Volunteer Resources

It is important for a club to plan a variety of events that appeal to a diverse group of alumni in your area. This includes programming for recent grads, families, and more mature alumni through well-rounded activities that promote UI students and scholarship, your local community, networking, and a feeling of being connected to the University of Iowa.

Event Ideas

  • Social
    • Wine tasting
    • IOWA Club night at a local minor league athletic game
    • Bowling night
    • Intramural sports team
    • Pre- and post- concert receptions
    • Outing to a local museum or gallery
    • Family day/night at a local zoo, children’s museum, or pumpkin patch
    • Monthly book club (you might feature reading of Iowa Writers’ Workshop authors)
  • Student Recruitment & Scholarship
    • Summer picnic and student send-off for incoming UI freshmen from your area
    • Golf tournament
    • Trivia night
    • Become an ASIST volunteer
    • 50/50 raffle at a pizza night to raise money for a textbook scholarship for a student from your area
    • Host an ice cream party at a local home or park for UI scholarship recipients from your area
  • Community Service
    • Dress up in black and gold to hand out water at a local marathon or race
    • Create a UI team for Race for the Cure, Relay for Life, bike-a-thon, or St. Jude’s walks
    • Participate as a group to ring the Salvation Army bell and serve food at a local shelter
    • Incorporate a toy, coat, or canned food drive into a happy hour event
    • “Adopt” a local park or stretch of highway
  • Happy Hours/Networking
    • Texas Hold ‘em Tournaments,
    • Invite/feature a prominent UI alum in your area to a Hawkeye Happy Hour
    • Partner with another local university on a joint happy hour and incorporate a service component (canned food drive competition)
    • Invite a UI alum with financial planning expertise to speak at a Hawkeye Happy Hour
    • Host a “lunch and learn” event

How to promote your events

  • E-mail
    The UIAA can send your event notice to alumni in your area. Just send us the details and give us 3 weeks notice.
  • Online event registration
    The UIAA can host your club’s event registration on our website, including credit card payment processing. Please provide at least a 2 week notice for this service request.
  • Web
    The UIAA can post your event information on your club’s website.
  • Postcard
    Twice per year, your club mails a “save the date” postcard to UIAA members in your area. Work with your club leader to have the event included on the postcard. We require a 6-week notice, so working closely with your club leader to plan a calendar of events is especially important.
  • Social networking
    Post the event to your Facebook status or a discussion thread to the UI alumni network group on LinkedIn.
  • Local media outlets
    Submit your events to local radio stations (public service announcement), newspaper, or free weekly entertainment newspaper.

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100 Levitt Center, Iowa City, IA 52242-1797
Phone: 319/335-3294 or Toll Free: 800/469-2586 FAX: 319/335-1079;
Copyright © 2008

Funded by the UI Alumni Association membership, the Quad Cities Area Iowa Club is here to support the academic endeavors of the University of Iowa. Through special events, networking opportunities, and social activities, we seek to engage Iowa alumni in all aspects of the University.