Quick-Reference Chapter Guide

Chapters were created to (1) provide opportunities for alumni and parents to stay connected with one another and the College, to (2) cultivate support for the College, and to (3) ensure that the resources of local alumni are used to the best effect in carrying out the mission of the MCAA and Middlebury College. To accomplish these goals, and to ensure that you and your chapter receive as much support as the College can give, all chapter events and activities should be coordinated in partnership with the Alumni and Parent Programs (APP) office.

Regional Chapter Expectations:

• Build a committee of volunteers, which may include defined roles and executive positions and that features universal commitment and participation.
• At least two organizational (i.e. event planning) meetings per year. Ideally these will be with members of your chapter committee at a convenient location, but until a committee is formed these meetings can be a series of calls and emails with the APP office. (Over time, after a certain number of successful events, there will be enough interest to build a committee.)

• Plan at least 4 events per year, including a goal of at least one academic event (e.g. faculty lecture, which needs to be coordinated with APP office) per year.

Planning Events:

• The idea behind running a chapter is planning events that will engage as many local alumni as possible. Coming up with an array of event ideas is the first step, so get brainstorming, enlist the help of others, and check out the Past Events folders within all the chapter websites for ideas. Here are the types of events that have been successful:

(1) Academic – Faculty lectures, seminars, luncheons, or guided tours

(2) Admissions – Party for interested or incoming first-year students where parents, current students, and alumni are also invited

(3) Athletic/Sports – Professional and Middlebury College athletic competitions

(4) Career Services – Career networking events and alumni speakers

(5) Community Service – Local volunteering projects where time or skills are donated

(6) Cultural – Art museum tours, symphony, outdoor music festival, garden tour, zoo tour, circus, and crafts or hobby workshop

(7) Social – Comedy club, boat cruise, wine tasting, happy hour, and/or party

• Ideally, one to two people per chapter will work together to implement/host each event. Along the way, the APP office will be there to support these volunteers by:

(1) Helping with logistics as much as possible

(2) Answering any questions

(3) Signing any contracts

(4) Sending Middlebury banners and sign-in sheets to hosts

(5) Recording RSVPs and taking payment

(6) Sending out the invitations

• The intent of the APP office is to take the stress of event planning away from the volunteers. A few tasks that the APP office may need volunteers to perform, however, include:

(1) Communicating to the APP office your clear vision of the event

(2) Making a site visit or phone call(s) to the venue

(3) Answering questions about the event for peers

(4) Attending the event and (if appropriate) greeting guests and having them sign in

Event Notification:

• All events will be emailed to include at least local alumni. Where appropriate other chapters, as well as parents, current students, and friends of the College may also be invited. All events will be posted on the alumni chapter web page (www.middlebury.edu/alumni/chapters), which is maintained by the APP office.

• For certain events, if/when the APP office is given at least 60 days notice, and if/when a Middlebury faculty member or the president is involved, paper mailings may be sent in addition to email notification.

Key Facts and FAQs:

• Excluding rare exceptions, events must break even financially. Accordingly, alumni in attendance should be charged a fee sufficient to cover the cost of the event.

• Events require a meeting time and place, where all attendees gather for at least a brief time. A lack thereof makes the “event” a mere announcement that doesn’t serve its purpose of bringing people together and keeping them connected—and may even detract from a chapter’s momentum.

• Never sign a contract yourself. The APP office will sign all necessary contracts.

• With a month’s notice (sometimes less) the APP office can set up online registration for events. The APP office has the capability to set up an online registration that processes credit card payments.