Whether it rains or shines, every June thousands of alumni flock to Northfield to celebrate Reunion, one of the college’s most beloved traditions. And while sunny weather might enhance an already jubilant atmosphere, the true ingredient of Reunion’s success is the hard work of its volunteers.
Volunteers shape every aspect of Reunion, says Sarah Forster ’93, director of alumni relations. An average of 300 volunteers contribute to Reunion’s approximately 300 events and programs each year. And just as there is no typical Carleton student, there is no typical reunion class committee. Some are highly specialized with distinct Reunion, gift, and outreach roles; others approach Reunion as a committee of the whole.
That planning tends to be the most involved for classes planning their 50th reunion. For the Class of 1967, say reunion committee cochairs Gary Sundem ’67 and Chris Leininger Furlanetto ’67, the volunteer work began more than two years ago and included more than 30 of their classmates. It was intense, says Sundem, who is also a trustee. But it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and work with people he’s known for 50 years.
“Reunion has a nostalgic element,” he says, “and through volunteering you get a deeper connection to your classmates and college.”
Labor of Love
25th reunion gift committee cochairs Fred Haggard ’92 and Bonnie Melville ’92 echo Sundem’s and Furlanetto’s thoughts on time commitment. They’ve also been working for two years to re-engage classmates with the college and encourage them to give back. Haggard says this includes phone calls and texts, and occasionally in-person meetings with classmates. Melville adds they also organize giving challenges, push reminders around Give Day, and track their efforts through Carleton’s volunteer portal. In fact, she puts in so much time planning Reunion, Melville has been asked what position she has at the college.
“I’m a volunteer!” laughs Melville, who is also a former trustee.
Time constraints are always challenging, she says, and her goal in volunteering for Reunion has been to rethink how to help volunteers be more efficient.
“Every reunion group has its own challenges,” Melville says. “For the fifth, people are focused on their careers. When they’re 10 years out, they’re maybe starting a family. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to create an infrastructure to better leverage other volunteers and make the most out of their time.”
As time-consuming as it is, everyone agrees volunteering for Reunion has been a labor of love.
“It’s working toward a collective goal, rather than a personal goal,” Haggard says. “Carleton’s done a really good job of keeping education affordable so students don’t leave with massive amounts of debt, and that is worth our efforts.”
From Typewriters to Facebook
While many classes, including both ’67 and ’92, utilize social media to stay in touch with classmates, Maisie Goodale Crowther ’58 is quick to point out a personal touch is important in volunteering, too.
“Now people think nothing of sending or blasting one message to everyone—but that doesn’t work with my generation,” Crowther says. “I write letters that are personal and informative to keep people interested in what’s going on at Carleton.”
In fact, letter-writing initially drew her to volunteering. When her class agent asked her to help out, she wondered whether she’d be effective, given that she didn’t know how to raise money.
“But I did like to write letters,” she says, “so I said I’d try to do whatever I could to help students today.”
The creativity and the teamwork involved in planning for Reunion have also been enjoyable, she adds. And it turns out, volunteering for Carleton has been another path of lifelong learning for her. There were only typewriters on campus when Crowther was a student; now, she’s posting on Facebook and using the college’s online volunteer portal. “Learning it was daunting,” she says. “But it turned out I enjoyed trying to unravel it.”
A Five-Year Countdown
For the Class of 2012, the fun is just beginning. “I’ve been looking forward to Reunion since before graduation,” says Katie France ’12, who is chair of her class’s gift committee. “Working with Reunion 2012 right after I graduated started what has basically been a five-year countdown for me.”
For France, the work of planning Reunion has been fluid and fun. The Carleton Alumni Volunteer Experience — better known as CAVE, a weekend for volunteers to kick-start their annual planning — offered a chance to reconnect with classmates, and monthly phone conferences have added a “dose of Carleton” to her life.
She actively engages classmates through social media by posting on her personal pages about college events, memories, and initiatives and by managing the Class of 2012’s Facebook page.
“When the planning gets stressful,” she says, “I try to remember that Reunion will be as fun as CAVE was — and more.”