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Start a New Club

Clubs are a group of active alumni and friends. Typically, clubs are smaller than our chartered chapters. As a club grows, they do have the option of changing their status to a chapter. Often clubs grow from an initial Bronco Contact. To start a club, an email request is made to the director of regional programs. The following steps are typical for starting new clubs:

  1. Identify one person as the key contact(s) for the club.
  2. During year one, hold an initial meeting and identify at least two volunteer leaders.
  3. During year one, hold at least one event with a social, service or scholarship focus. (See a sample club program plan.)
  4. During year one, have leadership complete and return the signed data access confidentiality form.
  5. If an event is successful and six or more members are committed to the group, collaborate with the director of regional programs to create a club Facebook page for the alumni group.
  6. Keep a minimum roster of 6 members. Recruit members to your developing club. Individuals sign up for the club via the Alumni Club and Chapter Active Member Form.

Visit the Bronco Contact, Chapter and Club Handbook.

Important Information

Definitions

  • Boise State Alumni Association: A non-profit corporation 501(c)(3) with a mission to “connect, celebrate and engage alumni and friends of the university to build lifelong relationships that support the future of our university.” By fostering alliances among alumni, students, friends, and the university community and building new traditions, the alumni association supports our public, metropolitan research university. Members of the association include graduates of the university, former students and friends of the university. All chapters, clubs, contacts and advocates are affiliate organizations of the Boise State Alumni Association.
  • Chapter: A constituency group of the Boise State Alumni Association which supports the missions of the university and the alumni association through its activities. Chapters may be created in geographic regions, based on special interests or social affiliations or affiliated through an academic or professional (or corporate) focus.
  • Club: A collective group of active alumni and friends. Typically, clubs are smaller than our chartered chapters. As a club grows, they do have the option of changing their status to a chapter.
  • Bronco Contact: A volunteer who serves as a contact person for a geographic region, academic unit or special interest group not served by an officially chartered chapter or club. This program is designed for areas or groups that do not have a sufficient number of alumni or an adequate volunteer base to sustain a viable chapter or club. These individuals organize activity(ies) for these areas and serve as key contacts, typically for a geographic area.
  • Constituent or Constituency: an individual or group of people who have any connection to, history with or passion for Boise State University, the Boise State Alumni Association, or the Broncos.
  • Event: An activity produced by a Bronco Contact, club, chapter or the Boise State Alumni Association that can include but is not limited to a social, educational and/or charitable function in alignment with the mission of the Alumni Association.
  • Charter: Privilege granted by the Boise State Alumni Association to a specific constituency group that enables the group to operate under guidelines set forth in the chartering agreement. See Boise State University Policy #11040, Alumni Association Chapter Recognition.
  • Alumni Association Dues-Paying Member: An individual who has paid or is paying a lifetime membership or someone who is a current dues-paying annual member of the Boise State Alumni Association. Anyone can be a dues-paying Boise State Alumni Association member.

Mission and Values

The Boise State Alumni Association is part of an integrated advancement team. Our vision is to create the best culture of philanthropic and alumni engagement of any public university in the country. All chapters, clubs and contacts are affiliate groups of the Boise State Alumni Association and all activity that is undertaken in each group must be in alignment with the mission and values of the alumni association.

Alumni Association Mission

The Boise State Alumni Association connects, celebrates and engages alumni and friends of the university to build lifelong relationships that support the future of our university.

Alumni Association Guiding Values

  • Connect alumni and friends strategically back to the university linking their interests to university needs.
  • Support students through scholarships and programs that foster a life-long commitment to the university.
  • Advocate, promote and educate the public concerning the value of investing in Boise State University and higher education in Idaho.

Chapter in Good Standing: Requirements to Sustain a Chapter

In order to remain in good standing and receive continued support from the Boise State Alumni Association, each club must meet the following requirements:

Membership and Leadership

  • Maintain two leaders, one must be an alumnus/na.
  • Club leaders must complete a signed confidentiality form.

Finances

  • Clubs may not collect dues.
  • Clubs may charge fees for events if the proceeds are to cover event costs and/or donated to the Boise State Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship fund. A minimum of 30 days’ notice is required for event support of club activity.
  • An annual club program plan) must be submitted to the director of regional programs by March 1 for the following year. All financial requests must be submitted by March 1 for the upcoming fiscal year.
  • Scholarship fundraising options should be discussed with staff.

Activities and Publicity

  • Hold two events per year. Clubs are expected to sponsor two well-planned events to stimulate participation from alumni in their area or affinity group. The events must address two of the three services to Boise State: Social, Service and Scholarship.  For example, the club may plan one or more football watch parties and then also host a send-off in their geographic area for incoming Boise State freshmen.
  • Other suggested activities: letter writing campaign to students who have not yet committed to Boise State, hold a recruiting event to add members to your club, develop a BOLD (Broncos Of the Last Decade) for your club, plan a tour/social event, host a lecture or organize a community service event. Charge an admission fee to one of your events and donate the proceeds to our Legacy Scholarship fund. Challenge another club in a different state to a membership recruitment drive.
  • Club leadership should serve as an advocate for the Boise State Alumni Association and make an effort to obtain current email addresses for the constituency and send the information to the alumni association. Be a voice for our online CONNECT platform and educate alumni about how to stay connected to Boise State. Make sure your profile is current at connect.boisestate.edu.
  • Clubs should submit drafts of alumni publicity and all alumni mailings to the alumni association for approval and mailing (use NetCommunity).
  • Use of all licensed Boise State, Athletic and Alumni Association logos/brands must be approved by staff and must follow guidelines as presented in the Boise State Alumni Association Branding Guide (available from staff). All Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) rules must be followed.
  • Clubs may create recognized social media options (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and may link them to the Boise State Alumni page. Clubs may also create generic email addresses to avoid publicizing personal contact information.
  • Maintain a roster of members: minimum of six members.

Rules of Order

  • Communicate any significant changes with the club to the director of regional alumni programs.
  • Be fiscally responsible and operate on the same fiscal year as the alumni association which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each year.
  • Work within alumni association timelines to ensure events and communications are produced according to schedule and adhere to Boise State Alumni Association branding requirements.

Benefits for Clubs in Good Standing

  • Email invitation support for two events (option to negotiate for more). This includes mailing to a list of your defined roster constituents. For example: all the Denver area alumni within a 40-mile radius or all the College of Business and Economics graduates.
  • Materials/postage for letter writing campaign to potential students.
  • Event kit/swag for event(s) (not to exceed $250). Kit support will match the number of planned club events as well as the historic attendance at events.
  • Club banner provided after year two of successful completion of all requirements.
  • Link to Facebook page on Boise State website.
  • Coordination of one postcard marketing communication piece (design, printing and mailing) to promote an upcoming activity/event (lecture, social event, community service event or tour). Keep in mind the costs associated with this kind of marketing. We cannot support this for small attendance events. Football watches will only be promoted via email invitations through NetCommunity.
  • 501(c)(3) status (this does not mean exempt from sales tax).
  • May request financial support for alumni outreach efforts. Must request by March 1 deadline for the following fiscal year (July-June). Submitting a request does not guarantee support. All requests are evaluated and considered based on available resources.
  • Campus facility space for meetings (in Boise only).

Club Dissolution

A club may be dissolved if volunteer leadership is deemed by the alumni association board of directors or staff to be ineffective (i.e., the club has had no activity or volunteers are unable to meet requirements) and all efforts to assist the respective leadership group or recruit new leadership have not resulted in a positive change for the club.

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