Club Vice President
Role Responsibilities
Role Responsibilities
The club Vice President supports the President in providing leadership and direction to the club organization and board. Some clubs have one vice president who helps the resident perform portions of their duties, while other clubs have several vice presidents who serve as leaders for various aspects of the club (programming, communication, membership, etc). Whether your role reflects the former or the latter, you may be called upon to share in the President’s responsibilities; presidents may delegate tasks to vice Presidents as they see fit.
Presidents and Vice Presidents collaborate with a strong board of dedicated volunteers who will be thought-partners to advance the goals of the club. Possible goals include but are not limited to growing membership, increasing the geographical range of your events, engaging young alumnae, building a strong community service presence, fostering stronger diversity and inclusion in programming, and partnering with SIGs/other nearby clubs.
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Together with the president and other club officers, establish and communicate goals and priorities for the club.
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Attend board meetings, including the club annual meeting.
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Work closely with board officers, especially programming and membership, to expand the club’s outreach with previously unengaged and under-engaged alumnae.
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Communicate regularly with board officers to serve as a resource for questions.
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Help to recognize potential and future volunteers for club leadership which will represent the diversity within the Wellesley alumnae community and provide opportunities for new leadership to develop.
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After every event please complete and send the post event form to your point of contact at WCAA. This is important data that helps us to keep track of events and boost our alumnae engagement metrics. We love to hear feedback about what made your event successful.
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Attend any training sponsored by WCAA to which you are invited, if at all possible.
Board Meetings
Board Meetings
The purpose of a board meeting is to plan, discuss, organize, and make decisions for the club. With that outcome in mind, club vice presidents are asked to consider the following information when organizing a club board meeting:
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Set meeting dates for the full year in advance. Having fewer meetings may result in larger attendance and more substance than having monthly meetings. The size of the club and scope of activities also serve as a factor in determining meeting needs.
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Vary times of day, days of the week, and locations to offer flexibility and allow more members the opportunities to attend.
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Determine if participating in a meeting via phone, Skype, or Zoom is a viable alternative. Decide if there are any requirements for in-person attendance versus calling-in. Communicate these expectations to all board members and ensure your bylaws reflect your practice.
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Set an agenda and timeline and keep to it.
Prior to Each Meeting
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Work with the president to create an agenda; compile necessary factual information, etc.
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Plan the order of business strategically placing items in order of importance.
The Meeting
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Start on time.
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Be familiar with simple parliamentary procedure—it provides confidence to help run the meeting and will assist the flow of business.
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Give everyone a chance to be heard, but do not let any single person monopolize the discussion.
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Set meeting goals and be sure that the meeting accomplishes something. Even if a decision is postponed to await further research, the meeting has started the decision process. Don’t let items drift on inconclusively.
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With the president, set next steps and assign them clearly.
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End the meeting on time.
Follow-up
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Call/email board members tasked with next steps to encourage and remind them of next steps and deadlines.
Volunteers
Volunteers
Every organization is as strong as the people involved in making it work. The effort to recruit and retain volunteers is worthwhile. Volunteering is rewarding, and many people make time to do it, even when faced with a busy schedule. There are many alumnae who would be happy to volunteer for Wellesley and your club. The challenge lies in finding them and determining the jobs that will provide the best “fit” for each volunteer.
Recruiting Volunteers
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The first rule of finding volunteers is…ask!
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Talk about volunteering for the club in conversation at events.
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Provide your members an opportunity to sign-up for volunteering anywhere you can think of—on the club’s dues form, at events, on the website, through social media, etc.
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Break jobs into smaller concrete pieces; alumnae are often more willing to volunteer for a job if it is a specific task with a defined amount of time. After success, volunteers are often willing to take on tasks and roles with more responsibility.
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For board positions, consider offering co-chair roles—it splits the job in half. (Even the presidency can be a shared position.)
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Make sure the club nominating committee is comprised of alumnae of diverse ages, geography, interests, socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.
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Let volunteers know that serving on a board or in a volunteer position is an honor and will be looked upon with high regard.
Motivating Volunteers
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Leaders set an example by their enthusiasm for the club and attendance at club activities.
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Try to give volunteers assignments for which they have an aptitude and will enjoy.
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Pair experienced volunteers with new ones, older with younger.
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Coach volunteers to take on more club responsibilities in areas in which they have personal connection or interest.
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Support club volunteers in what they are trying to do. Thank them personally.
Events
Events
The magic happens when Wellesley alumnae get together to share meals, celebrate, learn, connect, embody Sed Ministrare, and pass Wellesley spirit to new generations of Wellesley alums. There are so many possibilities for gatherings, and some ideas are listed below.
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As a key part of the board, vice presidents help the programming committee determine the club events for the year.
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Vary program content, times, and locations in order to accommodate your constituency.
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Aside from an annual meeting, the club is not required to have any specific type of event.
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There is no defined minimum number of events a club must hold. If it is challenging to find support for the number of planned events, do fewer and do them well.
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Ask for program interest and specific topics/ideas from your board or conduct a survey asking what type of events your club’s constituency is interested in and would support. Don’t forget to ask if an alum would help with an event they have suggested!
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Collaborate with SIG representatives, class reps, and try new events—and share ideas.
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Keep timing in mind. Make sure there is enough time for planning and publicizing the event, and that it will take place at a time that is convenient for club members.
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Use the registration system provided by WCAA on alum.wellesley.edu to help the WCAA record accurate attendance and engagement metrics. For more information on creating events on your website, view our video tutorials and Website FAQ
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After your event, submit our Event report, available on our Online Resources page
Communications and Social Media
Communications and Social Media
You have the power to connect—and build excitement about all the connections that are possible through the club. Let alumnae learn about upcoming events and share photos of past ones! Add personal touches as you introduce the board—what are their favorite books/movies/Wellesley memories? Or perhaps a spotlight on one in each newsletter—how did they come to volunteer and why?
Newsletters/Emails
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Together with the communications leader, establish a timeline for regular communication to the club via email or newsletter including deadlines for members to submit information.
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Be consistent in the information you include in newsletters.
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Send all club emails, newsletters, and invitations through the club website (alum.wellesley.edu). Training for communications volunteers is available online- please visit our video tutorials and Website FAQ.
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If your email requires additional technological assistance, you may use this form to request an email blast, newsletter, labels, or list.
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The WCAA encourages email and e-newsletters for sustainability and suggests mailing only to alumnae with no email on file. If a print mailing is necessary, be sure to include a way for alumnae to update their information: “Update your contact information at alum.wellesley.edu or email recordupdates@wellesley.edu.”
Website
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Ensure your website has current content on it. Work with your website chair or other board members to post a welcome letter, information about upcoming events, list your officers, add a banner photo, include photos to highlight events. If you and your website chair need assistance, request it here or view our video tutorials and Website FAQ.
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If your club does not have a dedicated website chair, this is a great area for a VP to help support the President and Board.
Social Media
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Please post the WCAA social media guidelines on the club website and any social media platform your club uses.
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Ensure there are moderators for each platform, and that they understand and adhere to the social media guidelines.
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The WCAA does not own and therefore cannot manage or moderate online groups and pages outside of our official channels. Be aware of the groups your club uses and the discussions taking place. These groups can be a great source of positive connection for your club when used responsibly!
Access to Contact Information
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WCAA strongly encourages use of the online alumnae directory. The online alumnae directory is behind a Wellesley firewall that requires signing in. If alumnae have difficulty logging in, they can call the help desk at 781.283.7777 or email them at helpdesk@wellesley.edu. They can also use the password reset feature.
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If you wish to do individual outreach to alumnae to encourage attendance and other participation, you can request a club list here. A club list will include: name, addresses, and phone number. A lost list will include name and last known address. A do-not-contact list will include names only. The WCAA requires the most recent Annual and Financial Reports to be submitted before we will provide lists. For several reasons, we are unable to provide you with email addresses. For more information, please review our Email policy.