How to Give Back to Your Alma Mater Without Breaking the Bank

When most people think of giving back to their alma mater they think of donations.  While donations are very important not everyone 1) can afford to give or 2) do not want to give for whatever reason.

Don't feel bad if you can't donate.  Universities are still grateful if you can help in other ways.  With a little school spirit, you can not only help your university, but also build relationships at the same time.  It is a win-win for both you and the university. Below are some techniques that you can use to make yourself feel like you are a good alum:

Volunteer with Your Local Alumni Chapter

One of the most effective ways to remain close to your university is to get involved with your local alumni chapter. Every major city should have an alumni chapter set up so contact your university to find out if one is in your city or close by. Once you locate one, start by attending events so you can get a feel for the organization and the people involved. I would encourage you to get to know the board or committee members. This will help you to make the leap from attendee to volunteer.

After some time and when you are ready, ask the board how you can help the group.  Don't ask if you can help, ask how you can help.  By this slight differentiation in words, you are being proactive and telling them that you are ready and willing to help.  All organizations need help.  Let them know that you can help with any task.  You will probably have to start small so you can get acclimated to the group and get to better know the other volunteers.  When the time is right, then you can help out on a committee and even become a board member. 

By helping out, you will start to build some very good relationships. Some of my best relationships have been developed by volunteering with my alumni committee for DePaul University, where I received my MBA.

Act as a Mentor for Students

Most universities have mentoring programs in which alumni are connected to students. These programs are designed to match the career interests of students with alumni in those industries. My alma mater, DePaul University, has the ASK Program, which stands for Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK). In this program, students can contact me about career related items such as career guidance, resume help, or interview assistance. 

I think that this is a great program, however, I don't get many calls from students. I would say that I get about 3 or 4 per year. This is not a great number.  In order for this program to work, universities need to make sure that they show enough value in the program for their students to be engaged.

Most students don't take advantage of this opportunity. What some students don't realize is that they have an awesome opportunity to connect with a professional in their career area of interest.  They need to be proactive and meet these alumns so they can start building relationships.  Once a relationship has been formed, students need to nurture it to make sure that they keep this person in their network.  The great thing about these mentoring programs is that alumni are willing to connect with students! What a better way to start building a relationship.

So, as an alumn, make sure that you sign up for your school's mentoring program.  It shouldn't take too much of your time up and you will feel good that you did it.

Solicit for Donations

While soliciting other alumni to donate is not the most exciting activity, it is still a necessary component for every university. Each university has annual giving goals so they can always use the help.  A lot of times solicitations occur around a particular activity such as reunion.  Leverage these activities to ease into asking for money.   What I mean by this is call people first to talk about reunion and then ask them if they can contribute to help a student attend the university.

In fact, I am on the DePaul Alumni Board and agreed to sit on the DePaul Reunion Committee for 2002.  I received my MBA from DePaul in 2002 so I have been asked to reach out to my fellow classmates.  I admit that this is not the most comfortable activity for me. I am not used to asking for something without giving something first in return.  Nonetheless, it is a good experience for me.  So, I have been approaching the call by talking about reunion activities and then asking fellow alumns if they would consider donating.

This kind of activity is huge for universities and they do remember who has helped out with donations.  Of course, if you are going to ask for money, then you should donate some as well. You don't have to give a lot but give something.

In addition to the above ways to help, here are a few more to consider:

• Speak on a panel or as a keynote at a university event
• Submit an article for a school publication
• Get involved on the alumni board
• Volunteer at a community service project for the university

I am sure that there are many other ways that you can help.  What other ways have you helped?

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