Class President

Class presidents are the ultimate representatives of their class, and help keep classmates connected to each other, the College, and the WCAA in the 5 years between Reunions. Maintaining class engagement (especially in non-Reunion years) should be a primary goal in guiding the board. The class president* sets the tone for the board and the class leadership. Presidents collaborate with a strong board of dedicated volunteers who will be thought-partners to advance the goals of the class. 

As leader of the class, presidents assume the following responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and direction to the class organization. Familiarize yourself with the roles and responsibilities of each of your board members. As president, we recommend you review the toolkits for each class role. 

• Together with the class board, establish and communicate goals and priorities for the class. How many mini-reunions do you want to have each year? How frequently do you want to reach out to classmates with communications? What are your Wellesley Fund participation goals?

• Know where your class constitution is and be familiar with its contents 

• Call and lead at least one annual meeting. If your class is in a reunion year, the annual meeting must be held during Reunion. We strongly encourage 2-3 board meetings throughout the year.

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

• Work closely with the class vice president to help with mini-reunions throughout the year.

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

• Exercise overall financial oversight for the class; if possible serve as co-signatory on bank account with class treasurer.

• Approve communication plans for the class; together with the secretary and communications volunteers review all class press releases, newsletters, electronic communications, and other publications to ensure they reflect the class’s goals and priorities.

• Maintain regular contact with the WCAA on class activities and goals by checking in with your key contact. Share your successes, let us know where you could use guidance, and ensure your club submits your event reports (event sheet available on our Online Resources page) so we can ensure your class is represented in our overall alumnae engagement metrics. 

• Attend training sponsored by WCAA.

• Submit annual report for the class activities to the WCAA by mid-July or immediately following the annual meeting, and ensure your treasurer submits the class’s financial report.

In concert with your treasurer and Wellesley Fund representative, provide clarity around the different types of gifts alumnae make. Ensure that your board and your classmates understand the difference between dues, Class Lifetime Memberships, general gifts to your class treasury, gifts to the College, and gifts to other College affiliated funds. Make sure classmates understand what the funds are each used for, and how they affect participation counts differently.

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

The purpose of a board meeting is to plan, discuss, organize, and make decisions for the class. Class presidents call and preside over board meetings, with a minimum of one meeting annually, typically held during Reunion weekend for Reunion classes. With this in mind, class presidents are asked to consider the following information when organizing a class board meeting:

• Set meeting dates in advance. Discuss the regularity of meetings needed to keep goals on track. 

• If you plan multiple meetings, vary times of day and days of the week to offer flexibility and allow more members the opportunities to participate.

• Arrange for various methods to participate in a meeting, for example via phone, Skype, Google Hangout, Zoom, FaceTime, etc.

• Set an agenda and timeline and keep to it. 

 

Prior to Each Meeting

• The president should contact chairs who are responsible for presenting reports well ahead of the meeting to allow for preparation.

• Create an agenda; compile necessary factual information, etc.

• Plan the order of business, strategically placing items in order of importance.

• Allocate an appropriate amount of time for committee reports and include it on the agenda. Inform committee chairs in advance how much time they will have for their presentation and set an end time for follow-up discussion.

• Distribute the agenda and minutes of the previous meeting one to two weeks ahead of the meeting to serve as incentive to think about items before the meeting.

 

The Meeting

• Start on time. 

• Be familiar with simple parliamentary procedure—it provides confidence to help run the meeting and will assist the flow of business.

• Give everyone a chance to be heard, but do not let any single person monopolize the discussion.

• 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.

• With the board, set next steps and assign them clearly.

• End the meeting on time.

 

Follow-Up

• Appoint appropriate chairs/committees as necessary.

• Call/email board members tasked with next steps to encourage and remind them of next steps and deadlines.

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 class. The challenge lies in finding them and determining the jobs that will provide the best “fit” for each volunteer. 

Recruiting Volunteers

• The first rule of finding volunteers is…ask! 

• Talk about volunteering for the class in conversation at events.

• Provide your members an opportunity to sign-up for volunteering—on forms, at events, on the website, through social media, etc.

• 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.

• For board positions consider encouraging co-chair roles—it splits the job in half. (Even the presidency can be a shared position.)

• Make sure the class nominating committee is comprised of alumnae of diverse geography, interests, socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

• 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

• Leaders set an example by their enthusiasm for the class and class activities.

• Delegate responsibilities, especially to the board. One person cannot do it all. 

• Your board is invested in the class; when people feel they are an important part of the project they feel an increased commitment to it.

• Pair experienced volunteers with new ones.

• Try to give volunteers assignments for which they have an aptitude and will enjoy.

• Coach volunteers to take on more responsibilities in areas in which they have a personal connection or interest.

• As president, support class volunteers in what they are trying to do. Praise and thank them personally and at board meetings.

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 alumnae. There are so many possibilities for gatherings, and some ideas are listed below.  

• Together with the vice president and the board, determine events for the year.

• There is no defined minimum number of mini-reunions a class must hold. If it is challenging to find support for the number of planned events, do fewer and do them well.

• Be sure to vary program content, times, and locations.

• Ask for program interest and specific topics/ideas from your board or conduct a survey asking what type of events your class’s constituency is interested in and would support. Don’t forget to ask if an alum would help with an event they have suggested!

• Collaborate with other classes and geographic reps to share ideas.

• Try piloting new ideas for mini-reunions regionally and expanding them as there is interest.

• 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 class members. 

• 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.

You have the power to connect—and build excitement about all the connections that are possible through the class. 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

• Together with the secretary and communications volunteers, establish a timeline for regular communication to the class via email or newsletter including deadlines for members to submit information.

• Be consistent in the information you include in newsletters.

• Send all class emails, newsletters, and invitations through the class website (alum.wellesley.edu). Training for communications volunteers is available online- please visit our our video tutorials and Website FAQ.

• If your email requires additional technological assistance, you may use this form to request an email blast, newsletter, labels, or list.

• 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

• 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.

 

Social Media

• Please post the WCAA social media guidelines on the class website and any social media platform your class uses. 

• Ensure there are moderators for each platform, and that they understand and adhere to the social media guidelines.

• 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 class uses and the discussions taking place. These groups can be a great source of positive connection for your class when used responsibly!

Access to Contact Information

• 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.

• If you wish to do individual outreach to alumnae to encourage attendance and other participation, you can request a class list here. A class 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.