Success! Virtual programming testimonials
Sep 1, 2020Club and society Leaders share their thoughts on virtual programming.
“The thought of planning and executing a virtual event was daunting. We decided to try. We held a virtual summer send off. It was fantastic from the start. OSUAA offered to let us conduct the event via Carmen Zoom. The excellent Alumni Staff handled our invitations to Oklahoma Alumni state-wide. We were able to use that link to invite the students and to share with our Oklahoma Buckeye fans and friends. The OSUAA team assisted with a few meetings to discuss approach and event flow. The event went off without a hitch. The beauty of these virtual events is the ability to get state-wide participation especially with only having one club in the state. We are defiantly comfortable with planning other virtual events…OSUAA has our backs.”
Mary Cooley, President, Alumni Club of Oklahoma
“We have really found a silver lining in doing virtual events over the past 5 months. Our pre-COVID programming needed a lot of planning of physical space and the process of engaging. Not to mention, many of the events were based in Central Ohio due to the board being physically here and it’s where the majority of our alumni reside. With virtual events, geography of our community was not a barrier! Anyone in the world could dial in and we were able to really strengthen our reach. We also pivoted how we use funding by mailing giveaways to participants which has been fun for them to receive a package. The AA has been so helpful setting up Carmen Zoom and managing attendance, it truly has been a breeze.”
Tina Provost, President, Cheer and Brutus Alumni Society
“It was a great way to attract new people and easier for them to register and sign on for the event. The staff at the Alumni Association makes executing the virtual aspect a breeze. Overall, it’s an easier event to plan and execute than an in-person event.”
Jason Moore, President, Alumni Club of Orange County
“Zoom is super easy to setup and use and it doesn’t cost participants anything to have a Zoom account. There is also no travel for anyone. Virtual events make it easier for people who work to participate or people who have other restrictions to participate. Alumni who have never been able to attend anything are now attending our virtual events.”
Joyce Wagner, President, Alumni Club of Delaware County
“Zoom has provided a sense of continuity and interactions where it just isn’t safe. Our club is also getting speakers and content that we normally would not be able to have. Zoom enabled us to have a joint meeting with a neighboring club and establish new relationships, that we would not have been able to do because of scheduling and travel difficulties even with just a 30-minute drive. We created a new shared initiative about welcoming new Buckeye students to the campus and just had some great “getting to know you” moments. We have more in common than we realized and that was wonderful. If either of our clubs hit a hurdle, I think we would work jointly together again because of Zoom meetings.”
Cindy Wood, Alumni Club of Richland County
”Zoom has allowed us to connect to alumni nationwide, which would typically be geographically restricted. We are casting a much wider net engaging a whole new segment of alumni. Utilizing the Carmen Zoom is a secure experience that can be recorded to document events that allow members to participate on their own time and is a free service. The Alumni Association helps and can walk you through the technical aspects and logistics. They set up the link and distribute via email. Participants just need to click the link and they can join.”
Kerry Gerich, President, Knowlton School Alumni Society