Invoking pride at the local level, the Alumni Association recognizes outstanding clubs with annual awards. These clubs must display excellence overall but also in the quality of their programming, scholarship fundraising and member participation. Check out this year’s award winners to see if your club was among the Association’s leaders and best.
2010-2011 Outstanding Club Award Winners
Outstanding Club Award Winner for the Metro Regions
The Outstanding Club Award Winner for the Metro regions, which includes clubs with over 7,500 alumni in their region, is the U of M Club of Washington DC.
The Washington, DC club exceeded expectations in the programming area by hosting an active and diverse calendar of events that engaged a wide range of alumni with different interests. This calendar included an impressive mix of athletic, lifelong learning, social, and community service events and is a leading example for other clubs. The Washington, DC club also received perfect scores in the areas of Student Relations and Public Relations and Promotion. The committee was impressed that the club has over 60 active Alumni Student Recruitment representatives in the club’s area and that it hosted student/parent “Meet in Greets”. The club also does an outstanding job of utilizing the club’s listserv and Facebook page to promote its events.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 5
The Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 5, which includes clubs with 3,500 to 7,500 alumni in their area, is the U of M Club of Denver.
The Denver club was especially impressive in the areas of programming, student relations, and membership. The club made excellent use of its location by hosting hiking and skiing events in the Rocky Mountains, and by hosting events that cater to all types of Michigan alumni. The club also scored highly in student relations by supporting the Alumni Student Recruitment Program and holding a student send-off picnic. In the area of membership, the Denver club is successful in recruiting new members and creating a welcoming environment for young alumni new to the Denver area.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 4
For Region 4, which includes clubs with 2,500 to 3,500 area alumni, the Outstanding Club Award goes to the U of M Club of Orange County.
Winning the outstanding club award for the third time in four years the Orange County club continues to exceed expectations in the programming area by hosting an active calendar of events that engage a wide range of alumni with different interests. This calendar included an impressive array of athletic, lifelong learning, social, and community service events and serves as a wonderful example for other clubs. The club scored particularly high in the area of student relations by hosting both a student send-off party and an admitted student reception. The club also has made good use of communications tools to advertise club events, programs, and services through the listserv, website and Facebook page.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 3
The U of M Club of Michiana is the Outstanding Club Award winner for Region 3, which includes clubs with 1,450-2,500 alumni in their area.
For the second consecutive year, the Michiana club demonstrated creativity in the programming area by planning athletic, community service, lifelong learning, and social events that engage alumni with diverse interests. The club also scored highly in student relations by supporting the Alumni Student Recruitment program. The Michiana club scored high in the membership area by hosting a Christmas welcome party to welcome new alumni to the club’s area.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 2
The Outstanding Club Award winner for Region 2, which includes clubs with 850 to 1,500 alumni in their area, is the U of M Club of New Hampshire.
Winning this award for the second time in three years, the New Hampshire club impressed the awards committee by hosting a wide range of athletic, lifelong learning, community service, and social events. The club scored highly in the area of membership by hosting two welcome events for recent graduates and by offering discount pricing to AAUM members who attend club events. Regarding public relations and promotion, the New Hampshire club has done a great job communicating with both alumni and the AAUM.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 1
In Region 1, which is clubs in areas with 300-850 local alumni, the Outstanding Club Award goes to the U of M Club of Louisville.
The Louisville club has shown tremendous growth over the past year and impressed by hosting a wide range of athletic, lifelong learning, community service, and social events. The club scored highly in all of the categories, which demonstrates a great balance among the clubs activities. The club supported AAUM membership by hosting a welcome picnic for recent grads that have moved to the Louisville area. In the area of public relations and promotion, the Louisville club has done a great job communicating with alumni by regularly sending listserv messages. The club also maintains and uses groups it has created in inCircle, Facebook and LinkedIn to communicate with area alumni.
2010-2011 Awards of Excellence Winners
Programming: U of M Club of New York
The New York club hosted an extensive and diverse calendar of events that were very successful in engaging a wide range of alumni with different interests. Types of events hosted by the club included community service projects, game watching and other athletic related programs, including co-ed touch football, US Open Tennis outings and an alumni running club, networking and professional development events and lifelong learning events. Through the club’s diverse events, hundreds of alumni had the opportunity to engage with each other and the University. The New York club continues to excel in event programming with a creative use of all that New York City has to offer. The club can stand proud as a wonderful example to all clubs looking to improve their programming and to expand their event calendars.
Scholarship: U of M Club of Greater Flint
The award of excellence in scholarship was very competitive this year but the Greater Flint club raised the bar in its efforts in scholarship fundraising. The club has made scholarship fundraising and management an important part of its mission. It has also maintained a large committed volunteer base to help grow the club’s scholarships, and the club’s efforts serve as a shining example to other clubs. The awards committee was also impressed that the Greater Flint club committed to two new endowed scholarship funds.
Student Relations: U of M Club of Hillsdale County
Club leaders have embraced the Alumni Student Recruitment program and serve as a solid volunteer base for Alumni Student Recruiters. The club’s student send-off party, which featured Lloyd Carr as guest speaker, was very impressive. Club leaders that served as presenters at senior high school award ceremonies in the Hillsdale area demonstrated the club’s support of UM scholarships, and expanded awareness of the Alumni Association and the University of Michigan to the Hillsdale community. The Hillsdale County club has created many opportunities for alumni/student interaction and serves as a shining example to other clubs.
Membership: U of M Club of Southwest Florida
During the its first year as an affiliate of the Alumni Association, the Southwest Florida club proved to be an excellent partner in increasing Association membership and demonstrating membership value to current members. The club exceled in the area of membership by hosting a club welcome event, charging member/non-member pricing for club events and keeping alumni informed of the benefits of Association membership. The club’s promotional efforts encourage alumni to become and stay involved. The Southwest Florida club provides meaningful membership value to its local area alumni.
Public Relations and Promotion: U of M Club of San Diego
Through the extensive use of its club listserv, club website, making regular submissions to e-TrueBlue and creating and using social media such as Facebook, inCircle, LinkedIn and Twitter the San Diego club has done an excellent job of engaging local alumni and helping them stay connected to the University. Through its efforts, the San Diego club has not only enhanced the visibility of the club, but also the visibility of the Alumni Association and the University of Michigan.
Business Matters and Leadership Development: U of M Club of Grand Traverse
The Grand Traverse club has a finely tuned board and committee structure, and a development plan which creates opportunities for new leadership development and volunteer engagement. The club awards committee was impressed that the Grand Traverse club board is made up of a diverse group of individuals and that the board is always actively looking for new ways to engage more alumni volunteers. The clubs’ meticulous record keeping and good business procedures help to provide the solid framework that club leaders need to build a well-organized club.
Innovation: U of M Club of Richmond
Although the U of M Club of Richmond is a smaller club, it has proven itself an innovative force through its diverse and numerous methods of reaching and connecting alumni in the Richmond area. The club has created an annual event to visit attractions in the Richmond community, and has also hosted events outside the club’s immediate area. The club has updated its website to include event information, files and photos and has embraced using social media as a way to attract and inform younger alumni.
