Regional Ambassador

Regional Community & Ambassadors

A Regional Alumni Community is a Shepherd University alumni group within a specific geographical region, which promotes personal and professional opportunities for lifelong connections to Shepherd University and to fellow alumni. Communities are led by active volunteers/Alumni Ambassadors, who plan and promote activities and services meaningful to their unique community. Community activities include social, cultural and educational events, community service projects, and networking opportunities.

Shepherd University Regional Alumni Ambassadors Regional Alumni Ambassadors contribute to our goal of developing lifelong connections between alumni and Shepherd University.

The Responsibilities/Expectations of Regional Alumni Ambassadors
 Serve as a Shepherd University ambassador and local resource for the alumni community in your region
 Provide contact information to be displayed on the Alumni Association Website as the Regional Alumni Ambassador for your region
 Encourage attendance at regional alumni events
 Serve as the on-site leader at regional alumni events
 Welcome new alumni to your region.
 Write letters to new or current students reflecting on your experiences as a Ram and introducing them to the alumni network.
 Support Shepherd events and initiatives, such as Homecoming.
 Maintain confidentiality with all personal data used in assigned tasks.

 Regional Alumni Communities Goals
 to plan and hold at least one event and one community service project per year in your region, engaging alumni of diverse ages and interests.
 to keep a list of attendees and share that info with the alumni office for planning purposes
 to take group photographs for submission to the alumni magazine (small group photos are the best)
 to serve as a regional resource and contact for Alumni Affairs
 to coordinate with other volunteers who wish to organize alumni events in your area

Types of Events
Regional Alumni Community events are volunteer in nature and as such, any budget must be generated by the participants (i.e. pay-as-you-go). The Alumni Affairs office can send email invitations to alumni in your area in advance of your event. If an event requires an R.S.V.P., responses can come to the alumni office e-mail account.

The following categories reflect the most popular events held by regional communities:
 Art museum or gallery tour
 Young alumni networking hour
 Dinner/lunch with featured speaker/guest (local noteworthy alum or spouse of an alum)
 Arboretum or park tour
 Hiking, canoeing, or bicycling
 Career networking hour or dinner
 Wine tasting or winery visit
 Historic site tour
 Baseball or hockey game
 Community service project

Office of Alumni Affairs Support
To assist you in organizing your regional alumni communities and in planning and implementing activities, the Office of Alumni Affairs will:
 E-mail and/or paper mail event invitations, announcements, or requests for volunteers to everyone in your region
 Manage RSVP responses via the alumni office email account
 Help plan and evaluate events, and also guide organizers to area alumni who have expressed interest in planning events
 Post your event to the Alumni website
 Offer advice.

We’ve been planning events for many years, and we will be happy to share our experience!

Event Planning Details
 Breaking even: The event must pay for itself, so keep costs in mind.
 Select a date and time that works best for people in your community.
 Always plan six weeks ahead. This allows for proper event execution and improves attendance.
 Check with the Alumni Affairs Office to make sure no other events are planned for your area on that same date.
 Reserve event location, and ask for a confirmation of all details in writing. Visit the site, if possible, or ask about directions, parking, handicapped access, restrooms and rain plans (if outdoors).

The Invitation
 At least 4 weeks before the event, contact Hannah Brumbaugh in the Alumni Affairs Office at hbrumbau@shepherd.edu. Provide the information regarding the event so the invitation can be created, e-mailed, or mailed through the postal system.
 The invitation should indicate an explanation of the event, date and time, place, price (discounts, if any), contact person and phone number, R.S.V.P. date and contact name, details regarding admission to the event, directions, and parking information.
 Determine the size of the mailing list (i.e., all alumni or young alumni only). The Alumni Office will mail or email the invitation four weeks prior to the event. Four seems to be the optimal amount of notice for an event.
 The Alumni Affairs office will manage the RSVPs for the event and will send a list of registrants.

Follow Up
 Send a list of attendees to the Alumni Affairs Office.

Regional Ambassador Form - Information