PROMOTING YOUR CLASS REUNION
Letters, class notes, e-mail, web sites and phone calls are all effective means to build your classmates' enthusiasm for Reunion Weekend.
CLASS LETTERS - The Reunion Chair should send three mailings to classmates and widows/ers during the ten-month planning cycle. The Alumni Relations staff will arrange for the printing and mailing of the letters. If you send text by email, or as an attachment, expect the letter to be mailed within a week. Letters that need to be re-typed from a faxed copy or a handwritten letter usually take a little longer.
First Mailing (September/October) - Announce the dates of Reunion Weekend, tell classmates about tentative plans for Reunion Weekend, recruit volunteers, and get a preliminary indication of who plans to attend.
Second Mailing (Early March) - Detail plans for the weekend, announce your class fee, offer directions for registering via the web and supply a paper registration form, refer to the guest list on the College's web site, encourage classmates to attend, and discuss procedure for obtaining a tee time at the Taconic Golf Club. A promotional piece highlighting family programs will be included in class letters for the 10th-30th reunions. Work with your class president to include information on the class officer election process.
Third Mailing (May) - Include a final schedule of events (including starting times so classmates can make travel plans), continue to encourage classmates to attend, suggest appropriate attire for the weekend, and remind them to stop by the Faculty House/Alumni Center first to register. Remind classmates to send in their registration form; another registration form and on-line registration instructions are included.
OTHER WAYS TO PROMOTE THE WEEKEND - the Outreach Committee, recruited by the class officers and reunion chair(s), should develop a plan to make sure all classmates get a personal invitation to attend reunion. The Alumni Relations staff will provide the necessary contact info; outreach to all classmates can take place the six months leading up to reunion.
Use the class notes section of the Williams People to report reunion plans as they develop. Work with the class secretary to promote the weekend.
Use the web to promote Reunion Weekend; recruit a class webmaster. As of now, the College does not host class websites, they need to be developed and maintained by the class webmaster. Utilize the class listserve to update classmates on plans and use it as a regular communication tool.
Formulate a plan for your class agent team to promote Reunion Weekend when communicating with classmates throughout the Alumni Fund cycle.
