Best Practices Sharing for Success

Moderator: Donna Thornton, Vice President for Alumni Relations

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

RUAA Day Of Service RU NOBLE?

Presenters: Michael Williamson RBS’01 Gloria Wormley UCNB’04 At Large Council Member Rutgers Clubs of Lehigh Valley

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

Day Of Service History

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

Mike

no●ble [noh-buhl] Adj. Of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence;

Review of Goals

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

To bring Rutgers alumni together on one day to provide hands-on service to their communities

To engage alumni project leaders in identifying community needs, planning projects and recruiting participants.

To have a substantial impact on the individuals involved in this shared experience

To have a substantial impact on the community

To demonstrate that the RUAA commits to integrity, service, and diversity

Gloria and mike

Case Study:Rutgers Club of Lehigh Valley

First Meeting Success• 15 people attended the first meeting

– Talked about activities we enjoy– Decided…“We are going to hit the ground running”

• Before the end of that 1st meeting: – We decided to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity– Members shared responsibility for promoting the event

1. One person volunteered to write a press release 2. Another volunteered to be the event photographer 3. Another volunteered to be Habitat agency contact person

Common interests and activities can unite, engage, and mobilize alumni…

and service attracts alumni from all walks of life. Gloria

Successful Results• Club members volunteered in Habitat build

• Photos were sent to Rutgers

• The press release (written & sent by volunteer) was picked up by local news

• New happy faces joined events and became regulars– Active alumni volunteers DOUBLED in just 4 months– New leadership was fostered

Our members are doing what they wanted to do, and, in the process, are energizing the Rutgers Club of Lehigh Valley

Gloria

The Express-Times“ Rutgers alumni group forms to help in Valley”

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Story By L. Olanoff

There are New Jersey transplants aplenty in the Lehigh Valley. So it's not too big a surprise a Rutgers University alumni group has started up

locally. The Rutgers Club of the Lehigh Valley formed last month. Its primary focus is

community service, said group leader Gloria Wormley. The Lower Macungie Township resident moved to the area from Somerset, N.J.

Like Wormley, many of the group's members are New Jersey transplants interested in getting involved in their new homes.

"We decided we wanted to be part of the community," Wormley, 45, said. "We want the Rutgers name to be known in the Lehigh Valley."

The group's first community service project is Saturday. The Garden State graduates will help build a Habitat for Humanity house on Bethlehem's South Side. The house at 1404 James St. is part of Habitat's Lehigh Valley chapter's initiative to build 40 homes on South Mountain.

Gloria

Lessons Learned• Allow club members to suggest volunteering projects - it

creates a sense of commitment

• Form a committee – club leaders can not do it alone

• Volunteering is not about the leaders – it is about making a difference in our communities and being part of Rutgers day of service

Mike and Gloria

Rutgers Alumni Day of Service Volunteer Project Ideas

• Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen or Food Pantry

• Host Food Drives • Provide Nutritional Education • Create a Community Garden • Advocate to End Hunger

Host a drive for: • Coats • Diapers / Baby Products • Hats / Mittens • Toys • Blanket Collections • Eye Glass Collections • Personal Care Products • Cell Phones • Books • School Supplies • Sports Equipment

Earth Friendly Projects: • Community Tree Planting • Beautification of a Local Non-Profit • Painting Projects • Host a Recycling Fair • Host a Neighborhood Clean-Up • Graffiti • Park or Nature Trail • River or Beach • Camp or School

Children’s Project Ideas: • Work with local agencies, daycares,

YMCAs • Craft Projects • Story Time or Reading • Cupcake Baking • School Garden or Flower Planting • Start Teen Book Club

Senior Project Ideas: • Make Birthday or Get Well Cards for

the Elderly • Help with Shopping or Errands • Create a Senior Center Game Day • Play board games • Bingo • Play cards • Puzzles Veterans Project Ideas: • Care Packages for the Military • Letters to the Troops Miscellaneous Projects Ideas: • Animal Shelter • Mural Painting • Reading to the Blind • Bake Sale

• Pancake Breakfast • Food or Chili Cook Off • Bingo Fundraiser • Mentoring • Build Wheel Chair Ramp in Park or

School • Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser • Habitat for Humanity (your local

agency) • Fix up a Run-Down Playground • Mock Interviewing and Résumé

Writing • Charity Run or Walk • Bowl-a-thon or Dance-a-thon • Charity Biking • Host a Party at Local Hospital

How we doing?

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

Mike

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011Get Involved!

Next Steps

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011

Rally The Troops!!! Recruit, Recruit, Recruit…

Accept this challenge by asking yourself….RU Noble?

Register Your Projects Online!!

www.Ralumni.com/dayofservice

Mike and Gloria

Thank you!

How do you plan to celebrate

Day of Service?

Alumni Leaders Conference October 14, 2011