1. Brown University
Black Alumni Reunion
Strategic Overview for
2010 & Beyond
PRESENTATION TO THE BROWN UNIVERSITY
DIVERSITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (DAC)
OCTOBER 30, 2010

2. Overview
• Reunion Planning Committee Members
• Themes
• Goals and Objectives
• Results
• Recommendations
• Strategic Plan
• Prior to Reunion
• During Reunion
• After Reunion
• Lessons Learned
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 2

3. Reunion Planning Committee Members
• Tiffani Scott ’98, Committee Chair
• Richard Gray ‘85, President Emeritus, IPC
• Rosetta Hillary ‘73, President, IPC
• Ellen Hunter ‘04, Treasurer, IPC
• Donna Lambert ‘98, Communications Chair, IPC
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 3

4. Themes
• Community Building
• Re-engagement
• Networking
• Volunteerism
• Charitable donations
• Raise Awareness of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council
(IPC)
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 4

5. Goals and Objectives
• Connect alumni and students across classes and
decades, organize the largest gathering of black alumni in
Brown University’s history
• Demonstrate vastness of alumni network to current
students
• Increase percentage of black alumni who donate
• Increase alumni engagement with the University
• Increase volunteerism
• Build partnerships with faculty and student groups
• Raise funds for the IPC Endowed Scholarship through
corporate and individual donations
• Customization of programming to focus on black alumni
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 5

6. Results
• Total of 324 alumni attended from the class of 1948 to
2010
• Alumni gained a renewed relationship with Brown and
each other
• Received $25,000 in corporate sponsorship
• $10,000 from the Aetna Foundation
• $10,000 from the Bridge Foundation (Black Enterprise)
• $5,000 from Black Entertainment Television (BET)
• Received a total of $312,101 in cash donations toward the
IPC Endowed Scholarship Fund (as of December 2010)
• IPC forged partnerships with Alumni Relations,
Development, Africana Studies, Third World Center, Black
Student Union, historically black fraternities and sororities
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 6

7. Recommendations
• Schedule a larger Alumni of Color Reunion for 2012, host
a reunion every three years thereafter
• Partner with the Brown University Latino Alumni Council
(BULAC) and Asian American Alumni Association (A4) to
cross-promote to all alumni of color
• Invite faculty to participate several months in advance
• Invite prospective students and their families to attend
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 7

8. Strategic Plan – Prior to Reunion
• Generate buzz by sharing promotional reunion video via
Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
• Allow attendees to pre-register for free to demonstrate
interest
• Invite prominent alumni and faculty to participate on panel
discussions
• Use online survey to gauge interest in suggested reunion
events and to guide planning and programming
• Recruit alumni to promote the reunion to their classmates
via phone, e-mail and Facebook
• Build custom website that provides reunion-related
information (schedule, speakers, confirmed attendees)
• Send periodic e-mail blasts to provide reunion updates
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 8

9. Strategic Plan – During Reunion
• Offer affordable registration fee for recent grads and
children
• Provide attendees with program booklet and souvenir
items with reunion logo (t-shirt, hat, water bottle, tote bag)
• Host a Reunion Welcome Event to set the stage for the
weekend featuring alumni, faculty and students;
slideshow included historical photos
• Schedule a variety of activities including panel
discussions, film screening, awards ceremony and parties
• Provide continuous shuttle transportation to and from
campus
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 9

10. Strategic Plan – After Reunion
• Share promotional reunion video re-cap that includes
highlights of the weekend
• Use video as a vehicle to raise funds for IPC Endowed
Scholarship
• Share reunion photos on Flickr and Facebook
• Request alumni volunteers to sign up for various
programs and initiatives
• Conduct a reunion survey to gauge attendee satisfaction
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 10

11. Lessons Learned
• Announce the confirmed reunion date a year in advance
• Open online registration at least three months prior to the
reunion
• Extend the length of the panel discussions
• Reduce the number of panel discussions
• Schedule the panel discussions in the same building
• Allow more free time in the schedule
Brown University Black Alumni Reunion – Strategic Plan 11