The school year is starting to wind down to a close, which means soon enough there will be a new batch of young adults joining you as alumni of Chippewa Falls.

This is an exciting time for fresh graduates. The summer after graduating high school is filled with celebrations, goodbyes and “lasts.” It’s understandable for these young alumni to be far more focused on what’s in front of them (be it college, work, internships or service) than what’s behind them. But this is also a great time to get young alumni signed up and plugged in to their alumni associations while they’re still in town and relatively connected to their schools and organizations.

Here are a few things you can do to welcome new alumni and encourage them to join Chippewa Falls Mighty Cardinals Nation.

• Include information in graduation cards: If you’re sending graduation cards to young alumni or attending any graduation parties, you can include information about the organization in the card or envelope. It’s a simple and effective way to get our organization on the young alumni’s radar right off the bat.
  
• Talk about it: If you have young people in your life graduating from high school, chances are they look up to you and have some level of respect for you. If you wear your own alumni status with pride, it will encourage them to do the same. Be an advocate for your organization and share your enthusiasm!
  
• Talk to young people at events: When you attend alumni events and see young alumni there scoping out the organization, be welcoming and positive! It’s easy to stay in the same groups of people you tend to hang out with at these events, but when young alumni show up they should be welcomed warmly with open arms.
  
• Send invitations: Invite young alumni you know to social media pages so they see posts coming directly from us. Personally invite them to events, whether it’s digitally or in person. We don’t like to take an “if we build it, they will come” philosophy--invite them to show them they’re wanted and that this organization has a lot to offer them!
  

We’re very excited to welcome a brand new class to our ranks and hope you will join us in spreading the word to these new graduates!