Alumni Fellow Election Toolkit

Yale alumni vote each year to elect one new alumni fellow to the Yale Board of Trustees (formally known as the Yale Corporation), the university’s governing board.

Alumni can nominate candidates for alumni fellow year-round using the Alumni Fellow Nomination form. The Alumni Fellow Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting a slate of candidates to stand for election. This committee consists primarily of volunteer alumni leaders, most of whom serve on the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors. Once the slate is chosen and communicated, the general alumni population votes for their preferred candidate, who emerges as that year’s alumni fellow and serves a six-year-term on the Yale Board of Trustees.

The alumni fellow election process is managed by staff designated by the secretary of the university. The process is guided by the university’s Miscellaneous Regulations and the University Charter.

• Alumni Fellow Election website
• About the Election
• Meet the Alumni Fellow Nominating Committee
• About the Yale Board of Trustees

You have questions, we have answers. Visit the links below to learn more about the alumni fellow process and election:

• Yale Alumni Association Help Center: Alumni Fellow Election
• Alumni Fellow Election Website FAQs
• Get out the Vote video (from October 20, 2020; organized and produced by alumni volunteers)

Dear XXX: 

We need your help as a leader in your Yale alumni classes, clubs, associations, or shared interest groups! The week of April 10, the alumni fellow election ballot for the Yale Corporation will be emailed or mailed to alumni.

Traditionally, between 10% and 15% of Yale alumni have voted in the most recent alumni fellow elections. We would love to see much greater participation. The members of the Yale Board of Trustees play a critical role in securing the future of the university for both alumni and current students, ensuring that Yale’s academic and administrative leadership are guided by sound policies and practices and equipped with adequate resources to further Yale’s mission.

As an alumni leader, I invite you to communicate to your classmates and fellow Yalies in three ways over the next two months, using your chosen form of communication:

1. Remind members of your alumni group about the upcoming alumni fellow election. Email, social media, mailed newsletters, or Yale Alumni Magazine class notes are all options. We believe a personal note from you will carry a long way as well. 

2. Check in with your group’s alumni beginning in mid- to late April to make sure they have received their ballots (either paper or electronic). Eligible alumni should start receiving ballots the week of April 10 and have until May 21 to vote.

3. Remind alumni that they can vote until May 21. Alumni will also receive several email reminders from Yale and the YAA in the interim. 

Sample email language, with a link to FAQs, the Alumni Fellow website, and more is provided in this toolkit, in addition to more detailed reasons focusing on why this election is so important.

Thank you for all that you do for Yale. 

Dear XXX: 

I hope all is well with you. 

Just a quick reminder to reach out to your fellow alumni about the upcoming Yale Alumni Fellow election. Please refer them to open the ballot sent, either by mail or by email to your inbox, the week of April 10. 

Thank you for all you do for Yale! 

Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Yale.

Dear XXX: 

There is just one week left to vote in this year’s alumni fellow election. This is your final reminder to reach out to your fellow alumni and encourage them to vote! Please refer them to open the ballot sent the week of April 10. 

Thank you for all that you do for Yale! And be sure to vote!

Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Yale.

Voting is now open for this year’s alumni fellow election. This annual event gives eligible alumni the opportunity to select one of 16 volunteer members of the Yale Board of Trustees and to have a voice in the governance of the university, preserving and extending Yale’s mission for this and future generations.

Look out for a paper ballot in the mail or an email from yalehelp@mg.electionservicescorp.com. Questions? Go to alumni-fellow-election.yale.edu.

Thank you for your participation in this election and in the future of Yale. 

Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Yale.

#YaleAlumni

Voting is now open for this year’s alumni fellow election, offering eligible alums the chance to select 1 of 16 members of the Yale Board of Trustees. Look for a paper ballot in the mail or an email from Election Services Corp.

More: alumni-fellow-election.yale.edu

#YaleAlumni

-and-

Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Yale.

Vote now in this year’s alumni fellow election. Look for your ballot in the mail or your email inbox and do your part to preserve and extend Yale’s mission for this and future generations.

More: alumni-fellow-election.yale.edu

#YaleAlumni