If you have been involved at IUAA as a volunteer leader in the last year, chances are you’ve heard about our new Chartered Alumni Communities program. We created this program to give chartered communities a clear picture of what success looks like. There are three elements to the program: Charter Requirements, Core Campaigns, and Optional Campaigns. Check out Rachael’s in-depth post from August as a refresher!

The very first Core Campaign just hit the streets! In collaboration with the Marketing and Talent Management departments, we have rolled out our Scholarship Program for chartered communities. In this campaign, we ask you to do one or all of three things: fundraise for a scholarship, recruit students to apply for scholarships, and celebrate the scholarship recipients. We’ve created some fun assets that volunteer leaders can access to help in this process. Want to promote your scholarship on Facebook? We’ve got you covered with content and graphics! Want to send a formal solicitation letter? We have that ready for you, too. We even have an official certificate just waiting for you to fill out and present to your scholarship winner.

Speaking of recipients, the scholarship application is available right now for all students who have been admitted to IU and those who are currently students. To find the application, students need to log in to their One.IU account and type “Scholarships” into the search engine at the top of the page. The scholarship application will then appear and they can easily complete it in just a few minutes! The application due date is March 10, 2018. For all the details on making sure your specific scholarship is ready to go, please visit our IUAA Scholarship website on the volunteer intranet.

I am pretty excited about this campaign for many reasons. As a department, we have a lot to be proud of; last year at this time, this was just an idea on paper. We had to work closely with one another and depend on the strengths of our colleagues to see this idea through to implementation. It was a professionally fulfilling and satisfying process. As an individual, I am pleased this is our first campaign because it is the one that holds the most meaning for me. When I was a young student, I was surprised at Senior Night by a scholarship from my Dad’s union. It was just exactly what I needed to fill in the gaps between financial aid and family help. The scholarships our Alumni Communities provide do the same for many young people each year. Every scholarship awarded is a testament to your generosity and love for your alma mater. Making an Indiana University education accessible to more students is at the heart of supporting IU and one another.

Let’s get started!