Several officers and chairs of our alumni board attended the annual Alumni Assoc leadership symposium at the Fawcett Center on Sept 24-25. The association leaders presented numerous new programs and options for all of the alumni clubs and societies in attendance. Much more support is available to us now, both financial and with personnel (increased staffing), from the Association.
Highlights of the event included the awards luncheon on Friday, where the Franklin County alumni club was one of 10 groups awarded Outstanding Club status, and where our own Jessica Kohlschmidt was also awarded with a Best Buckeye.
One of the new programs rolled out at this event is for all clubs to have an opportunity to reach various status levels which will result in a variety of awards, both financial and administrative. The levels are Carmen, Gray, and Scarlet. Carmen is the most basic level, while Scarlet is tops. Fortunately, your Franklin County Club already performs annually at a Scarlet level, so we just need to maintain most of our usual events in order to qualify for these awards. These requirements include holding at least two board meetings per year, a game watch type of event, a scholarship fundraiser, and 5 of what they call “category 1” events (student engagement, networking, special interest, arts, lifelong learning, and fundraising). By meeting these requirements, we can earn up to $2000 for our club. We will also qualify for additional funds, to be able to hold events without charging for attendance.
Staffing at the association has also improved. Where there was one person previously in charge of all clubs, there are now 6 people, who divide the clubs geographically. They have also offered to do mailings for some of our events and provide us with better information to find local alumni.
Thru the coming months your Franklin County club officers and chairs will work on finding ways for us to take advantage of these great new opportunities.
