Alumni organizations thrive and survive on “meetings” of all types whether leadership training, board meetings, planning meetings or something else (even social events often have a meeting component.) Each time alumni get together in one of these meetings, it is an opportunity to provide a positive experience and to strengthen the connection to the institution – or not. Volunteers want to make sure their time is used efficiently rather than wasted going over the same agenda items repeatedly. To make the most of the meeting experience, we all should follow the suggestions provided by Adam Bryant of @nytcorneroffice in his blog How to Run an Effective Meeting on May 31, 2017:

• Set the Agenda



• Start on time/End on time



• End with an Action Plan

For a volunteer organization, it is particularly important to make sure there is an action plan with identified leadership for each task or project before everyone leaves the room. And having leaders take on projects builds the pipeline of leadership for the organization.

To support your alumni organizations, consider providing meeting guidelines for new leadership to make the most of the time your alumni are spending together on behalf of the institution.