Start a Regional Community

The Office of Alumni Relations is frequently asked how alumni can start a regional community in their area. Before starting these steps, please make sure that there isn't an already established alumni community in your area.

STEP 1: CONTACT THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
The Office of Alumni Relations will help you assess the alumni population in your area and guide you through the process of establishing an alumni chapter or community in your region.

To start the process, simply send an email to Jason Heiserman, Senior Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at jheiserman@jhu.edu.

STEP 2: GAUGE INTEREST
To gauge interest, we suggest the following procedures:

• Work with the Office of Alumni Relations to see how many alums are in your area
• Create a professional message that the Office of Alumni Relations can use to announce the new chapter or community in your area
• Work with the Office of Alumni Relations to begin a Facebook Group for your community

STEP 3: PLAN AN ORGANIZING SESSIONThe session may be in-person or over the phone with you, a staff liasion, and other possible volunteers. We suggest that the first session address the following:

• Establish goals for the alumni community
• Determine appropriate leadership positions and responsibilities
• Plan a realistic event calendar
• Brainstorm ideas for event(s)

STEP 4: HOLD YOUR FIRST EVENT
The inaugural event for a regional community can take any number of forms, but we recommend a casual social gathering where guests can meet and network with one another. In conjunction with this event, please observe the following:

• Work with your staff liaison to complete the Event Submission Form
• Send all contracts to your staff liaison
• Promote the event to your community through telephone calls, social media, mailing lists, etc.
• Send all sign-in sheets and walk-in registrations to your staff liaison