Extra Credit! Ask Your Alma Mater to Join AAUW

“I wish I had known about AAUW when I was in college.”

We hear this all the time from AAUW members who never knew their alma maters were AAUW members. But even if your college days are behind you, the Huskies, Bulldogs, or Spartans following in your footsteps still have time to take advantage of all that the AAUW community offers. Students can get a free e-student affiliate membership. They can be first in line when they apply for a Campus Action Project grant.

University of Texas, El Paso, students show off their school colors.

You can help make it happen by asking your alma mater to take it to the next level with AAUW membership. Here’s how.

Find out if your alma mater is already a member.

Before you can ask your college or university to join AAUW, you need to make sure your school isn’t already one of our more than 800 college and university members. Head over to our college and university membership directory and see if your school is on the list.

• My alma mater is a member.
  Your school is already on its “A” game. Consider reaching out to say thanks for your alma mater’s membership and commitment to empowering women. And if you know any current undergraduate students, make sure they know about the e-student affiliate membership option.

• My school isn’t on the list!
  Many schools aren’t AAUW members because they don’t know about us, but you can change that. Think about the contacts you have at the school — professors, former advisers, a staff member in the women’s studies department — and then e-mail or call them to ask if they’ve considered AAUW membership.

Follow up.

If you don’t hear back from your contacts, send them a second message reminding them of the benefits of joining AAUW. Send them the link to our college and university membership page, which details all the benefits an institution, its faculty, and its students receive from being a part of AAUW.

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By: Paige Robnett
Core Skills: Motivation and Inspiration, Strategic Relationships
Role: Membership