Announcing a class reunion was hard work if you were planning a class reunion before the turn of the millennium. Your only resource for getting the word out was the alumni office, yellow pages, common friends and even relatives.
Announcing the class reunion took months of hard work and required the physical creation and delivery of documents like invitations, registration cards, save the date cards etc.
With the advent of the internet, announcing a class reunion has become much easier.
In this article, we will be going over the following in order to announce the class reunion:
- Via the Alumni Office
- Websites like Classmates.com
- Newspapers, radio, other media
- Facebook group
- Class reunion website
Lets start with the alumni office to see how they can help you spread the word.
Alumni Office
In order to begin, you should notify the college or high school alumni office of your intentions. Ask to be registered as the official reunion planner and request that any questions regarding the reunion be forwarded to you. Make sure to leave contact information, email address, and a mailing address so it is easy for anyone to contact you.
Next, ask the alumni office for a class list. Many schools maintain a list of updated names and addresses for their own alumni purposes. Since you will be organizing a class reunion, they will be happy to share this list with you.
Lastly, ask the college to see if they can post information about your class reunion on their alumni website. Most colleges and high schools have alumni only areas on their website where they post class reunion information. To learn more, read “Why The Alumni Office Is The Best Class Reunion Planning Resource”
Also, most alumni offices send out regular email blasts to update everyone on new happenings on campus. Ask to see if the they can announce the class reunion in the email as well.
A sample to post on the alumni website or in an email to alumni is
“Class Reunion Planning Time!! It has been 20 years for the [Name of High school or College] class of [Year], and we are starting to plan for our class reunion. We are looking for a few volunteers to get the planning started. Please email me at [Enter email address] if you are interested in helping out. We would love to have you on board.
For folks who cannot volunteer but would like to be informed of the latest updates, we have several options. You can send me your email address and I will put you on our list. Or you can visit our class reunion website where you can
- Get updates
- Chat with other class members
- Take polls to help shape the activities and events of the class reunion”
Friends
Chances are that you have already kept in touch with a few members of your graduating class. Make them aware of the class reunion and have them pass the word on. Make it simple for them to share this information by sending them a sample email that they can copy and paste to their own network of friends.
Online Websites
There are several popular websites that help you announce a class reunion. The most popular ones are Classmates.com, Yahoo Class Reunion Announcement Page, Reunionannouncements.com, Classquest.com/Reunions.htm, Alumniclass.com
Announce it in local newspapers, radio
Another way you can spread the word is by making an announcement in the local newspaper. Many of your graduating class may still live in the area and will see a local ad announcing the class reunion. Often, these ads are viewed as public service announcements by the newspaper and are done at no cost.
Lots of local radio stations will also announce your class reunion in their community announcements for free. Make sure to call around and ask.
One of the first things you should do once you get a few volunteers is to start talking about the class reunion on social media websites like Facebook.com. There are close to a billion people with Facebook accounts so there is a good chance that many of your graduating class is already on it. Set up a Facebook group for your class reunion and invite friends from your graduating class to join it. If you want to learn how to create a facebook group for your class reunion along with some sample class reunion groups, click here.
If the alumni office has provided you a class list, then you are in possession of some very valuable information. Use it to send out a mass email that announces the reunion. Make sure you include a request for volunteers and a list of classmates that you have no contact information for.
Sample:
Alumni of [Name of School + Year of Reunion]
Time flew by and we bet you did not realize that our [Enter reunion # – i.e.10th] reunion is around the corner. If you have not heard already, we are in the initial planning phases of the reunion itself and are looking for people who want to be involved in the committee.
In the next few weeks, we will be sending out a save the date email which will finalize our dates, and locations so you can make plans ahead of time. We will also be setting up a class reunion website and will forward you the web address as soon as it is up.
We are trying to reach out to as many people as possible but cannot seem to find a few. Their names are attached in a document in this email. Please let us know if you have contact information for them so we can reach out.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or if you want us to stop contacting you, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Printed materials, brochures, and flyers
While printed materials are great looking and can have a huge impact, we would use them as a last resort. They are not cost effective, and take a lot of resources that you may not readily have.
Local Pin-Up Boards
Sometimes local post offices, libraries or community centers will have a pin-up board where you will have the opportunity to tack a poster of the event. Choose a colored paper that will be noticed and include all of the details.
Television
You may have the option of calling up your local television broadcasting station and posting an ad on the information channel. Sometimes different cities offer a channel devoted to local events and advertisements.
We have listed several ways to announce your class reunion and all of them should be utilized to maximize attendance. By utilizing all the resources above, you will increase the chance of a classmate becoming aware and coming to the class reunion.
What should you read next?
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