Council of Alumni Marketing and Membership Professionals
HOT TOPICS
By Scott Dahl, Director of Membership & Marketing
Iowa State University Alumni Association
By Andy Washburn, Director of Membership & Marketing
Nebraska Alumni Association
By Joe Rank, Vice President, Membership
University of Illinois Alumni Association
Nebraska Alumni Association
By Joe Rank, Vice President, Membership
University of Illinois Alumni Association
News and views on issues facing our industry.
Scroll down to find archived topics.
Scroll down to find archived topics.
Topics include:
>> Going Green
>> Standardizing Terminology
>>Alumni Association Dues as Tax Deductible Gifts
Posted February 2009:
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN...
We are being asked by our universities and our alumni to do whatever we can to help save the planet, while still performing the same functions at the same level and quality they have come to expect.
So, what can we do to "go green" without breaking our budgets? You might be surprised to see how much you are already doing and how easy it can be to do more. For example, I just discovered that we (the Iowa State University Alumni Association) print pretty much everything except for our alumni magazine and calendar on recycled paper - who knew about this and why haven't we been promoting it??? Our computers and pretty much all of our garbage are also recycled through the university and the city.
As for things that you can still do to improve on a daily basis, the University of Connecticut came up with an excellent guide to help their employees operate in a much greener manner (http://www.ecohusky.uconn.edu/documents/Guidelinesfinalizednewlogo.pdf).
UConn Alumni Association Director of Marketing and Communications, Jodi Kaplan says, "I was Green before it was popular!" (Her maiden name is Green.) She went on to list a few ideas that their university president passed on to all UConn employees.
* Use a coffee mug instead of a paper cup
* Recycle pop (or soda) cans and bottles
* Turn off the lights when you leave the room
* Be aware when you print e-mails (i.e. Do you really need 10 pages of an on-going e-mail or just page 1?)
Even if you don't already have a set of guidelines to follow or think that you may already be doing enough, I encourage you to take 15 minutes during your next staff meeting to brainstorm about additional ways for you to work greener. Your ideas don't need to be unique or life-changing. Some of the best ideas are just common sense. Here are just a few of the ideas that our staff came up with:
* Increased use of e-mail communications (renewals, newsletters, invitations, etc)
* Using giveaways made from recycled materials (and not shrink-wrapped)
* Utilize "green" event venues (or restaurants with "green" kitchens)
* Reduce printing overruns
* Unsubscribe from catalogs that you receive, but really don't read
* Require your caterers to use recycled plates, napkins, and silverware
* Find an alternative to individual containers of bottled water
* Reuse signage whenever possible
See, that was easy.
P.S. I hope you didn't print out this newsletter.
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN...
...Or is it? Traditionally, those of us in the alumni industry have used buzz-words like "engage" or "connect" to refer to what we do. Now, words such as "sustainability" or "greenification" (ok, I made that one up) are creeping into our day-to-day vocabulary.
We are being asked by our universities and our alumni to do whatever we can to help save the planet, while still performing the same functions at the same level and quality they have come to expect.
So, what can we do to "go green" without breaking our budgets? You might be surprised to see how much you are already doing and how easy it can be to do more. For example, I just discovered that we (the Iowa State University Alumni Association) print pretty much everything except for our alumni magazine and calendar on recycled paper - who knew about this and why haven't we been promoting it??? Our computers and pretty much all of our garbage are also recycled through the university and the city.
As for things that you can still do to improve on a daily basis, the University of Connecticut came up with an excellent guide to help their employees operate in a much greener manner (http://www.ecohusky.uconn.edu/documents/Guidelinesfinalizednewlogo.pdf).
UConn Alumni Association Director of Marketing and Communications, Jodi Kaplan says, "I was Green before it was popular!" (Her maiden name is Green.) She went on to list a few ideas that their university president passed on to all UConn employees.
* Use a coffee mug instead of a paper cup
* Recycle pop (or soda) cans and bottles
* Turn off the lights when you leave the room
* Be aware when you print e-mails (i.e. Do you really need 10 pages of an on-going e-mail or just page 1?)
Even if you don't already have a set of guidelines to follow or think that you may already be doing enough, I encourage you to take 15 minutes during your next staff meeting to brainstorm about additional ways for you to work greener. Your ideas don't need to be unique or life-changing. Some of the best ideas are just common sense. Here are just a few of the ideas that our staff came up with:
* Increased use of e-mail communications (renewals, newsletters, invitations, etc)
* Using giveaways made from recycled materials (and not shrink-wrapped)
* Utilize "green" event venues (or restaurants with "green" kitchens)
* Reduce printing overruns
* Unsubscribe from catalogs that you receive, but really don't read
* Require your caterers to use recycled plates, napkins, and silverware
* Find an alternative to individual containers of bottled water
* Reuse signage whenever possible
See, that was easy.
P.S. I hope you didn't print out this newsletter.
Posted August 2008:
Standardizing Terminology
Thanks to all who helped us take these first steps in 2008 . While none of these terms themselves are revolutionary or groundbreaking, they lay the foundation for much harder work to come.
That said, this was a tremendous first step. Anybody in CAMMP who wants to contribute to this ongoing project, pleas feel free to shoot me an e-mail and we'll get you on the list. Our next set of terms will be: Total Mailable Graduates, Total Mailable Households, Friends, Other (Misc.entries in our databases). We have some preliminary work done on these, but would love more input. Once we're feeling good with what we've produced, we'll put in on the listserve for feedback and next steps. Then it is on to membership calculations and whatnot. It's a long process, but these are the baby steps. Enjoy.
CAMMP-Sanctioned Alumni Relations Glossary of Terms:
Alumnus
Anyone that has attended a university, completing some minimum requirement (number of semesters or credit hours), but doesn't necessarily hold a degree. Includes grads as well as non-grads.
Graduate
Any person who has met all the qualifications for graduation and has been presented with at least one academic degree or certificate from the institution or University.
Total Number of Graduates
This is total number of those (by individual, not household) that are alive and fit the definition of
graduates.
* Does NOT include DNGs
* Does NOT include students or student members
* Does NOT include deceased alumni
* Does NOT include friends or other records in your database
* Does NOT include corporations or businesses, only persons
Total Number of Graduate Households
Total number of households that include one or more graduate of the institution
* Does NOT include DNGs
* Does NOT include students or student members
* Does NOT include deceased alumni
* Does NOT include friends or other records in your database
* Does NOT include corporations or businesses, only persons
Posted June 2008:
Alumni Association Dues as Tax
Deductible Gifts - Think Twice!
For those of you who have followed my listserv missives or have heard one of my presentations at CASE, you may be wondering if I've had a sudden change of heart. The answer is an emphatic 'no.' But, if you're heading in this direction, go into it with your eyes wide open.
A long-held myth in the alumni community is that 'dues,' by their very nature, cannot be tax-deductible. That's simply not the case. IRS Publication 526 clearly states, 'Membership fees or dues to qualified organizations are considered charitable donations, and, hence, deductions, the extent that the fees or dues exceed the value of benefits received.'
Herein lies the rub. In an attempt to attract more dues-paying members, most of us have offered an ever-increasing array of tangible benefits, giveaways and discounts as incentives to join, rather than positioning membership as a philanthropic gesture.
Unless you are willing to reposition your membership program as a voluntary donation to support the unique services that your association provides to alumni, students and the institution, rather than a 'buy this product, get these benefits' transaction, you shouldn't be looking to characterize your dues as tax deductible. This is a big decision.
Think about it, though. How many times have you heard the excuse, 'I'm too old (or live too far away) to take advantage of your services?' Or, my favorite, 'I'd rather give to my college or department where I know my gift will benefit the University or help students.'
If you hear these kinds of comments, you know you've been pitching the wrong thing. So, if you want to go the tax-deductible route, think seriously about what you're selling. Scrap the stadium blanket or coffee mug premiums and pare back your discount programs to products and services that are closely related to the educational or service mission of your organization.
The headline above says, 'Think twice.' A second and politically very important issue is how your recharacterization of alumni dues will be perceived by your development colleagues. I guarantee there are some who believe your dues program already competes with annual funds and dues tax-deductibility would further negatively impact their programs. My response to that argument is twofold.
* It is the IRS, not the institution that determines how dues are regarded. Dues are what they are. If your dues and benefits structure satisfy the IRS criteria, they qualify as tax deductions. Your institution's wishes don't trump federal law.
* If, in fact, the membership dues qualify as tax-deductible gifts, would it not be disingenuous, even unethical, if the association or institution withheld that knowledge from the alumnus and taxpayer?
If you are determined to pursue the tax deductible gift route, my advice is to engage the services of qualified legal counsel who has proven expertise in tax matters. Have counsel review your dues and benefits structure vis-à-vis IRS guidelines and issue an opinion letter. Should one of your alumni have his or her tax return audited and the dues deduction questioned, you will be able to show that your association has acted in good faith.
A founding board member of CAMMP, Inc., Joe has served in his
current role at the University of Illinois Alumni Association for 12 years.
Thanks to all who helped us take these first steps in 2008 . While none of these terms themselves are revolutionary or groundbreaking, they lay the foundation for much harder work to come.
That said, this was a tremendous first step. Anybody in CAMMP who wants to contribute to this ongoing project, pleas feel free to shoot me an e-mail and we'll get you on the list. Our next set of terms will be: Total Mailable Graduates, Total Mailable Households, Friends, Other (Misc.entries in our databases). We have some preliminary work done on these, but would love more input. Once we're feeling good with what we've produced, we'll put in on the listserve for feedback and next steps. Then it is on to membership calculations and whatnot. It's a long process, but these are the baby steps. Enjoy.
CAMMP-Sanctioned Alumni Relations Glossary of Terms:
Alumnus
Anyone that has attended a university, completing some minimum requirement (number of semesters or credit hours), but doesn't necessarily hold a degree. Includes grads as well as non-grads.
Graduate
Any person who has met all the qualifications for graduation and has been presented with at least one academic degree or certificate from the institution or University.
Total Number of Graduates
This is total number of those (by individual, not household) that are alive and fit the definition of
graduates.
* Does NOT include DNGs
* Does NOT include students or student members
* Does NOT include deceased alumni
* Does NOT include friends or other records in your database
* Does NOT include corporations or businesses, only persons
Total Number of Graduate Households
Total number of households that include one or more graduate of the institution
* Does NOT include DNGs
* Does NOT include students or student members
* Does NOT include deceased alumni
* Does NOT include friends or other records in your database
* Does NOT include corporations or businesses, only persons
Posted June 2008:
Alumni Association Dues as Tax
Deductible Gifts - Think Twice!
For those of you who have followed my listserv missives or have heard one of my presentations at CASE, you may be wondering if I've had a sudden change of heart. The answer is an emphatic 'no.' But, if you're heading in this direction, go into it with your eyes wide open.
A long-held myth in the alumni community is that 'dues,' by their very nature, cannot be tax-deductible. That's simply not the case. IRS Publication 526 clearly states, 'Membership fees or dues to qualified organizations are considered charitable donations, and, hence, deductions, the extent that the fees or dues exceed the value of benefits received.'
Herein lies the rub. In an attempt to attract more dues-paying members, most of us have offered an ever-increasing array of tangible benefits, giveaways and discounts as incentives to join, rather than positioning membership as a philanthropic gesture.
Unless you are willing to reposition your membership program as a voluntary donation to support the unique services that your association provides to alumni, students and the institution, rather than a 'buy this product, get these benefits' transaction, you shouldn't be looking to characterize your dues as tax deductible. This is a big decision.
Think about it, though. How many times have you heard the excuse, 'I'm too old (or live too far away) to take advantage of your services?' Or, my favorite, 'I'd rather give to my college or department where I know my gift will benefit the University or help students.'
If you hear these kinds of comments, you know you've been pitching the wrong thing. So, if you want to go the tax-deductible route, think seriously about what you're selling. Scrap the stadium blanket or coffee mug premiums and pare back your discount programs to products and services that are closely related to the educational or service mission of your organization.
The headline above says, 'Think twice.' A second and politically very important issue is how your recharacterization of alumni dues will be perceived by your development colleagues. I guarantee there are some who believe your dues program already competes with annual funds and dues tax-deductibility would further negatively impact their programs. My response to that argument is twofold.
* It is the IRS, not the institution that determines how dues are regarded. Dues are what they are. If your dues and benefits structure satisfy the IRS criteria, they qualify as tax deductions. Your institution's wishes don't trump federal law.
* If, in fact, the membership dues qualify as tax-deductible gifts, would it not be disingenuous, even unethical, if the association or institution withheld that knowledge from the alumnus and taxpayer?
If you are determined to pursue the tax deductible gift route, my advice is to engage the services of qualified legal counsel who has proven expertise in tax matters. Have counsel review your dues and benefits structure vis-à-vis IRS guidelines and issue an opinion letter. Should one of your alumni have his or her tax return audited and the dues deduction questioned, you will be able to show that your association has acted in good faith.
A founding board member of CAMMP, Inc., Joe has served in his
current role at the University of Illinois Alumni Association for 12 years.
