Start an alumni association

Start by creating a working group. It doesn’t need to be large, but it should consist of at least three people and include representatives from different stakeholder spheres, for example, someone from the department or faculty, a couple of students and a couple of alumni, preferably at different stages of life. If there is already a student association connected to the department you can start by looking for engaged students there.

Why do you want to create an alumni association? Spend a bit of time on producing a proposal for the purpose and aims of the alumni association. This should be the working group's main task.

The Alumni Network has alumni associations with various organisational structures, including non-profit organisations, foundations, economic associations and loosely formed networks. The best organisational structure will largely depend on the purpose and aims of the association. Each association chooses its own structure.

More information:

• Different organisational structures in the context of Sweden
• Starting a non-profit association – information from the Swedish Tax Agency

Choose a name that is understandable and easily recognisable for your target group (the alumni you want to reach). The alumni association will be part of a network involving approximately thirty other associations. So your association's name needs to be clear to those who have not completed a study programme at your department or unit, for example, that this association is not for them.

If possible, avoid acronyms or only use commonly accepted acronyms.

It is sufficient for the name of the association to be in one language. However, think carefully about whether to use Swedish or English in communications with the alumni. An English name signals to international alumni that they can expect communications to always be in English.

This step involves adding the association to the Uppsala University Alumni Network. You do this by submitting information about the association to the alumni team. Read more about the details you need to submit.

Use Uppsala University's digital alumni system as your member register. It's free of charge for associations at Uppsala University.

Uppsala University's digital alumni system - a service.

Once the alumni association has been set up, it’s time to recruit members. You have to choose which communication channels to use to reach your target audience.

Methods and tools to communicate with alumni and recruit new members.