How Foundations Can Help Class Reunion Committees Plan Events

Planning a class reunion can be a major undertaking, especially if the graduating class was large or if the event being planned is grand in scale. Often, these reunions are planned by a small group of people from the graduating class in their spare time, and in most cases they will need as much help as they can get to plan a successful event.

Educational foundations are well positioned to assist these committees, plan class reunions. Below are just a few of the ways these foundations can provide considerable assistance.

Providing Contact Information

One of the most difficult and frustrating tasks of planning a class reunion is figuring out how to get in touch with alumni. Over time, classmates will gradually lose contact with one another and may not have updated contact information. The internet and social media have made it easier to stay in touch, but some level of disconnection is still natural and expected.

Educational foundations usually have databases of alumni information that former students have opted into over the years. This means they should have updated contact information on hand for a large portion of alumni who might be interested in attending the event. Foundations can pass along this information to reunion-planning committees.

Helping Fill Out Committees

Not only do educational foundations have databases filled with alumni contact information, but based on the events they’ve held over the years and the engagement they receive from their communications with these alumni, they will also have a good sense of who will be the most likely to be interested in helping serve on these reunion-planning committees.

Foundations will often have information about the kinds of work alumni are willing to help with, as well as the amount of time they are able to commit to events and volunteering.

Spreading The Word About Events

Educational foundations stay well-connected with alumni through email newsletters and social media platforms. A small planning committee will only be in touch with so many of their fellow alumni. Foundations, on the other hand, can use their reach through their various digital platforms to spread the word about the reunion to a much broader range of people.

While the committee will likely still want to send out its own communications and invitations, having the foundation’s assistance with publicizing the event can be highly beneficial.

If you run an educational foundation, consider the many ways you can supplement the work of reunion committees in planning the events. Doing so can give you opportunities to expand your alumni base and gain greater overall support for the work you do.