SIG Volunteer Handbook

Welcome, Wellesley Shared Identity Group (SIG) volunteer! We are so appreciative of your efforts on behalf of your SIG and the College. 

The Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) is an independent, self-governing organization created by the alumnae of Wellesley College in 1880. It maintains substantial representation on the board of trustees of the College, with four alumnae trustees, a young alumnae trustee, and the president of the Association, who serves ex officio and with vote. On administrative and programming fronts, Association volunteers and staff work closely with the Office of Admission, Career Education, the Development Office, the President’s Office, and other College departments.

Your work to expand engagement with all alums is critical to our collective mission: to support institutional priorities by connecting alumnae to the College and each other. The information and resources provided here will guide your efforts and serve as a reference for you in your volunteer role. The WCAA has also created supplemental resources, including FAQs, video tutorials, and a peer support network to help you learn your responsibilities and expand your knowledge as a volunteer. Additionally, your group will also have a key contact in the Alumnae Association who will be your primary contact for questions that arise throughout the year.

All alum volunteers are guided by the Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) mission, and the following tenets are designed to help you navigate  your volunteer role(s).

As a Wellesley volunteer, you agree to:

• Complete our Volunteer Agreement Form.

• Treat alums, staff, and all members of the Wellesley community with respect and civility in person, in email, in print, and on social media.

• Commit to a role that suits your skills and capacity.

• Commit to being inclusive and addressing issues of diversity along numerous demographic lines (e.g., race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, geography, etc.) in all facets of your volunteer work.

• Communicate regularly with alumnae volunteers and WCAA staff.

• Actively seek opportunities to engage new alums. 

• Resolve any conflicts in a transparent and open manner.

• Acknowledge any potential conflicts of interest and recuse oneself when appropriate.

• Keep your contact information current at alum.wellesley.edu, including address, email, and phone number. As a volunteer, you must agree to be contacted by the WCAA or other alums via any of these channels. 

Recognize that your actions will reflect on and speak for not only you, but for other alumnae and the College.

Alumnae Association key contacts provide the following support to SIG officers:

• Provide directions and assistance for sending e-blasts through the WCAA web platform. 

• Provide directions and assistance for creating online events and forms through the SIG website. Volunteers are expected to use the Forms Manager function to check sign-up reports for events requiring registration. 

• Hold the SIG’s treasury in an account at the College and issue a quarterly report to the SIG treasurer.

• Receive money for events organized by the SIG; the SIG is responsible for creating and tracking ticketing forms. 

• Pay bills for SIG events/expenses and/or reimburse the volunteer who has paid the bills.

We cannot provide:

• Email addresses for your members

• Web design services

• Support for paper mailings 

The WCAA periodically sends important emails that you should be sure to read and save. 

• Top 5 on the 5th is our primary volunteer communication, and is sent on the 5th of each month. It contains important College news, volunteer updates and reminders, helpful suggestions for programming, and other relevant resources.

• SedMini is a quarterly newsletter sent to all alums. It provides a recap of WCAA news as well as College and campus life updates. 

• The WCAA may occasionally send other communications (invitations to events, survey opportunities, messages from the College president, etc). 

• If you are concerned that you are not receiving one or more of these communications, please inform your WCAA key contact.

Alumnae Association Staff

You can find the Alumnae Association staff listed here: https://www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/about/staff            

To contact the main office, please email us at alumnae@wellesley.edu or call 781-283-2331.
 

Record Updates

Alums can provide the College with any contact information changes by updating their profile at alum.wellesley.edu or by letting the Record Update department know via email at recordupdates@wellesley.edu or phone at 1.800.339.5233. Occasionally, these updates may come to you as a SIG volunteer instead of the College. If you receive new information about an alum, please let Record Updates know.
 

Wellesley Fund Office 

If a classmate has questions about giving to the Wellesley Fund, please connect them with the Wellesley Fund office at 781.283.2802 or giving@wellesley.edu.
 

Career Education 

The Wellesley Hive is an easy-to-use platform for mentorship, networking, and professional opportunities—designed exclusively for Wellesley students and alumnae to connect around the world for career support and exploration.   

Once a member of the Hive, alum volunteers are able to network on Leadershare, a private discussion forum for Wellesley volunteer leaders to ask questions, exchange information, etc.
 

Alumnae Directories

The WCAA offers several directories, including an all-alumnae directory located on our homepage at alum.wellesley.edu and one specifically for your group, located on your website. These directories can be filtered by name, class, state, city, country, current or past employer, job title, or occupation. Users must log in with their MyWellesley username and password for access. 

Please note: While the online directories provide email addresses for many alumnae, compiling these addresses into a private list, or using them to send mass emails is strictly prohibited. Solicitation emails are not permitted under any circumstances, regardless of the number of recipients. 
 

MyWellesley Login Help

The Wellesley Login allows alumss to sign into various College systems and websites using a single username and password. It is your login for all Wellesley systems, including:

• The Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) online community

• All class, club, and SIG websites 

• The Wellesley Hive, our mentoring and networking platform exclusively for Wellesley alumnae and students

• The Class Notes section of the Wellesley magazine website

• Volunteer tools (including the online Report of Giving accessible to Wellesley Fund volunteers)

• Select parts of the College website

If you or a member of your group needs assistance recovering or resetting your MyWellesley username and password, please visit https://www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/wellesleylogin for assistance.
 

Wellesley magazine

The award winning Wellesley magazine, available in print and online, keeps readers connected to each other and to the College. 

 

The SIG president sets the tone for the SIG’s leadership. The president* collaborates with a strong board of dedicated volunteers who will be thought-partners to advance the goals of the SIG.

 Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and direction to the SIG organization.

• Call and lead board meetings at least three times per year, including one SIG annual meeting.

• Together with the SIG board, establish and communicate goals and priorities for the SIG.

• Structure the SIG board and leadership roles to ensure continuity by providing and fostering opportunities for new leadership to develop.

• Oversee SIG activities with board officers, especially programming and membership.

• Communicate regularly with board officers to ensure that they are fulfilling their role responsibilities and offer guidance as needed. 

• Approve communication plans for the SIG; together with the communications officers (secretary, website admin) review all SIG newsletters, electronic communications, and other publications to ensure they reflect the SIG’s goals and priorities.

• Attend WCAA trainings.

*In instances where co-presidents lead the SIG, the same responsibilities are expected, although some may be divided at the discretion of the SIG. 

​​The SIG vice president supports the president in providing leadership and direction to the organization and board. Some SIGs have one vice president who helps the president perform portions of their duties, while others have several vice presidents who serve as leaders for various aspects of the SIG (programming, communication, etc). Whether your role reflects the former or the latter, you may be called upon to share in the president’s responsibilities, as presidents may delegate tasks to vice presidents as they see fit.

Responsibilities:

• Attend board meetings, including the SIG annual meeting.

• Together with the president and other SIG officers, establish and communicate goals and priorities for the SIG.

• Help to recognize potential and future volunteers who will represent the diversity within the Wellesley alum community and provide opportunities for new leadership to develop.

• Work closely with board officers, especially programming and membership to expand the SIG’s engagement with alums.

• Together with clubs and other SIGs, brainstorm and plan collaborative activities and events.

• Communicate regularly with board officers to serve as a resource for questions.

• Attend WCAA trainings.

The programming vice president serves as a SIG leader and a member of the SIG board with a focus on developing ideas for programs throughout the year. 

Responsibilities:

• Offer a range of events and activities for the SIG to host. 

• Fully utilize the SIG website to promote and plan events.

• Keep the SIG board informed of attendance trends and make recommendations about continuing or changing events.

 

Program Considerations

The possibilities are endless for the types of SIG activities the group can host. Events can be SIG- specific, collaborative with clubs, or can be a series of events held concurrently. Given that SIG members live all over the country and the world, a programming survey may be a useful tool in understanding the interests of members and gaining insight into regional event preferences. If a survey is conducted, don’t forget to include an option for alums to volunteer for an event they suggest.

SIGs have the opportunity to engage globally with programs in which all members can participate together such as Worldwide WAAD Day, Pride marches, or Shabbat Across the Miles. In addition to regional SIG events, clubs love to collaborate with SIGs and co-sponsor local activities and events. When brainstorming and planning events remember to:

• Address current alum interests and concerns—careers, education, health/wellness, community service, admissions/current student events, the arts, parenting, etc.

• Attract varied constituencies: alums of all ages and at various life stages (working/non-working, etc.).

• Start and conclude at specified times.

• Hold events at various times of day and if in person, at enticing and accessible locations.

• Try something new and different for your SIG. Pilot a program or event that may engage alums who have not previously participated.

• Collaborate with a local club, or multiple clubs within a geographic region for an event.
   

SIGs are welcome to utilize the WCAA’s Zoom account to host virtual events. For information on how to access this account, contact the Alumnae Association at alumnae@wellesley.edu.

Together with the board, the SIG communications vice president creates a communications plan, taking into account the communication needs of a national and international group. The communications vice president is responsible for all content on the group’s website.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure the SIG’s website has current content on it, including a welcome letter, information about upcoming events, a list of SIG officers, and photos to highlight events. For assistance, please view our web platform training materials..
   

• Together with the board, and specifically the programming and membership officers, you should work to ensure that the information on the website is current, accurate, and consistent.
   

• Use the SIG’s website to promote events and offer registration and tickets which can be at no cost, one set cost, or multi-tiered pricing. The WCAA strongly encourages the use of your website to promote events and register guests.

• Send all emails, newsletters, and invitations through the web platform. Training includes how to create and send messages. 

The secretary serves in the important role of keeping minutes and records of the SIG's meetings. The secretary may also work with the SIG's communication team to keep alumnae informed of events and activities.

Responsibilities:

• Attend and take minutes at board meetings and the SIG’s annual meeting. 

• Circulate meeting minutes to the board prior to the next board meeting. 

• Send annual meeting minutes to WCAA and distribute them to all SIG members.

• Maintain records of SIG correspondence.

• Inform officers of deadlines for reports and future correspondence.

• Coordinate emailing of notices/newsletters to alums; may share this responsibility with a newsletter or communications chair.

• Maintain a roster of officers and other board members with current address, telephone, and email information.

The SIG membership vice president is a key resource for alums interested in joining the SIG. The membership vice president serves as a member of the SIG board and collaborates extensively with the programming and communications positions as well as the regional representatives. Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with clubs to strengthen connections and increase outreach to nonmembers.

• Maintain regular contact with the WCAA on SIG goals.

• If your SIG has regional representatives, work with them to welcome new alums to each region and communicate regional SIG and club events.

With the programming vice president, plan programs that:

• Address current alum interests and concerns—careers, the arts, education, politics, parenting, health/wellness, community service, admissions/current student events.

• Attract varied constituencies: alumnae of all ages and at various life stages (working/non-working, etc.).

• Start and conclude at specified times and vary the times of events and programs.

• Involve members (i.e. a prominent alum) with unusual careers or life stories.

Attracting and Keeping Strong Membership

A membership survey to determine interests, desired frequency of meetings, and types of programs, may help a SIG be better equipped to serve alums in various regions. Some SIGs have indicated that regional representatives or young alumnae representatives on the board have been effective in maintaining focus on the varying interests throughout the geographically dispersed group.

 

The treasurer partners with the WCAA staff to oversee the SIG’s finances. They are responsible for communicating information about SIG funds to fellow officers, and for tracking expenditures and reimbursements. 

Responsibilities

• Oversee SIG finances, which are held in an agency fund at the College. 

• Submit requests (including receipts and necessary bills) for vendor payments or reimbursements.

• Help ensure accurate financial records by keeping an accurate record of collections and payments to compare to the College’s accounting records.

• Receive financial reports (issued quarterly by the WCAA) and update fellow board members.

The SIG regional representative communicates regularly with SIG alums in their region to let them know about SIG or SIG/club collaborative events, activities, or opportunities in their area.  

Responsibilities:

• Reach out to alum clubs in the region to maintain communications so both SIGs and clubs know the events and activities in the area.

• With the programming vice president, collaborate with clubs and explore sponsoring joint events. 

• Try piloting new programs regionally and expanding them as there is interest. For virtual events, consider partnering with other regional representatives, the membership vice presidents, and regional clubs.

• Ask for program interest and specific topics/ideas from the board or conduct a survey asking what type of events your SIG’s constituency is interested in. If interest varies by region, plan accordingly.

• Coordinate emailing of notices/newsletters to area alumnae inviting them to events in the region; you may share this responsibility with a newsletter or communications chair.

• Share event photos and quotes from alumns who attended on the SIG website, social media channels, and with the WCAA.

• Represent the regional perspective to the larger SIG board.

SIG communications are sent exclusively through the WCAA-hosted website platform and its email messaging system, which is tied to the College database and stays up-to-date with any address changes. At least one person on your board should be fluent in this platform. SIG presidents will be assigned administrative privileges along with any communications, website chair, or other officer that the group requests to be added.

Complete administrative website training is available online, including instructional videos, a written manuals, and a robust FAQ.

What Your Website Can Do

Your group’s website has many features beyond sending emails. Here are some highlights:

• Collect registration information and/or sell tickets for an event

• List events on your calendar and the WCAA’s all-alum calendar

• Host an archive of previous emails

• Host video and audio files 

• Post photo galleries

• See who has read or clicked on an email blast sent to the class
   

Alums can also log into your site to update their profile information, including contact info, dorm history, career history, religious affiliation, and more, which makes it easier to connect with others.

Social Media

Groups may choose to run their own social media channels via Facebook, Instagram, etc. 

The Alumnae Association does not monitor or maintain those accounts and we ask that you follow our suggested Social Media Guidelines. 

Be sure to encourage classmates to follow the Alumnae Association’s social media accounts so they can keep up to date on our all-alum programming and campus news!
 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellesleyalums/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellesleyalums/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wellesleyalums

Email Troubleshooting

Alums may contact you with concerns that they are not receiving email communications. There are many factors that can be at play when it comes to emails not being received. Please invite them to review this guide which will walk through steps to help messages from Wellesley make it into their inbox.

Appropriate Use of Alumnae Information 

Current alumnae volunteers may be given access to alumnae information. The information provided is for official Wellesley College alumnae use only. Use of the information for any non-Wellesley College Alumnae Association purpose—including but not limited to solicitation of any kind; reproducing and storing in a retrieval system by any means, electronic or mechanical; photocopying; or use of the addresses or other information for any mailing other than alumnae related events—is strictly prohibited. Any misuse of the data may result in legal action from the Wellesley College Alumnae Association. 

Any information provided is maintained by the Wellesley College Alumnae Association database and is accurate as of the date it was retrieved. 

Wellesley College takes seriously its responsibility to protect the privacy of the members of the Wellesley College community. We have recently updated our Privacy Notice, which should make it easier for you to understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and how it’s used. 

If you have any questions about appropriate usage of either alumnae information, contact alumnae@wellesley.edu.

 

New technologies like Zoom have allowed clubs to host virtual programming with excellent results. 

The WCAA encourages SIGs to consider hosting occasional virtual programming, which is often more accessible to a larger group of alums. Virtual events are an easy way to host a low or no-cost event, be it a demonstration, presentation, or discussion using breakout rooms. 

Many boards have also found Zoom to be a convenient way to meet and plan together. The WCAA has a dedicated Zoom account for volunteers to use for meetings and programming purposes. Volunteers are responsible for booking their own meetings and ensuring there are no conflicts with other alumnae groups. For information on how to access this volunteer Zoom account, please ask your WCAA key contact.   

In addition to this handbook, the WCAA has many online resources, tools, webinars, and guidelines available for your use. To view our other resources, please visit our For All Volunteers page.