Table of Contents

Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities that fall under the category of “outreach” include working with staff on the text for post cards, letters, and emails sent from the committee, organizing plans for personal calls/emails in the fall and spring, creating and maintaining a class Facebook page or group and helping with content on your class website, and helping write 5-8 questions for an online Bio Book. 

There are a few specific roles that committee members can play, and you’ll assign these at CAVE (the Reunion Planning Workshop) in August.

  • Communication Coordinator: Committee member who will work with staff on the text for post cards, letters, and emails sent from the committee.
  • Personal Outreach Coordinator: Committee member who will organize the plans for personal calls/emails in the fall and spring. For example, phone/email tree by major, Carleton activity, floor, current location, etc. See the online handbook for more ideas.
  • Facebook Coordinator (optional): Committee members who will work on the class Facebook page or group.
  • Class Website Content Coordinator (optional): Committee member who will work with staff on content for your class website.
  • Bio Book Questions Coordinator (optional): If not completing during CAVE, committee member who will submit 5-8 questions for your online bio book.

Reunion Attendance and Records

One of the most important roles of the committee is to make a concerted effort to contact everyone in the class personally to encourage them to attend Reunion. Strong attendance levels strengthen class ties and friendships, and alumni who attend Reunion are much more likely to support Carleton and attend Carleton events in the future. “Supporting Carleton” means connecting with other alumni and with the College in myriad ways: attending events, volunteering, supporting the College financially, and keeping up with College news and priorities.

Each year during Alumni Convocation on Saturday morning of Reunion, we have the opportunity to celebrate classes who have set new records in attendance, giving, and participation. Additionally, the Loving Cup is awarded to class with the highest percentage of class members attending Reunion.

Communications

Timing

Below is the general time line for communications from the program and outreach committee. The gift committee will also be sending letters and emails, and staff will help you coordinate your messages and timing. There will be communications sent by the Alumni Annual Fund and Office of Alumni Relations throughout the year. Of the three class-specific communications, one will be sent as a paper letter and two will be sent as emails; each committee can decide which communication will be sent with which method.

  • September Post Card – Encourage classmates to save the date for Reunion and start reconnecting, call for updated contact info including email addresses. Include links to class website and online alumni directory.
  • October/November Communication – Same goal as September post card. Can include links to Bio Book page, class website/Facebook, and online alumni directory.
  • December/January Communication – Include preliminary program plans and links to pdf of class directory, class website/Facebook, and Bio Book.
  • March/April Communication – Class-specific schedule and a reminder to register. Include links to Bio Book, online attendance list, and class website/Facebook.

Letters and Post Cards

The Office of Alumni Relations will assist reunion committees in sending out one post card and two letters to classmates in the months leading up to Reunion. Staff can provide sample text for these mailings, and it is up to the communication coordinator to determine the final text. Please plan on 7-10 working days for production of the letter or postcard after submitting final text. Alumni relations staff will manage printing and mailing of each piece, and all mailings are sent first class.

Email

The Office of Alumni Relations will assist reunion committees in sending two email messages during the year to classmates for whom we have an email address. Carleton uses a broadcast email system that avoids most spam filters, tracks whether email is opened, and can resend the message to those who haven’t opened it. Staff can provide sample text for these messages, and it is up to the communication coordinator to determine the final text, and who the message is from (a specific person, or the committee generally). Please plan on 3-5 working days for production of the email after submitting final text.

Registration Information

The Office of Alumni Relations will send registration materials by mail or email to all reunion classes in March, and follow up with reminder emails and confirmation emails in April, May, and June.

Alumni Directory Information

In the spring, letters and emails were sent to reunion classes requesting updated information for the alumni directory. It is helpful to have this updated information for you to foster connections through the online Alumni Directory.

Bio Book

Would your class enjoy the chance to read about what others have been doing during the past five years? If so, an online Bio Book is a great option. We recommend including a request to submit a bio in each email and letter sent to the class.

Timeline

  • Committee members will determine questions for the bio book during or shortly after CAVE.
  • Staff will create an online bio book form by September 1, and link to a page on the class website.
  • Alumni will need to log in using their alumni username and password to create their bio or view other bios, and will be able to upload a current photo if desired.
  • Each entry will automatically include the alum’s name, contact, employment, and spouse/partner information as displayed in the Alumni Directory.
  • For classes that want to give classmates the option of submitting answers via mail, a simple form can be mailed out with the first program letter.
  • Since the Bio Book is online, we can remind alumni of it throughout the year and your classmates can continue to submit information.

Questions

  • We recommend 5-8 questions.
  • Open-ended questions rather than yes/no questions result in longer, more detailed answers.
  • Avoid questions that assume things like employment, marriage, or children. See below for some examples of alternative questions.
  • Be sure to include the question “Coming to Reunion?” with “Yes”, “Hope to Attend”, and “Not Sure” as the possible answers.
  • Submit your questions and see sample questions from past years.

Class Website

Reunion committees find that a good way to communicate about Reunion is through a class website. Carleton can provide space on its server for each class and staff can help update and add content.

Timing

To obtain the maximum benefit from having a class web page, it is helpful to get it  up as soon as possible. Ideally, it will be updated with basic information by October 1 so a link can be included in the first email sent to your classmates.

Content

The class website content coordinator will work with staff to provide content for your class website. It is important to respect individual privacy. Please keep in mind that personal information about your classmates (such as contact information and biographies) cannot be included without asking permission. To access this kind of information, classmates will need to sign in using their alumni username and password.

Class websites generally include:

  • Reunion dates
  • Links to:
    • Senior year Algol
    • Zoobook
    • Reunion home page
    • Online gift form
    • Alumni Directory
  • List and photo of committee members
  • Class event details
  • Bio Book
  • Class Directory
  • List of registered classmates (beginning in March)
  • Class Reunion schedule (beginning in March)
  • You can also include:
    • Photos of classmates, past Reunions
    • Progress on your class gift
    • Link to the Carletonian archives
    • Copies of your class communications

Curious about whether to use Facebook or your class website? Think about it this way: Facebook is more for reconnecting and reminding classmates about upcoming deadlines. Websites are a great place to maintain links to Reunion information, copies of your class letters, Zoobook links, etc.

Reunion Class Websites

A basic website has been created for each class that will be celebrating Reunion this year. To find your class website, point your browser to go.carleton.edu/year, where year is your Class year (e.g., 1989).

Facebook

Creating a Facebook group or page for your class can be a great way to encourage reconnecting and keep Reunion in the forefront of your classmates’ minds.

Create a Facebook Page

One classmate will need to be responsible for creating the page—administrative rights can then be granted to multiple people to share update and maintenance duties. You must be friends with the page creator and “like” the page in order to be given shared administrative rights. When naming your page, use a generic name like “Carleton Class of 2008” instead of “Carleton Class of 2008 5th Reunion”, so that you can continue to use it in the future for other reunions.

Please note that Facebook has two group offerings, the Page and the Group. Pages are used to communicate broadly to people who “like” them and are searchable. Groups are closed spaces for small groups with shared interests that have high communication. Please consult with your staff liaison as to the best platform for your class to use.

After creating the page, administrators can share posts under the name of the page rather than a personal name. For example, if you wrote the following “Come join us at Reunion!” as an administrator for the page, it would read that it came from the “Carleton Class of 2008” rather than “John Smith”. A person may “like” a page to receive access to page information/posts. Anyone can search for the page, making it easier to increase the number of people connected with the page.

Build Your Audience

After creating a page, be sure to invite all committee members to “like” the page. Each committee member should then invite all of their relevant contacts to “like” the page. You can also encourage “likes” by sharing the group in your Facebook status and by including information in communications to your class.

Keep People Coming

Once you have a functioning page with members, try to keep the page populated so people become energized and excited about Reunion. Try to post at least 1-3 days throughout the week during times that people are likely to be reading their newsfeed, with increased activity at key times (when you first launch the page, when registration for Reunion opens, etc.) Some classes have had great success with assigning posting duties by week among the Reunion committee so no one person is responsible for updates the entire year. Wondering what you should post? Some ideas include:

  • Invite people to PARTICIPATE
  • Ask questions in posts to encourage engagement: What Reunion event/activity are you most excited for? Have you made your gift? What is your favorite Carleton or Reunion memory?
  • Deadlines for registration/gifts
  • Calls for volunteers or programming ideas
  • Favorite photos from campus/your time at Carleton
  • Updates on attendance/gifts
  • People or things you are excited to see at Reunion
  • Sharing other Carleton Facebook pages/groups—reference the alumni pages; we’d love to see what you’re posting! You can post on our main page or share something great from your page with us.

Other Strategies

A few things administrators can encourage classmates to do:

  • Launch a “Share Your Status” day where everyone in your committee/group changes their status to something related to Reunion or Reunion Gift, such as, “Today’s the registration deadline for Reunion—are YOU joining us? Go.carleton.edu/reunion”.
  • Create a Facebook Event—see who might be coming to Reunion before registration opens in March. You MUST remind people that signing up on Facebook doesn’t mean they’ve signed up for Reunion though!
  • Have a photo week/contest—encourage classmates to post a favorite photo from their time at Carleton. If you’re really into it, consider printing out some of the photos to share in your Reunion lounge.
  • Share your favorite memories—be it homecoming, claiming Schiller, Late Night Breakfast, or the green beanies, you’re sure to evoke some great memories. Ask others to share their own experiences.
  • Share the page link on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or another social media platform that you frequently use.

Reunion and Post-Reunion

For classmates unable to attend Reunion, use your Facebook page to share photos or comments throughout the weekend. Think about who might want to do this or make it a group effort. What will happen to your page after Reunion? Consider what you might want to do with it between this Reunion and your next Reunion—it can be a great resource for sharing information, organizing gatherings, and updating classmates.

Helpful Links

Personal Outreach

Evidence is overwhelming that personal contact from a classmate can make all the difference in someone’s interest in attending Reunion.

Committee Assignments

We strongly recommend developing a strategy and scheduling specific time in the fall and in the spring for committee members to contact classmates. A phone tree or email tree, based on geographic regions, majors, or freshman or senior dorms can be an effective way to organize committee member contacts. The Office of Alumni Relations can provide special lists for this purpose.

Online Alumni Directory

The online alumni directory is a great resource for creating targeted lists. For example, you could pull Class of ’08 biology majors who live in Chicago. Staff can also provide this data via email.

Twin Cities Classmates

You may wish to develop a separate, additional strategy for alumni in the Twin Cities area. These alumni are more likely to attend without pre-registering, or drop in for a few hours. Alumni from out of state have been vocal about their disappointment that more “locals” aren’t around all weekend. Some classes have successfully hosted informal Twin Cities-area pre-reunion gatherings to strengthen connections and talk about Reunion.