Class Officer Support & Services

From CACO Leaders and Cornell Offices

The CACO leadership and Cornell staff offer extensive services and resources to make sure you have the support you need to be a successful class officer. Here's an overview:

Web Resources

Our volunteer resource finder is a searchable database of tip sheets, forms, and other helpful documents for all alumni volunteers. You can browse or search for all resources related to CACO or for more specific needs, such as:

• Statistics: Data on class membership and activity to help put your plans in perspective
• Membership: Communications plans for reaching out to classmates, including the Ezra Plan, a total package facilitated by Alumni Affairs Staff
• Reunion tools: Guides for every stage of the planning process

Alumni Affairs: Class Programming

• Overall guidance and support, with an assigned staff contact
• Lists of classmates: sorted alphabetically by region, student activities, actively involved classmates, etc.
• Data about participation, regional distribution of classmates, and Reunion attendance
• List of class officers, address labels, and e-mail addresses
• Class nominations guidelines for Year 5 Reunion classes
• Lists, labels, and post cards for affinity networking
• Ideas for recognition, class projects, and events
• Tips for finding lost classmates, affinity networking, e-communication, and more
• Individualized guidance on leadership challenges

Alumni Affairs: Class Membership

• Solicitation plans and class dues goal setting
• Mailings:template samples, layout, printing, and mailing
• Editing collaboration with other departments, such as the Cornell Annual Fund and Cornell Alumni Magazine
• Production quotes
• Dues processing and automatic renewals
• Statistics: monthly updates, duespayer lists, non-renewal lists
• For assistance, contact Debby Earl at Debra.Earl@cornell.edu or 607-255-7088

Alumni Affairs: Event Planning

• Assistance and guidance for non-Reunion events, such as class birthdays, receptions, picnics, etc.
• Individualized training and individualized support for Reunion-year planning
• For assistance, contact your Class Programs staff representative.

Alumni Affairs: Business Services

• Income and expense reports for class accounts
• Individualized follow-up on accounting transactions and questions
• Officer reimbursement and vendor payments

CACO Leaders

• Experienced leaders offering individualized mentoring
• Sharing of class ideas
• Training sessions during the annual Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference
• Leadership training for new and continuing officers

Cornell Alumni Magazine

• News processing and deadline reminders for class column submissions
• Writing tips
• For assistance, contact Adele Robinette at adr4@cornell.edu

Cornell Annual Fund

• Priorities:The Board of Trustees, president, provost and vice president for alumni affairs and development define university priorities every year. The annual fund can give you key information and published materials you need to decide what you’d like your class to support.

• Consultation: Considering swallowing a goldfish for every pledge your classmates make? Before you take such drastic measures, call us for ideas. We have lots of proven ideas for motivation and organization with Cornell classes. We also have plenty of tips gleaned from professional fundraising organizations and peer institutions.

• Training: What makes a good solicitation call? How can you motivate and inspire your committees? What are the best direct mail strategies? We offer workshops, one-on-one meetings, and conference calls to answer these questions and many morewe offer answers and suggestions for these questions based on our and our volunteers’ experience.

• Research and Analysis: It’s true:We do keep good records. Reports are crucial when you are trying to keep track of milestones. We can give you giving histories from your class, your local area, and even from previous phonathons. We also can give you up-to-date data on your fundraising goals.

• Partnership: As a volunteer, you help us expand the network of friends beyond what we could do alone. You can open doors for us, advise us when things are going well or awry, and voice your passion for Cornell more articulately and personally than we could.

• Personal contact: Each class has a Cornell Annual Fund officer.To contact yours, refer to your Staff and CACO Contact Sheet. Or, you can reach us at 800-279-3099 or cornell_fund@cornell.edu.