Start a local alumni club?

1. Determine if there is already club in your area using the drop down box on the Duke Clubs Homepage.
2. Read the Clubs Guidelines and Expectations document.
3. If interested, contact the Clubs representative for your region.

Contact volunteers from other universities?

• Visit the Peer University contact page(coming soon), or go online and search the university in question.
  

Start a club website?

• Club websites are provided by the Alumni Clubs office. To begin your own, simply contact your assigned Alumni Clubs staff member. For those clubs with a volunteer webmaster, the website can contain club/local events, contact information for the local club board, news, and links to relevant resources. For those clubs without a webmaster, the website will simply be a static page with the local club contact information. Each website has a predetermined template that includes the minimum information required to make the site viable.

Learn about DAA mail and email policies?

The DAA uses both conventional mailing procedures and e-mail. The Clubs office will mail two printed newsletters annually to each club and one blast e-mail monthly. Any further printed news must be financed by the local club and newsletters must be turned in to the Clubs office five weeks before the first big event. Broadcast (blast) e-mail policies are as follows:

1. All broadcast email will be sent by the Duke Clubs Office, no more than once per month.
2. All request should be submitted through the following online registration form.
3. Broadcast email will go to all alumni, parents of current students, and ?friends? of Duke in your region.
4. Text for broadcast email must be supplied at least one week prior to target mail date.
5. Clubs staff will review the message for accuracy and appropriateness, just as it would for a hard copy mailing.
6. Local Clubs are discouraged from sending email messages using their own lists. They will no longer be able to send email from website lists.
7. The DAA broadcast email and security policy can be found here.

Recruit new volunteers?

• Club newsletters are one of the best ways to recruit volunteers for your local club.
• Schedule an ?open house? with the help of the Clubs staff.

Plan a local event?

To host a local event, you simply have to be creative! Various ideas for diverse programming include, but are not limited to:

• Speaker Events (talk to your Clubs representative about scheduling one of Duke?s own experts!)
• Sendoff Parties for incoming first-year or graduate students
• Family Events (barbeques, picnics, or softball games)
• Young Alumni Activities (happy hours, socials, and networking events)
• Cultural Events
• Start a tradition!

The event can be simple ? invite Duke alumni into home or find a place to watch a Duke sports team. It doesn?t have to be a formal event.

Each Club should establish its? calendar early, as advance planning is the secret to success. Once a calendar is sent in to the Clubs staff, they will be able to help you secure your desired speaker or arrange all of the important details related to your event. These include location, cost, services, publicity, and decorations. When hosting an event, it is important to select a location that is convenient, appropriately sized, in good condition, and, as is University policy, does not discriminate in any way. A complete guide to successful event planning can be found here.

Get someone from Duke to speak to your club?

• The Clubs staff will recommend a speaker to fit the theme of your program for each fiscal year (July 1 ? June 30). Advance planning is still needed to secure the date you want. Clubs are encouraged to take advantage of "joint" speaker event opportunities, planned in conjunction with other University departments, schools, and programs. A complete list of Duke experts on a wide range of topics can be found here.
• Club Programming and Event Planning can be found here.

Schedule a hard copy mailing/newsletter?

• Requests for Club newsletters and invitations/postcards must be compiled and sent by mail, fax, or e-mail to the Alumni Clubs office at least 5 ? 6 weeks prior to events. The Clubs staff will then take care of publishing, editing, and final drafting, and will print, label, and mail the newsletter/invitation via first or third class. Mailings should then be received between three and four weeks prior to the event date. RSVP dates should be set at one week prior to the event date.
• For e-mail invitations, information should be submitted to the Alumni Clubs staff one week prior to the targeted mail date. For more information click here.

Report attendance for events?

• Attendance rosters must be filled out for every event, and should include the Club name, type of event, date, and each attending member?s name, class year, address, phone and/or e-mail.
• A sample roster can be found here.

Open a local bank account?

• To open a local bank account, the Club Treasurer must first obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), required by the IRS for all non-profit organizations. Please see ?How to: Get a taxpayer ID for my club?? for information on obtaining an EIN.
  
• Once the Club is assigned an EIN, the member can set up either an interest- or non-interesting-bearing Club bank account. The member who signed the SS-4 must provide the following information to the bank: name of Club, purpose (i.e. non-profit educational organization), officers? names, names of those who will be writing checks. At least two Club board members, often the President and Treasurer, should have access to the account. When opening the account, members who will be writing checks must be present to provide their signatures. Make sure you shop around before settling on a bank! Often, company credit unions don?t enforce minimum deposit requirements or have very small minimums, so check into the possibilities at your company. Remember that minimums are usually greater for interest-bearing accounts.
  
• For more information on Club finances click here.

Get a taxpayer ID for my club?

• All Clubs desiring to open a bank account must first obtain a taxpayer ID, or an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN is obtained by filling out an application via the telephone (800-829-4933) or click here for the online application (?Apply for a Federal Tax ID number online?). The member opening the account must have their social security number, name of their Club, name of a ?care of? person (with address and phone number), and reason for applying (bank account for non-profit group) ready.
• For more information click here.

View services offered by Duke for local clubs?

• Various services are offered by the Alumni Clubs staff and Duke University. These include:
  • Annual Leadership Conferences
  • eDuke Newsletters
  • University speakers
  • Traveling to local Clubs
  • Communication (2 printed newsletters annually, calendar listings on the Alumni website, web site and internet support, Duke Alumni Association staff support, monthly e-mails)
  • Supplies
  • Club Websites, templates, software, or training
  • Membership lists
  • Club ?start-up? money and financial assistance
• Other services offered include the use of the Duke Career Center, Duke Reunions, library borrowing privileges, and the Alumni Educational and Travel program.
  For more information visit our Staff and University Services website.

See Duke?s policy on releasing personal information?

• Click here to see Duke?s Information Release Policy.

Get the most out of my club event?

• To get the most out of your Club event, start early! To plan and execute a successful event, it is important that you have all the details finalized early enough to generate successful publicity through e-mail, newsletters, and your Club webpage. And don?t forget, your Clubs staff member is there to help!
• Click here for a complete guide to successful event programming.

Find job descriptions for potential volunteers?

• Click here for descriptions of the volunteer responsibilities for each member of the Club?s board of officers.

Plan a successful event?

• Planning for a successful event should start early! To plan and execute a successful event, it is important that you have all the details finalized early enough to generate effective publicity through e-mail, newsletters, and your Club webpage. And don?t forget, your Clubs staff member is there to help!
• Click here for a complete guide to successful event programming.

Volunteer for or share ideas for an event?

• To volunteer or share ideas for an event, speak with your local Club Events Coordinator.

GENERAL QUESTIONS : How do you?.

Find out if I?m on the list to receive communication from Duke about local activities?

Update my address?

• To update your information in the Alumni Directory, log-in to the directory from the www.dukedirectory.com webpage, and click the ?Update Your Information? link on the right side.

Find out about local events?

• All Clubs should maintain up-to-date calendars on their local webpages, which are accessible from the www.dukealumni.com webpage via the ?Clubs? link on the left side. Your Club Events Coordinator should also have a complete calendar of any Club events planned in your area.

Find out who my local representatives are?

Host local events?

• Contact your local club president to indicate your interest, contact the Alumni Clubs Staff, or submit your interest through your club website under the ?Get Involved? link on the left navigation bar.

Contact Duke staff responsible for my region?

View the most recent mailing for my area?

• The most recent mailing for your area should be provided on your Club?s website. Your Club?s Secretary should also have a record of each mailing.

Suggest local events?

• To suggest ideas for an event, speak with your local Club Events Coordinator.

Pay local club dues?

• Dues information is available on your local club website. Many clubs have local dues to supplement the monies provided by the Alumni Clubs Program in order to plan more frequent and enjoyable events.
• Dues programs vary by club and it is the job of the local club Treasurer to collect and record all dues. Club dues benefit only the local Club and are separate and distinct from DAA dues, the Duke Annual Fund and all other Duke fundraising activities.

View the University Calendar?

• Click here for the 2008-2009 University Calendar

Network with other alumni locally and around the world?

• It is important to Duke University and the Alumni Affairs organization that all alumni have the opportunity to network with one another both within their local areas and in the greater community. To help alumni to do so, Duke Alumni Affairs has aided local groups of alumni in the organization and establishment of Clubs, hosting events and fostering community within localized regions. Clubs and their members are encouraged to interact with one another by co-hosting events and attending Duke Reunions, as a way to help connect the diverse members of the Duke family who reside around the world.

See Duke?s policy on releasing personal information?

• Click here to see Duke?s Information Release Policy.

Understand the difference between Alumni dues, the Annual Fund, and local club dues?

• By paying annual Duke Alumni dues, you are a registered member of the Duke Alumni Association and become a member of a local Duke Club, providing you with benefits including Duke Reunions, access to the Duke Career Center, Duke news and events, and often discounts on such things as health insurance or the Duke VISA Card. However, many local Clubs institute their own dues system to supplement the monies they receive from the Alumni Clubs Program in order to more effectively and frequently plan enjoyable events for alumni. None of the dues paid to the Alumni Association are related to the Annual Fund. By contributing to the Annual Fund, loyal alumni and Duke supporters are providing the University with unrestricted, flexible income that can be distributed among many areas of the University, from providing classroom equipment, funding and starting programs such as the freshman FOCUS series, and maintaining the day-to-day activities of Duke?s campus.
• For more information on local club dues and finances click here.