How to Start a Chapter

• Find Other Badgers. Begin by searching WAA’s online Alumni Directory at uwalumni.com/directory to find out how many alums are in the surrounding area. Call your WAA staff representative if you need more information about accessing the system.
• Initiate Contact. Send e-mails to people to see if anyone is interested in helping out. (We don’t recommend going at this alone — it can quickly become a lot of work.) Again, your WAA staff representative can help you send out a broadcast e-mail. Once you have a handful of people, get them together to decide what type of a kickoff event you want to plan.
• Plan Your Kickoff Event. We suggest you keep your first event simple, inexpensive and, most of all, fun.
• Many chapters have started out with happy hour events, game-watching parties or brat picnics. Happy hours work because you don’t have to pay for the food or drink, and a smaller number of alumni will show up. Brat parties or picnics are a good way to get a bigger crowd (after all, who doesn’t like brats?), but they may require some up-front money.
• At the Kickoff. At this first event, we recommend you have name tags to help people get to know each other, use a registration sheet, and encourage people to wear their red and white. Use some of the suggestions about how to get people involved found elsewhere in this handbook. Bring along a short survey to gauge interest in future events and identify folks who are willing to serve as a chapter leader. WAA can send spirit items, such as red balloons and table tents to create a festive atmosphere.
• What Happens Next? Determine a primary contact person who is readily accessible by phone and e-mail. Forward his or her name, address, phone number and e-mail to WAA. A WAA representative will contact that person and take him or her through a new leader orientation session. If more than one person wants to be a chapter leader, great!

Our staff is ready to help you! Contact a WAA representative if you have questions or are looking for more ideas.

U.S. Chapters-West of the Mississippi
Deb Nelson
Senior Director, U.S. Chapters & Volunteer Training
Toll free: (888) 947-2586
Voice: (608) 262-9651
E-mail: dnelson@waastaff.com

U.S. Chapters-East of the Mississippi
Faustina (Tina) Bohling
Director, Diversity and U.S. Chapters
Toll free: (888) 947-2586
Voice: (608) 263-4508
E-mail: fbohling@waastaff.com

Chapters in Wisconsin
Mike Fahey
Senior Director, State Relations
Toll free: (888) 947-2586
Voice: (608) 263-2645
E-mail: mfahey@waastaff.com

For general assistance, please contact Deb Nelson.