Northeastern State edges UCO in alumni association membership challenge

(Tahlequah, Okla.) Following a year of friendly competition to boost membership in their respective alumni associations, Northeastern State University posted a greater percentage increase than the University of Central Oklahoma to win the Presidents Cup Alumni Association Membership Challenge.

NSU received a 38 percent increase in new paid memberships to edge out UCOs 35 percent.

We are delighted that we've won the challenge, said Daniel Johnson, NSU director of alumni services. It was a close race. NSU added 651 new members through a series of efforts. We appealed to alumni through direct mail and e-marketing, Facebook advertising and by personally asking alumni to join whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The alumni associations at NSU and UCO kicked off the membership competition during the NSU-UCO football game at Doc Wadley Stadium on Oct 23, 2010. The competition was started retroactively at the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, 2010 and ran through June 30. The challenge is named for the trophy NSU and UCO compete for each autumn on the gridiron.

With NSUs victory, the UCO Alumni Association will host the NSU alumni board and staff at the NSU-UCO football game Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in Edmond.

We will enjoy a pre-game barbecue in their VIP suite which will be decorated splendidly in green and white for the day, Johnson said. We will have a trophy presentation before the game and enjoy their hospitality for the afternoon.

Citing the assistance of other campus departments, Johnson said the increased Alumni Association membership was just one benefit of the challenge.

This effort sharpened our focus, challenged us to be more creative and forced us to assess and improve our processes, he said. We thank all who helped make this campaign a success, including the alumni board members, the alumni services team, the university relations staff and the communications and marketing department.

Becky Gore, NSU Alumni Association president, said the ultimate goal of activities such as the challenge is to build and maintain long-term relationships between NSU and its alumni.

If alumni have a positive experience through their membership and feel like they have a stronger connection with NSU, then that will be the greatest reward of taking on and winning this challenge, she said.

Johnson said the challenge is part of a multi-year focus on alumni association membership growth.

We want to plan direct and electronic mail campaigns, phone-a-thons, Web site redesigns, benefits enhancements and be fully involved in big events like homecoming, he said. These provide ample opportunity to maintain and increase our membership recruitment momentum.

To join the NSU Alumni Association or for more information, visit the Alumni Association website.