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Building a BYU Alumni Chapter Leadership Board

This article is a guide to help you build a chapter that meets your area's needs. The list below are suggestions, but the only requirement for a board is that it contains at least three individuals.

Roles

Chapter Chair

The Chapter Chair's job is to lead, organize, and direct Chapter operations, replenishment grant funding, select Chapter finances, and invite alumni to stay connected to the spirit of the Y through meaningful service in the chapter. It's the Chapter Chair's job to get people excited and invite them to join this committee.

  1. Chapter Leadership— The job of a leader is one to follow and listen. The chapter chair is adapting the plan as situations arise and being the voice of encouragement to gather everyone together to brainstorm how to plan events and navigate problems when they arise. See the strengths of committee members and invite them to consider roles that would fit their advantages. The best way to do this is to listen. Here are a few tips to get started.
    • Obtain information from the Alumni Office about setting up your local chapter and organizing your committee
    • Begin holding regular meetings
    • Begin planning activities and events. There are many things that you can do, and the Alumni Office and other chapters can help you get started
    • Check out our off-campus event calendar on Chapterpedia.
    • Talk to other chapters
    • Plan on attending the annual Chapter Training at BYU in the Fall!
  2. Connect with Alumni— To gather a committee, first find people willing to join. The more you connect, the more you can lighten everyone's load. Accept help in any capacity, sometimes there are people willing to help in other ways besides being on the committee. Here is a list of places one can look for to help as either a committee member or some other support.
    • Immediate friends
    • Referrals from others of BYU Alumni
    • BYU Sports enthusiasts
    • The alumni data list for your area. You may find someone you didn't know was BYU alumni who is willing to help.
    • Parents who have children attending or who attended BYU
    • People who have consistently given to BYU over the years from your area — this information is available from the Alumni Office
    • Constituency group members in your area
    • People who attend your chapter events
  3. Replenishment Grant— Part of BYU Alumni's mission is to help students currently attending the university. As a chapter you are trying to raise funds to provide support for students to make their path a little easier.
  4. Signature Authority— Chapter chairs have the authority to sign for various financial decisions regarding the accounts.
  5. Work with BYU Staff— The BYU Staff are here when you get lost. The chapter chair is the one who should be coordinating with the BYU staff for support. Reach out when you need assistance.
  6. Speaker's Bureau— It's important to have a spokesperson for the area. Part of the chapter chair's responsibility is to be the spokesperson for the group.

Chair Elect

Whenever planning anything, it's wise to have a backup plan. In the case that a chapter chair moves or is unable to fulfill their responsibilities, the chair elect replaces the chair. This position revolves around supporting the current chapter chair and connection. This includes actively recruiting the next chapter chair-elect and chapter leadership.

  1. Chapter Sustainability— As good as starting a successful chapter is, it's just as important to keep the momentum going. This role includes taking on the chapter chair role when the current chapter chairs leave and help recruit other leadership positions, such as the secretary, the treasurer, and other sub-committee leadership positions.
  2. Connect with Students— The BYU Alumni Organization wants to support students. This is why it's important to talk with students to learn their needs and what ways your chapter can support them, other than providing grants/scholarships. There is invaluable advice that the members in your community could give to students currently attending BYU. Try talking with students from your area or check out BYU Connect.
  3. Connect with Community— To have successful events, one needs to know how the community wants to participate. The best way to do this is to gather people from various areas and backgrounds to have a voice in your committees.
    1. Try to find additional committee members from other stakes.
    2. Look for liaisons in various wards.
    3. Talk with parents of students, sports enthusiasts, and other alumni (ask what activities they would be interested in participating in.)
  4. Coordinate with reps of sister organizations— BYU isn't the only organization trying to support people. BYU-I, BYU-H, Ensign College, and the church can be good resources to coordinate with for activities. We are trying to build up a community whose purpose is to support each other.

Secretary

This position is best filled by an organized individual. They coordinate events, keep track of the chapter plan, and remind members about meeting and event timelines.

  1. Reporting System— Use a reporting system to review what went well about events and what can be improved. It helps everyone remain organized and stay on the same page.
  2. Communications— This role helps facilitate good communication among the board.
  3. Signature Authority— Secretaries have the authority to sign for various financial decisions regarding the accounts.

Treasurer

This role is best filled by someone trustworthy and knowledgeable about finances/willing to read all of BYU's specific financial policies and guidelines. They keep a careful watch over finances to keep the chapter running.

  1. Signature Authority— Treasurers have the authority to sign for various financial decisions regarding the accounts.
  2. Ensure Compliance with Finance and Fundraising Guidelines— It's the treasurer's responsibility to ensure that the accounts are in accordance with BYU Alumni Chapter Finances & Fundraising guidelines. This is because the financial operations of chapters in the US are governed by the 501(c)(3) IRS status granted to BYU, which allows the educational activities to go without assessment of corporate federal income taxes. The treasurer can read more about the guidelines here.
  3. Balance and Report— Due to BYU's non-profit status, all chapters are to work on a break-even basis. Any events that have a ticket price should cover the cost of the event and generate a small surplus to raise money for replenishment grants.
  4. Submit Annual Report— At the end of the year, each chapter will submit a financial report with all the events and money they raised for the year. Information on this can be found on alumni tools.

Sub-Committees

Even with the main support pillars, it can be intimidating to start a chapter. It's easier if sub-committees report to the secretary, treasurer, and chair elect, who then report to the chapter chair. Sub-committees should be built around the needs of the chapter, which might be different depending on the location. Below is a list of some examples of sub-committee roles.

  • Media Specialist
    • Ensure emails and communication get sent to alumni.
    • Manages social media page.
    • Recruit Social Media Contributors.
    • Work with Stake representative. Recruit new or additional representatives, as needed.
    • Work with chairs of other committees to promote events.
  • Replenishment Grant Fundraising Chair
    • Create and oversee at least 1 fundraiser per calendar year.
    • Fundraisers may be virtual, a donation drive, or a physical event.
  • Replenishment Grant Selection Chair
    • Recruit a replenishment grant selection committee and replace committee members as needed.
    • Using criteria for the grant, eliminate applicants who don't qualify or who submitted incomplete applications.
    • Reorder remaining applicants from most to least credits and assign each letter of the alphabet in place of their name to facilitate a blind selection.
    • Submit revised applications to the committee.
    • Submit committee decisions to the chapter chair.
  • Community Service Chair
    • Find a service opportunity.
    • Recruit and oversee the committee in planning events.
    • Coordinate publicity with the BYU Provo office and chapter media specialist (if applicable).
  • Events Chair (Can be split into more roles depending on the size of the events)
    • Recruit Committee members as needed.
    • Organize a student-to-alumni event.
    • Keep track of the BYU Off-Campus Calendar for events happening in the area.
    • Coordinate with Performing Arts, Athletics, or other organizations for events.

General Committee Tips

  • Have a Clear Vision
  • Be Willing to Ask for Help/Delegate

  • Ideas of Who You Should Ask to Participate in the Board:

    • Anyone you think would enjoy being involved!
    • Ward members
    • People from different generations
    • Single people
    • Married couples
    • People with different occupations
    • Recent graduates
    • Retirees
    • People from different stakes
  • Have a Diverse Board: It creates a broader range of ideas, perspectives, and energy.

  • Tips for Recruiting

    • Some people may be hesitant to join at first; invite them to a board meeting so they can see how the board works and what may be expected of them.
    • Discuss your upcoming events and activities; they will be able to experience your excitement and enthusiasm first and be more likely to join.
    • Ask them to help with a specific activity; as they participate and enjoy the event, they may want to stay involved.
  • Be Flexible: Allow options for assignments and time commitment.
  • Every board member should be given a specific role and clear expectations.
  • Be Accommodating: Allow flexibility in the frequency and length of board meetings.
  • Be Consistent: Try to hold board meetings at the same time each month, and have the next meeting scheduled before the end of the current meeting. Have a clear agenda and be respectful of people's time.
  • Keep Board Members Informed: Notes, accountability check-ins, review completed to-do tasks.
  • Be Appreciative