues-payers must be submitted to the DAA office twice a year.
Duke Alumni Affairs Staff Representative
A member of the DAA staff shall serve as the Club's contact, providing recommendations to the Club on past, present and future activities and will accept responsibility for the timely production and distribution (within the control of the DAA) of all promotional materials. Please see the FAQs section of the Clubs website (www.dukealumni.com).
Board of Volunteers
The business of the Club shall be managed by its volunteers in accordance with these guidelines. Should the DAA staff determine that Club business or volunteers conflict with these guidelines, the staff will intervene and take appropriate action.
The president's term shall be two years, with the option to serve additional terms upon re-election by the board. All other volunteers' terms shall consist of three years, with the option to serve additional terms upon re-election by the board.
Vacancies on the board shall be filled by a majority vote of the board.
The board will determine a set location, time and date for regular meetings with reasonable notice according to the convenience of the majority of volunteers (at least 3 weeks notice). The DAA recommends that each Club board set a minimum of 4 meetings per year.
Finances
Clubs may charge local membership dues after consulting with staff representatives to determine costs and benefits. If so, the Club must establish a Club bank account (please see the FAQs section on the Clubs website). A Club is not required to have a bank account but it is recommended.
Club activities shall be self-supporting - this means that Club boards should not plan events that cost in excess of the amount in the Club's treasury. When this is not possible, prior approval by the DAA must be obtained. Financial security of each activity shall be a major consideration of the board. Event costs should be estimated as accurately as possible. Many Clubs will add a small amount to the actual cost of an event to cover unexpected expenses and/or help build a treasury to support additional mailings or other activities.
There are alumni whose businesses are willing to help defray the costs of an event, totally underwrite the costs, or provide a meeting facility at no cost. These resources should be explored and utilized whenever possible. Underwriters or contributors should be obtained in time to permit recognition in the invitation mailing.
Local volunteers are discouraged from using personal funds to cover the costs associated with a local Club event - please contact your staff representative if it becomes necessary for a local volunteer to pay for a Club event.
BOARD OF VOLUNTEERS JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Please note that these are suggested positions. These job descriptions have been created by compiling best practices from various Clubs throughout years of volunteer experience. The purpose of these job descriptions is to allow for optimal performance of the Club board and should not limit the creativity and ambition of volunteers filling these positions as described. This is meant to be a flexible document and it meant to provide guidance to the Club board - a Club may find that positions not detailed here are necessary and is invited to make changes as required. A Club board may also find that certain positions can be combined. Please speak with your DAA staff representative if you have any questions or need assistance filling these positions.
President
Represents the Alumni Club as the official spokesperson.
Serves as an ex-officio member of all Club committees.
Presides at all local board meetings.
Assumes responsibility for the scheduling success (and follow-up) of each activity or project the Club undertakes.
Approves the agenda for each meeting.
Should be visible at Club functions or appoint an officer to attend.
Works to increase participation and dues, if applicable. Works to recruit and identify new officers for the board.
Serves as the Club contact for the DAA staff.
Writes an annual report (following a template provided by the DAA) detailing the Club's activities, meetings, event attendees and future plans to be submitted to the DAA staff by July 1st of every year.
Provides the DAA staff with a list of volunteers by July 1st of each year.
Attends the annual Volunteer Leadership Conference on Duke's campus.
Participates in DAA regularly scheduled conference calls.
*For new Club presidents, the first three months in office will be considered a probationary period. This new requirement has been put in place to ensure that the new president is properly approaching his/her duties.
Vice-President
Performs the duties of the president in his/her absence.
Handles arrangements for programs and meetings.
Co-leads meetings with president.
Assists all volunteers at Club functions in order to become familiar with and promote Club operations.
Will assume presidential duties if agreed upon by a majority vote of the board.
Secretary
Responsible for gathering minutes and recording pertinent information from board meetings.
Collects samples of all Club mailings.
Forwards complete minutes of all meetings to the DAA staff contact.
Works with the rest of the board to get a yearly events calendar scheduled to ensure the appropriate promotion and DAA support.
Community Service Coordinator
Coordinates activities involving volunteerism and community service.
Seeks out community-based projects in the area and presents ideas to the board.
Events Coordinator
Generates new ideas to engage alumni and collect event ideas from other volunteers and alumni.
Brings these ideas to the board along with a plan for the event, venue information, a contact person, estimated cost, etc.
Sends requests to the DAA staff contact for email messages 1 week prior to targeted mail date.
Follows up with the DAA staff representative within 7 days* of the event to report list of attendees and a brief summary of the event.
Plans events with an understanding of the Club's larger calendar of events in order to space events appropriately and plan a diverse array of activities.
* Please note that this requirement is very important to the DAA's strategic plan. Any Club that does not turn in a list of attendees after an event risks losing DAA staff support.
Young Alumni Coordinator
Works with the DAA's Director of Young Alumni Programs to increase awareness of the DAA's efforts in this area and to provide feedback to the DAA staff from local young alumni (defined as any alum who has graduated from Duke within the last 10 years).
Coordinates activities that appeal specifically to young alumni.
Represents young alumni concerns to the board.
AAAC Contact
Performs AAAC chair duties.
Helps coordinate communication efforts between the Club and the AAAC.
Serves as the liaison when planning admissions-related events.
Newcomer Coordinator
Responsible for sending regular messages to all alumni new to the area. The DAA office provides the list of alumni new to the area.
The welcome message should contain the following information:
Duke Club president
Newcomer Contact person
AAAC Chairperson
Club website address
Duke Alumni Office contact information and staff representative contact information
All upcoming events
Responsible for planning events to familiarize new alumni with the area.
Treasurer
Responsible for all Club finances.
Keeps Club bank account (if applicable), collects and records dues (if applicable), and deposits event payments in a timely manner.
Will provide bank account information and statements (if applicable) upon request of the DAA staff.
Publicity Chair/Newsletter Coordinator
Works with event coordinators to collect information for each Club event and passes this information on to the DAA staff representative.
Proofreads publications to ensure accuracy.
Submits newsletter content to the DAA staff representative and proofreads the newsletter to ensure accuracy.
Website Coordinator
Responsible for regularly updating the Club website.
Works with the publicity chair and event coordinators to advertise and promote Club activities on the Club website
Parent Representative
Represents non-alumni parents of current Duke students
Graduate/Professional School Representative
Represent the schools of law, business, divinity, and medicine and other graduate and professional school programs.
Help the Club's board work with the independent external relations offices for these programs and schools at Duke and their local alumni groups to create combined and successful programming. Please the resources section on the Clubs website to obtain contact information for Duke graduate and professional school external relations offices and peer institutions' external relations offices (www.dukealumni.com).
Career Services Representative
Serve as a liaison between those alumni in search of employment or looking to change jobs and those searching for new employees.
Work with the Assistant Director of Alumni Careers to plan local career services related events and to gather information to assist alumni.
The DAA encourages the use of ad-hoc members on the board. Ad-hoc board members can be added at the discretion of the board and can have voting privileges, if the board so chooses.
EXPECTATIONS OF DUKE CLUB VOLUNTEERS
As a Duke Club volunteer, you have responsibilities in addition to those detailed in your job description - these additional responsibilities are described below to make the Duke Club Volunteer experience an efficient and rewarding use of your valuable time.
Attendance
Plan to attend all board meetings - if you cannot attend, please call the Club president prior to the start of the meeting.
Board meetings will start on time - all volunteers are expected to arrive on time.
Meeting notices should be posted no later than 2 weeks prior to the meeting date.
Communication
Every volunteer should attend all meetings and if you are unable to attend, please call the Club president prior to the start of the meeting.
A sincere effort should be made to respond to all Duke Club related emails and telephone calls within two (2) business days (unless an unforeseen emergency arises).
If you are traveling or will be out of town for some time, please let the Club president know.
Make sure the Club president is aware of the best times and means to reach you.
Meeting notices should be posted no later than 2 weeks prior to the meeting date.
Notify the Club president and the DAA staff representative of any changes to your contact information.
Training
When newly appointed, you are strongly encouraged to attend the yearly Volunteer Leadership Conference at Duke University (Exception - Club president should plan to attend the VLC annually).
Every Club should plan to send at least one Club member to the VLC every year.
