Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Promotion Ideas For Fraternity's 75th Anniversary

Posted by telemoxie on 1/30/2005 at 4:17 PM ET 1500 Points
I've been asked to help promote a 75th anniversary celebration for the Alumni Corporation of a college fraternity. The event (to be held in early April) will probably be an open bar with heavy Hors d'Oeuvres and will be a fund raiser, and so we be able to suggest some limited expenses... the Fraternity has an email marketing list, which consists mostly of recent graduates... a mailing list for most alumni is available thru the National office...

I've done a Google search and I'm downloading some checklists now, as well as some helpful Alumni Operations manuals from various Fraternity national offices...

does anyone have any experience doing this sort of thing - any great ideas, success stories, or event planning checklists?

Thanks in advance...
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by telemoxie on 1/30/2005 at 4:52 PM Author
    Thanks, Rob, that's the kind of feedback I'm looking for...
  • Posted by Mushfique Manzoor on 1/31/2005 at 2:45 PM Accepted
    hi Telemoxie

    i agree with Rob that the 75th anniversary (i think its called Platinum Jubilee) thats the event should be extended more than 1 day.

    adding to what rob suggested, you can arrange a friendly baseball match between Alumni members and current students. Also you can also arrange a face-to-face session of the current students with the Alumni so that both groups can exchange their ideas, and on "What its used to be like when i was in college". and also successful alumni from various industry can share their path to success.

    hope that helps.

    cheers!!
  • Posted by telemoxie on 2/4/2005 at 8:06 AM Author
    Thanks for all the great ideas so far. Please keep them coming.

    Regarding goals for the event - there are several. Former "party animals" would love to have another blow-out party with their old buddies - and this would be great, but it's sometimes hard to recapture that sort of thing.

    The Fraternity would like to raise some funds to pay for improvements to the chapter house. Unfortunately, apparently many alumni feel that whenever they are approached, it is to ask for money.

    Some in the Fraternity alumni association, which has not been extremely active over the past years, would like to re-energize the organization, largely to re-establish contact with school chums. One challenge is that most folk are primarily interested in seeing people from their own class.

    I have recommended a letter writing campaign as one way to boost interest and attendance, e.g. the planning committee would compile a list, then alumni could write a lettter - "Hey, remember those good times... here's what I've been up to... I'll be there... please come..." The idea would be that each alumni would get a series of letters from folk they went to school with.

    How does that sound? Any other ways to boost attendance?
  • Posted by telemoxie on 2/4/2005 at 8:20 AM Author
    By the way, another idea I'm considering is a series of "work parties" leading up to the 75th Anniversary. One of the main things that everyone has in common is the Chapter House itself... some have suggested a barbeque at the house, and this has been done in the past - but college guys have been living and partying there for 75 years of good times, and so it could use a good cleaning...

    ... and so I'm wondering if folks would come back for some work parties, to clean up and paint up the house - hopefully making it look real good, so that they will WANT to bring their kids and grandkids to see where they went to school...

    ... and giving alumni from various time frames a chance to meet in a house they all had good times in - they can get to know each other while cleaning up, and they'll have someone they know to talk to at the BBQ.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 2/5/2005 at 7:04 PM Author
    Thanks, everyone. Today I met with my buddy who had asked for my advice on this subject, and he very much appreciated the comments.

    Take care,

    Dave Krehbiel
    aka TeleMoxie
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Advertising/PR)