The University of Alabama

National Alumni Association

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

The chapter initiative you are contemplating has been the starting point for much of the loyal support the University of Alabama receives from alumni and friends. You and interested alumni like you are the foundation for the Alabama Alumni Chapter Network and this network is the foundation for the National Alumni Association. The support provided by both these groups is vital to the University and its programs.

Alumni Chapters serve as the connecting link between alumni and the NAA. Chapters participate in a wide variety of activities that promote and build support for the NAA. These activities include hosting meetings, raising scholarship money and assisting in the recruitment of students to the University.

Our ultimate goal in working with chapters is to have strong effective chapters involved in membership development, student recruitment and the establishment of scholarships.

These activities are coordinated through the chapter development department within the National Alumni Association office on campus in Tuscaloosa. We staff three full time Association employees and one student worker.

We are here to help you coordinate activities to serve the alumni, fans and friends in your area. We are open year round Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. CST our office is located at 224 Bryant Drive, beside the Bryant Conference Center and Paul W. Bryant Museum and just across the street from Sewell Thomas Stadium (the baseball stadium).

Chapter Develpoment Staff

Mark Roberts, Manager
205/348-1552 - mroberts@alumni.ua.edu

Braxton Baker, Chapter Representative
205/348-1550 - pbbaker@alumni.ua.edu

Julia Branch, Events
205/348-1547 - jbranch@alumni.ua.edu

Tammy McLemore, Program Assistant
205/348-1557 - tmclemore@alumni.ua.edu

The Chapter Development Staff is your contact for all chapter needs and activities.

The NAA currently employs twenty other full time staff members. The departments you might need to contact for information other than chapter activity are:

Membership Services & Scholarships

Clif Davis, Manager of Membership Services & Scholarships

205/348-5978 - cdavis@alumni.ua.edu

Paula Jeter, Alumni Scholarship Coordinator

205/348-1556 - pjeter@alumni.ua.edu

(NAA and chapter scholarship information, admissions application and information)

Alumni Publications

Janice Fink, Editor

Alabama Alumni Magazine

205/348-1549

(to get information into the quarterly magazine)

Alumni Fund

David Wilson, Manager of Alumni Fund

205/348-1551 - dwilson@alumni.ua.edu

(NAA memberships, Alumni Mastercard/Visa,

International Tour program)

Official Websites:

University of Alabama - http://www.ua.edu

National Alumni Association - http://alumni.ua.edu

Crimson Tide Athletics - http://www.rolltide.com

The Chapter Network

There are currently over 100 active alumni chapters in the state of Alabama and across the country. Chapters operate on various levels of activity, some gather only in the fall to watch the football games while others host monthly activities. See the list of chapters below. For a full list with contact names and information please contact the chapter staff or check out the alumni Website under "chapters".

Below are listed our offical chapters:

Alabama Chapters (by county)

Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun/Cleburne, Chambers/Randolph, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Colbert, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas/Wilcox, Dekalb, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, (city of) Guntersville, Houston/Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lee, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery/Lowndes, Morgan, N Talladega, Perry, Shelby, S. Talladega, St. Clair, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Walker

Chapters Outside Alabama:

Arizona - Phoenix

California - Northern California, Southern California

Colorado - Denver

DC - National Capital

Florida - Broward County, Emerald Coast (Ft. Walton Beach), Jacksonville, Lakeland, Orlando, Baytide (Panama City), Pensacola, Sarasota/Manatee, Suncoast (Tampa/St. Pete), Tallahassee, Treasure Coast (Martin County/Stuart)

Georgia - Atlanta, Columbus (Russell/Muscogee Cos.), Savannah

Indiana - Indianapolis

Louisiana - Baton Rouge, New Orleans

Massachusetts - Boston

Mississippi - MS Gulfcoast (Biloxi, Gulfport), Jackson, Meridian

North Carolina - Charlotte, Western NC

New York - Greater New York ( includes part of New Jersey), Rochester

Pennsylvania - Central PA

South Carolina - Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg

Tennessee - Chattanooga, East TN (Knoxville), Memphis, Nashville

Texas - Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio

Virginia - Richmond

5 Steps for Starting or Reorganizing Your Chapter

Step 1

Contact the Alumni Office to discuss previous activity in your area or to define an area if no chapter has existed before. If possible, have a zip code range or central zip code in mind so a 50 to 80 mile radius may be used to define area. Request a list of alumni and friends living in this area so we can determine if enough alumni live in the area to meet the chapter requirements or the club requirements.

Requirements:

Two hundred alumni and friends must reside in the area petitioning for chapter status. A minimum of 25% of these alumni and friends must be active members (dues paying) of the NAA. A distance of 50 miles between out of state chapters will generally be required. An exception to the 200 minimum will be considered if 25% of the alumni and friends living in the area are active members of the NAA and a minimum of 50 people have expressed written interest in joining a local chapter.

A club may be set up with as few as 10 interested people.

Step 2

Ask chapter staff to send a postcard or letter, once an area is defined and sufficient numbers exist, announcing the intent to start chapter activities and ask for those interested to respond.

Step 3

Organize a meeting of all who respond and request a chapter development staff member to attend and answer questions.

Step 4

Plan your first event. Evaluate response to activity and determine what your group wants to do next.

Step 5

Maintain close contact with those who are enthusiastic, your future workers! Assign/elect officers when you have enough volunteers to merit doing so. The NAA has a constitution and by laws that should be reviewed by each chapter and to which the guidelines for chapters and officers should be adhered.

Support Provided by the NAA Staff:

#1 - Design, print and mail, at no charge to your chapter, a maximum of four invitations or other mailings per year.

#2 - Meeting supplies can be sent to your chapter for events. These supplies include"A" nametags, Bama lapel pins, sign-in sheets, informational brochures about UA and NAA programs and copies of Alumni Magazine. We can also send at no charge, shakers, balloons and at times other Bama goodies for giveaways.

#3 - Speakers from the University (who are actually employed by UA) are scheduled through the chapter development staff. We have a long list of University representatives willing to visit your chapters if possible. Please contact our staff for this information and requirements for hosting a UA official. We can try and schedule other speakers from outside the University as well or you can do it on your own.

#4 - The chapter development staff plans a chapter leadership workshop each summer and invites all chapter presidents to attend. Hotel rooms (limited number) and set meals are provided. Great opportunity to receive training, understand officer responsibilities and to network with other chapters. Reports from top University administrators are presented on the current state of the University.

#5- Serve as a link between your chapter and other offices on campus.

*If at this time you are interested only in gathering to watch football games with other UA alumni and fans please check the alumni website, alumni.ua.edu and look under chapter, football viewing locations for a possible gathering already set up in your area. We can help you if there is not one already organized.

Hosted by Your Chapter

Football viewing parties. (Popular out of state.)

Social gathering/membership party to get to know each other.

Speaker meeting with someone from campus or other person with ties to the University.

Speaker meeting to provide service to your members.

Supper club.

SEC party.

Picnics geared towards family activity.

Golf outing for fund-raising or just for fun.

Group trip to professional sporting event.

Student send off party for soon to be freshman.

Scholarship/Admissions application workshop.

Scholarship banquet to honor your recipient(s).

Fund-raiser for a scholarship. Could be a dinner, a raffle, a series of luncheons or other activity.

Community service project, blood drive, adopt a mile, local marathon or run/walk, etc.

Sponsor a student to attend the Capstone Summer Honors Programs.

Schedule a Junior Honors Program for your community's high school juniors.

Book club meetings.

Monthly board meetings.

Bus trip to campus for events.

Bus trip/outing to a museum exhibit, a show, etc.

Keep in mind.....Most chapters don't form and become strong, exciting groups overnight. Know that it could take a few years to really see the organized group you envisioned when you called the Alumni Office. Don't get discouraged, some folks need to see results before they are willing to get involved.