The beginning of a new year is always a good time to check in with yourself and ask the all-important question:

Are you being you?

So often I hear people working in alumni relations say they hate (yes, a strong word, but it is their word) managing alumni reunion committees. One administrator of a law school reunion program despised it so much that she insisted on never having a reunion committee larger than two members. Can you imagine how unsuccessful the school’s reunion was with a committee of just two members?

Fortunately, that law school gave me the opportunity to work on its 10^th  and  25^th  reunion classes while the school’s administrators worked on the other eight reunion classes.  Here were  the attendance results:

This data exemplify the fact that strong, passionate  leadership of volunteer committees is key to a successful reunion.

If alumni volunteer management is part of your job responsibilities, the No. 1 question to ask yourself at the start of this new year is:

Are you being your true authentic self?

If you are not too keen on managing alumni volunteers, then ask yourself:

• Why are you doing it?
• How well are you doing it?

If your answers to these questions bring you joy, all is good! If, however, your answers suggest you are short-changing your alumni community, or equally as important, yourself, you may want to consider setting goals for 2019 to try to make some changes. Consider outsourcing the management of your reunion committees, or you may just want to consider making larger changes in your career.

I started my consulting business, Reunions Reinvented, nine years ago because of my love for building community and because I enjoy working with alumni volunteers and schools to reach that end. My passion for building alumni communities runs deep. While practicing law as a partner in a now national law firm and after, I found myself happily volunteering in my spare time to help my  own school communities. When my classmates at my  law school reunion told me to forget the practice of law and create an alumni community building business, it was a wake-up call to me. I made the leap and never looked back. I feel fortunate to do what I love, and I believe my results reflect my passion.

So, at the start of this new year, I encourage you to look within yourself and if you are not being true to your passions, set goals this year to make some changes.

If you have any questions about how to effectively manage alumni reunion committees  at your school, give Margie at Reunions Reinvented a call. We are here to help!