Guide to Starting an Alumni Network

You should consider the number of Newcastle University Alumni based in your city/country; the average age group; courses studied and sectors of work, in order to understand your potential target audience.

It is important to have a few key members to support the development of the alumni network strategically and operationally. It is advised that at least two or three alumni meet to form an interest group; they will likely become the network leaders.

In addition to being a Newcastle graduate, network leaders should have the following characteristics:

• Enthusiasm and willingness to contribute time.
• Strong bond with the University.
• Ability to motivate and engage others.
• Be willing to make a commitment to the network for a reasonable period of time (we suggest a minimum of 2 years).

Alumni acting alone should seek support from the Alumni Engagement team to identify other alumni who might be willing to join the network leader team or provide support at this stage.

Networks can come in all shapes and sizes; it can vary from one individual organising informal gatherings to networks having a group of network leaders who are responsible for specific areas. A network can be a formal organisation or an informal group. A formal organisation will normally have multiple officers, and perhaps – though not necessarily – a constitution. There is no standard constitution for networks. In some countries, however, there are legal requirements to register a constitution, the form and content of which are decided by the network itself.

Most of our networks are informal and it is a good starting point if you are thinking about starting a new network. It is easy to set up and can be managed by using social media platforms. New networks can start small, events and activities can be scaled up once connections and local interest grows. Our current networks use a mixture of Facebook, LinkedIn and some regional platforms, such as WeChat.

The next step involves communicating with other alumni to introduce the idea for an alumni network, to determine interest levels, and to request their support through active membership. The Alumni Engagement team will facilitate communications to the wider audience and support you in identifying interested members to launch the network.

A meeting is then usually organised for interested alumni. The meeting could discuss and outline the network’s objectives and structure, allocate roles with the leaders of the network and plan communications and activities for the first year.

Depending on the outcomes of the first meeting, a launch event could be planned either virtually or in person. The Alumni Engagement team can support the promotion of the network and facilitate communications to the targeted alumni. The launch event could focus on social or professional networking, promote the network’s objectives, and gather feedback and ideas for future activities. A social media group could also be considered to connect with group members easily and facilitate future communications. You can also create a generic email address to answer queries, liaise with venues and support your network’s operation.

It’s important to meet up after the event has happened, especially for newly founded networks. It’s time to analyse feedback and reflect on what went well and what did not.

It’s always good to keep record of the events and meetings, keep photos and feedback from the events to review the group’s performance at the end of the year review and planning meeting.

At every event alumni should be encouraged to complete the update your details form, so we can maintain an accurate database and ensure future communications reach the intended audience, via our website.

Alumni networks should aim to be selfsustaining and operate events/activities that are either free to run, sponsored, or funded through selling tickets. The university has a small funding pot that alumni networks can apply for, up to £500 is available each year. Networks will need to demonstrate the purpose of the event, potential key outcomes and how the event aligns strategicallywith the University’s key objectives.

Apply here

As networks are independent from Newcastle University, we are unable to share alumni data with alumni networks under the General Data Protection Regulation. Details of the University’s Data Protection policy can be found at www.ncl.ac.uk/data.protection. However, we are more than happy to send out invitations and communications to alumni on your behalf. You can also communicate with your members by setting up a social media group such as: Facebook or LinkedIn. Please follow the links below for guidance on how to set up groups on LinkedIn and Facebook.

www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/ a540824/linkedin-groups-membershipoverview?lang=en

www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/ a553124

www.facebook.com/community/gettingstarted-with-groups

Networks are autonomous and independent from Newcastle University. This means that activities, members and officers are not covered by the University’s insurance policy. The University is unable to provide specific advice regarding insurance policies; however, we encourage networks to seek independent advice as to whether insurance would be advisable for the network. We are aware that this may differ region to region.

When organising activity, a network will need to ensure that they minimise risk for attendees. This typically means liaising with venues to ensure they have been risk assessed and have the appropriate insurance cover. If you need to undertake your own risk assessment, you can obtain information at www.hse.gov.uk/risk

Information may vary region to region, and we suggest checking with the relevant organisations for your region.

Some networks also have their own formal constitution, which can provide a framework for the network’s operation. This can help clarify the purpose and objectives of the network, set out formal procedures for dealing with issues that may arise and provide a structure to assist in succession planning. For some regions, this can be a lengthy process. For more information, including an example constitution for guidance, please read a guide to creating a constitution.

Newcastle University asks all alumni volunteers to sign a Volunteering Agreement. This outlines the University’s commitment to our alumni volunteers and what we expect of alumni volunteers when acting in conjunction or on behalf of the University. Any network leader or key contact within the network will be asked to read and sign the volunteer agreement: forms.office.com/r/ p6NTavGXfC.

Events are a great way to engage with members, both face to face and virtually! It is likely that you are experts as to what your members would like to participate in, but if you need some inspiration, we have compiled a list of suggestions ranging from the very informal to an annual gala dinner. Click here for ideas.

If you would like to raise awareness of your network’s activity, or invite members of the wider alumni community, we are happy to send communications on your behalf and promote your events. All we ask is that you inform us of the event a minimum of 8 weeks in advance.

Events can sometimes take a lot of time and organisation, with lots of small tasks to be completed before the big day. To help we have created a pre-event checklist.