Chevening Alumni Association Toolkit

Do you want to build new connections and support your fellow alumni community? Read our Chevening Alumni Association Toolkit for everything you need to know about establishing and managing a Chevening Alumni Association.

By following our guidance, alumni can build vibrant communities that advocate for positive change and promote UK higher education.

Key objectives of an alumni association

 

Build a community for alumni to connect and collaborate. Please note that some associations include alumni from other scholarship programmes.

Work with Chevening Officers to enhance visibility of your alumni association. They’ll also be able to support and advise you.

Offer mentorship for current scholars to support them to make the most of their experiences.

Host diverse events for networking and professional development.

Encourage leadership and advocacy for positive change.

How to co-ordinate an alumni association

Six essential steps:

 

All association leaders may be required to attend annual training and refreshers on data protection, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and safeguarding.

You’ll need a core team of motivated leaders, an interested alumni community (you’ll need a minimum of two members), the contact details of someone at your local UK embassy or high commission, and the Chevening Secretariat UK alumni team.

Establish SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals. It’s worth asking if your local embassy or high commission organise events that you could collaborate on.

Each association should have a governance structure or Charter. This should include any roles of members of the association such as Events Officer, Membership Officer etc. You must share this with all members of your association and with the Chevening alumni team (alumni@chevening.org).

Each association must conduct an AGM to update members about activities and plans. These meetings are for facilitating constructive feedback and involvement from alumni members.

Delivery of a minimum of one engagement activity per year is mandatory, which should align with Chevening’s broader objectives. Associations are expected to communicate all events and activities planned for the upcoming year to your UK embassy or high commission contact, and this will be shared with the Chevening alumni team. Please consider hybrid participation options, and accessibility in venues.

Ideas for events include:

  1. Pre-departure briefing for scholars about to embark on their year in the UK
  2. Welcome home event

Who can join your alumni association?

You’ll need to outline your membership criteria and the membership enrolment process. Your UK embassy or high commission can support with:

  • Defining your membership criteria. We expect alumni associations to adhere to Chevening values of tolerance, equality, and inclusivity,
  • Connecting you with other alumni in your country
  • Raising awareness about your association
  • Advising on whether membership fees are acceptable (please note that typically, associations do not charge fees).

How to promote your association

The Chevening Secretariat will provide you with an alumni association logo, as well as our brand guidelines. You are only permitted to use the logo for promotion of your alumni association, and related events. For any queries about acceptable usage of the Chevening brand or logo, please email communications@chevening.org.

Other top tips:

  • Email updates, social media, and WhatsApp are great tools for member engagement. Please read our social media guidelines before setting up any groups.
  • You’ll be required to provide us with annual updates including any leadership changes, contact details, and a summary of your activities.

Benefits of leading an alumni association

 

Your quarterly newsletter will include exclusive news and opportunities for Chevening alumni.

The conference provides an opportunity to network and learn from other alumni association leaders, and promote your success stories.

You’ll discuss plans for your alumni association at these meetings, and feedback on successes and challenges.

The Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF) provides funding for Chevening alumni with realistic and achievable ideas to enhance Chevening’s impact around the world.

We may inform all alumni association leads about the launch of CAPF before we announce it to the wider alumni community.

Costs and funding

Alumni associations have been established around the world, so funding is limited. However, suggestions for funding include:

  • Consider local sponsorships
  • Talk to your UK embassy or high commission about the Alumni General Fund (AGF). You may also want to ask if you can use their venue for events to help minimise costs.
  • Apply for the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF).

Data protection

Only collect necessary data for member management. Make sure its stored securely and obtain consent before sharing anyone’s data. If you’re communicating with members based in the UK or the EU, you’ll also need to comply with GDPR. Make sure you ask for permission before taking or sharing anyone’s photo.

What we expect from you

All Chevening Alumni Associations are expected to adhere to the Chevening Alumni Charter. Support to an alumni association may be terminated at any time for reasons of unsatisfactory conduct.