Affiliate Relations Program Guidelines

Purpose – The purpose for established affiliate groups based on student/special/professional interest, race/ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation is to:

•  Engage and involve alumni in meaningful ways with each other and with the University (outside of traditional AAUM events/activities).
• Provide AAUM and U-M with a new and diverse pool of volunteers for leadership positions within the AAUM and the University.
• Provide support for current, former and prospective students.
• Ensure that diverse viewpoints and perspectives are heard and represented within the AAUM and the University.

Membership – One of the major objectives for any affiliate group should be the promotion of AAUM membership to its members. The AAUM is a membership organization that is very dependent on the financial contributions of its members and, as an organization under the larger AAUM umbrella, our affiliate groups should play a role and have an interest in the financial success of the AAUM.

• Members of the affiliate group board/leadership committee should all be members of the AAUM.
• Online links to the AAUM membership Web site should be featured prominently on affiliate group Web sites.
• Membership in the AAUM should be promoted to affiliate group members.

Please note that there is an expectation that affiliate groups will help to increase membership in the AAUM annually – in order to continue receiving financial, communication and administrative support from the AAUM, affiliate groups should be increasing membership in the AAUM annually.

As incentive, AAUM will monetarily reward affiliate groups that bring new members – for every new member brought to AAUM, the affiliate group will receive $20 of the membership fee received by the AAUM.

Staff Representative – A member of the AAUM staff shall serve as each affiliate group's contact, providing recommendations, advice, support and guidance to the group.

Board of Officers – The business of the affiliate group shall be managed by its officers in accordance with the suggested affiliate group job description guidelines.

It is recommended that the chair's term shall be two years, with the option to serve additional terms upon re-election by the board. All other officer's terms shall consist of three years, with the option to serve additional terms upon re-election by the board.

Finances – The AAUM believes that separate membership dues for individual alumni groups are confusing and present barriers to full engagement of alumni. Accordingly, newly formed alumni groups will not be allowed to charge dues, and existing groups with a historical dues structure must commit to an evolution away from charging separate dues. All activities of the group should be self-sustaining—meaning that 100 percent of costs are funded through some combination of participation fees charged to alumni and/or sponsorship revenue that may be solicited. The group may petition the AAUM for sponsorship funding for specific events when a case can be made that such event will engage alumni who are not otherwise highly engaged with the AAUM. Financial stability of each event shall be a major consideration of the group's board.

*The AAUM is prepared to offer limited financial support for affiliate groups –groups with less than 5,000 members will be given $1,000; groups with 5,001-10,000 members will be given $2,000; and groups with more than 10,001 members will be given $3,000. Affiliate groups can earn additional monies from the AAUM by bringing new members to the Alumni Association and by participating in the Affiliate Awards program.

The AAUM is prepared to offer fundraising assistance to those groups that agree to not charge dues and by not charging dues, affiliate groups leave their membership open to all potential alumni members.