International Alumni Group Leads

About Sheffield's alumni groups

The University of Sheffield has over 40 independent alumni associations, supported and coordinated by the department of Campaigns & Alumni Relations (CAR). 

Each alumni group shares central aims and objectives but operates independently from the University. The aims and objectives for an alumni group include:

• Providing alumni with regional networking and social events

• Assisting and supporting recent Sheffield graduates who are new to the area

• Supporting the strategic aims of the University. This includes highlighting its commitment to research and education; strengthening its global outlook; promoting outreach; and fostering lifelong connections between the University and its alumni

• Assisting the University with activities that benefit current and/or prospective students

CAR Contacts

Charlotte Cremers, Head of International Alumni Engagement

Evie Hughes, International Alumni Relations Coordinator

Email us

Alumni-organised events

A busy events programme can help strengthen a group’s membership by retaining existing members and attracting new ones. It should be varied in order to appeal to different ages, interests and affiliations. Below we have listed several types of events that your group might wish to organise.

• Academic events, such as a lecture or presentation by a University of Sheffield academic or senior member of staff. We’ll endeavour to let groups know if academics are visiting their area
• Professional networking events aimed at encouraging members to find out more about the careers and experiences of fellow alumni are particularly attractive to recent graduates and younger alumni. They can be formal with a speaker or panel, or informal over a meal or drinks.
• Social gatherings such as drinks parties, dinners, sports events or events around a significant date or holiday.
• Cultural events, such as trips to local museums, gardens, theatres and art galleries followed by a social gathering at a nearby café, restaurant or pub.
• Virtual events may also be appropriate for your country, and may feature a guest speaker or panel discussions.

Key considerations for event planning:

• The aims of the event. 
• The event date, time, venue, and catering requirements.
• Arranging a speaker (if applicable).
• Key roles and responsibilities including the lead organiser and named volunteers.
• How many guests you expect. It is common for events to have a drop-out rate of 50% or more, so it is a good idea to set the guest limit higher than the final number you expect. 
• Working out the cost and ticket price for group members (if applicable). Charging for tickets to an event tends to increase turnout but lower registration numbers. 
• Publicity, marketing and invites.
• How guests will book for the event (Google Forms, partiful.com, etc.) We can help set this up if needed. 
• Additional requirements, such as audio-visual equipment or dietary/access requirements 
• Preparing any badges or guest lists.
• Post-event follow-up (for example, thank you notes to speakers and volunteers).
• Reporting attendance to us as this allows us to track engagement globally. 

It is recommended that you give the alumni office notice of at least two months before your event to ensure adequate time to promote the event via email and social media.

Resources

Group Lead Role description

Click here to open the PDF

Welcome video guidelines

We welcome all new group leads to record a short video to be displayed on our website. These videos serve to welcome new members and show the friendly face of the person leading the group.

Tips for recording the video:

• The video should be around 1 minute long.

• Record yourself somewhere well-lit with a stable, high resolution camera.

• It is best to use landscape orientation (i.e. to fit the screen of a laptop, not a mobile phone).

• Introduce yourself and your aims for the group, as well as benefits of joining (i.e. Stay in touch with fellow alumni; Connect with your university to hear updates and news in weekly posts; Promote yourself and your work, and post any vacancies or opportunities you'd like to share; Tap into networks of recent graduates who are breaking into the job market; Reach out your group members for advice and support)

• Welcome new alumni to the group (keep in mind many of them will not be recent graduates)

• Don't mention the year or current events, as this will quickly become dated

You can see examples on our web pages.

Annual Plan template

Link coming soon. 

Community Guidelines

Click here to open the PDF

Disclaimer

The University relies on alumni groups to consistently act in the best interests of the University as ambassadors and advocates for Sheffield. The University of Sheffield takes no responsibility for any materials published in association with the University of Sheffield alumni networks. The University bears no responsibility for the financing of alumni groups and retains the sole discretion, at all times, to close a group, or cease its affiliation and support of an alumni volunteer and remove them from their leadership role should he or she act in a way that could be construed as prejudicial to the University.

Finances

All alumni groups are independent and therefore expected to be self-financing. You’ll receive support and guidance on how to achieve this. Wherever possible, it is advised to use a venue owned by an alumni association member (such as their office) offered for free or a discounted rate to host private events. You may also wish to charge a participation fee to cover any expenses incurred. At social events hosted in public places, attendees are typically expected to pay for their own admission and/or food and drinks.

Groups are permitted to contract external sponsors who will be given space at an event to promote themselves with a booth or presentation in exchange for a fee or contribution such as covering venue or catering costs. All external sponsors must be approved by the alumni team in advance.

Groups that contract sponsors or charge for tickets may wish to appoint a Treasurer. Their responsibilities should include keeping a basic written record of income and expenditure, together with a balance sheet. It is also advisable to have a bank account in the name of the group. We realise this is not always possible for international groups; we can provide a formal letter on request confirming that they are an officially recognised group if this is required.

University of Sheffield use of brand

The University of Sheffield encourages you to use the alumni branding guidelines when producing marketing and events materials. Please note the University of Sheffield logo, coat of arms icon and the letters 'the University of Sheffield' are the registered trademarks of the University of Sheffield and may not be used or modified without permission.

Eligibility

All committee members must have graduated from or studied at the University of Sheffield

It is expected that committee members will be resident in the named location for at least 9 out of 12 months in a year.

Data protection & confidentiality

Volunteers must understand that the information that they have access to is confidential in nature, and that this data is held by the University of Sheffield for educational, social & charitable purposes only, in accordance with data protection legislation and should not be used for any other purpose without consent. Within the terms of this agreement, they will at all times respect the privacy and security of all data which they have access to within the course of their volunteering for the University of Sheffield, whether in paper, electronic or other forms.

They also agree that they will not, under any circumstances, pass any data to third parties, or comment on or discuss details of such data, except when it may be necessary to do so in order to undertake their voluntary role for the University of Sheffield, and with prior authorisation from the University of Sheffield. They also agree that they will not retain any data of any kind that they have access to during the course of their volunteering for the University of Sheffield.