STUDENT RELATED INFORMATION
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
| The Georgia Tech Alumni Association was chartered in June 1908 and incorporated in 1947 as a not-for-profit organization with policies, goals and objectives guided by a board of trustees. |
| The mission of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association is to promote and serve our alumni and the Institute. We will continually create relevant and meaningful programs for current and future alumni to foster lifelong participation and philanthropic support. We will communicate the achievements of the Institute, maintain its traditions and engage the campus community. Underlying all that we do is the belief in the value of education, the commitment to integrity and exceptional customer service, and a pledge that we will perform in a fiscally responsible manner. |
| The association’s business can be categorized into four major disciplines: the proactive acquisition and management of information about Tech’s alumni and friends; communication to these constituents; engagement of these supporters and fund raising. These disciplines are at the heart of building value for Tech’s alumni in their relationships with the Institute. The association is currently organized into five departments: Administration, Marketing & Communications; Alumni Outreach; Events & Campus Relations; and Fund Raising & Business Development. |
| Administration is responsible for three major operations at the association: treasury functions, including accounting, purchasing, finance and budgeting; data management operations, including data and gift entry and maintenance of biographical and gift records for all alumni and friends of the Institute; and technical services for the association’s hardware, information services and management of the facilities and other assets. During FY 2011, Administration processed 86,000 changes affecting 58 million fields of data in the database and entered more than 48,000 gifts and pledges. |
| Marketing serves a variety of roles in the association. Through its research arm, it provides data and analytics to shape the association’s strategies and planning. Through its print and electronic marketing campaigns, it delivers the association’s message to constituents and engages alumni, sending over 3.8 million messages during FY 2011. Its web department drives the association’s online presence by fostering alumni networking along with communicating relevant news, profiles, videos, photos and events through the association’s website, as well as social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. This year, the web department recorded 504,144 user sessions at GT Alumni websites and 37,000 users of the association’s social media. |
| The Communications Department produces alumni publications and directs the Living History program, which records the personal memories of certain members of the Georgia Tech family. Alumni Publications produces the bimonthly Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, the primary news link between Georgia Tech and its alumni, with an average print circulation of 77,000. Alumni Publications also produces the association’s primary monthly e-newsletter, BUZZwords, sent to an average of 83,000 subscribers. Publications provides supplemental content through the magazine website, gtalumnimag.com, and provides timely news and updates through its blog and Twitter. The Living History program has produced 839 video interviews with alumni, retired Georgia Tech faculty, staff and friends and is focused on gathering relevant oral histories of Tech’s alumni and supporters. |
| Alumni Outreach focuses on the engagement and involvement of alumni in support of each other and Georgia Tech. Advocacy, philanthropy, career services and student recruiting are strategic focal points. Responsibilities include Alumni Career Services, Alumni Groups, Geographic Alumni Networks and Alumni Travel. For over 80 years, Alumni Career Services has provided job search support for Tech alumni, including job postings and resume database through JacketNet Jobs, career advisement, skill-building workshops and the annual Alumni Career Fair. More than 100 Georgia Tech geographic networks and affinity groups located throughout the United States and abroad provide opportunities for alumni to network professionally, socialize, recruit students, raise funds and perform community service. The Travel Department led over 30 educational group tours to exciting destinations around the world for over 450 Tech alumni and friends. |
| Events & Campus Relations is responsible for engaging alumni, students and the rest of the Tech community in a variety of ways. The Events team planned and executed approximately 75 of the association’s major events and engaged 10,065 members of the Tech community in FY 2011. Events included the George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5k Road Race, Gold & White Honors, Orange Bowl Tailgate and Homecoming among many others. The team partners with other association departments to stage events such as the Burdell-Phoenix Dinner, Alumni Career Fair, association board meetings and student graduation event, Ramblin’ On. The Events team also planned one of Georgia Tech’s most exclusive events, the President’s Dinner, a celebration for Roll Call Leadership Circle donors. |
| The Campus Relations department actively engaged 34,776 members of the campus community and 276,957 members through supportive efforts while focusing on its two primary goals. The first is to collaborate with students and various campus organizations to construct and implement a comprehensive student loyalty program. The foundation of this program is the Student Alumni Association (SAA) which launched on 9/9/10. SAA ended the year with 2056 members/donors, the largest student organization on campus. The second is to understand the needs of our campus counterparts and look for ways that we can help them achieve their respective missions through the resources of our association and alumni. The department is coordinating efforts with specific organizations/departments and educating them about what the association does and how we can partner with them on initiatives such as TEAM Buzz, Commencement, recycling and many others. Finally, Campus Relations has been managing the Student Ambassadors and the GT Student Foundation in addition to launching the Student Alumni Association. |
| The Fundraising/Business Development department is responsible for raising monies through the association’s annual Roll Call and for building external revenue streams to support the association’s ability to run its operations. The Business Development department handles advertising and sponsorships, merchandise and affinity relationships with the Association’s vendors. Partnering companies include Capital One, Georgia Natural Gas, AirTran and Liberty Mutual. |
| Roll Call is the single largest source of predictable, unrestricted funds at Georgia Tech, representing the broadest base of support for the Institute. More than 31,000 donors contributed more than $8.2 million to the 64th annual Roll Call. Research-driven direct marketing, telemarketing and personal solicitations are used to manage a program that leads all public institutions in the percentage of alumni annual giving. Unrestricted funds provide for student scholarships and financial aid, assist the Institute in recruiting and retaining top faculty and support new academic programs. |
| Offices of the Alumni Association are located in the L. W. “Chip” Robert, Jr. Alumni House at 190 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30313. Inquiries may be directed to 404-894-2391 or 1-800-GT ALUMS or Fax 404-894-5113. E-mail: web@gtalumni.org |
Source: Office of the President, Alumni Association
