Suggestions for making contact with classmates to help build attendance

• The goal of any phone or email campaign is to personalize the contact.
  • Phone calls are obviously one-to-one, but for email, it’s important that the message not seem like a generic note sent to a whole group.
  • Show interest in what the classmate is up to even if it is clear they cannot attend the reunion. Make them feel connected to the class and toYale.
  • Be aware of the classmates’ residential college, student interests and alumni affiliations.
• Don’t be afraid to call in the evening or on weekends. Yale Alumni Fund agents do this routinely without negative reactions from classmates. Email contact has the advantage of not interrupting dinner, but can also be deleted easily, so either method has pluses and minuses.
• Know how to navigate the reunion website – www.aya.yale.edu/reunions – and specifically where to find your class’s attendance list. Encourage your classmates to bookmark the website – it will be updated over the course of the year to include online reservations and additional weekend program information.
• Know how a classmate can contact the AYA for information (203/432-2110, weekdays, 8:30am-5pm Eastern or email reunions@yale.edu) and feel free to contact them yourself if you have questions.
• Say right at the beginning that you are not asking for money, but that you hope the classmate will respond positively if and when a call from a class agent comes.
• Know the dates of your reunion.
• Know the general outline of the schedule of the reunion, including date of class dinner, any important faculty or classmate speakers or panels, etc.
• Know the basics about Camp Bulldog if your classmates are likely to need childcare. For detailed questions, refer classmates to the AYA website or Reunion Hotline.
• Talk about all the reasons alumni come back to reunions, including:
  • Memories – the nostalgia factor
  • Friends – making new and renewing old
  • Interest in Yale – the many changes on campus
  • Entertainment – fun for all ages
  • Intellectual re-creation – Friday lectures and Saturday’s Morning at Yale program
  • Personal identity – programs and receptions for affinity groups
• Mention that financial aid may be available (“in case you know someone who may need it”). Financial aid is handled by the AYA staff person working with your class on a completely confidential basis. Details will be available starting in February when official registration begins.
• Keep a log of calls and update your reunion chair regularly.
• For contact information updates (address, phone, email), encourage classmates to contact Alumni Records (203/432-1100, alumni.records@yale.edu) or to update their information online via the Online Alumni Directory (go to www.aya.yale.edu and click on Alumni Directory).