Yale College Class Officers Toolkit

Class officers serve five-year terms that correspond to your class's reunion cycle. These guidelines outline the typical duties for class officers. In addition, each class may establish specific roles and responsibilities for class officers in its by-laws.

Class Officer Roles & Responsibilities

Secretary:

• Appoint reunion chairs and assist chairs in planning reunion.

• Write class notes six times per year for Yale Alumni Magazine or appoint a corresponding secretary.

Treasurer:

• Manage the class treasury.

• Solicit annual dues from classmates (usually two solicitation letters per year).

• Thank classmates for dues contributions with monthly postcards.

• Approve class financial transactions, including volunteer and officer reimbursements.

Secretary & Treasurer Shared Responsibilities:

• Responsible overall for class activities and communications.

• Engage classmate volunteers in service to the class and the university.

• Recruit classmates to plan class activities between reunions.

• Participate in strategic planning for the class with the alumni association.

• Serve as liaisons between the class and the university.

• Organize of a class council and/or executive committee.

• Attend YAA Assembly and Yale Alumni Fund Convocation in New Haven on the weekend of the last home football game (Harvard or Princeton).

Forming a class council or executive committee is a way to broaden the leadership for the class. Your YAA staff liaison can work with you on finding an approach that works for your class.

Class councils may:

1. Share the work of governing the class and its activities.

2. Provide decision-making input to the class officers.

Every class has a constitution, as required by the university’s tax-exempt status and being recognized as a 501(c)3 organization.

Contact your YAA staff liaison for a copy of your class's constitution and by-laws (if applicable).

There are several mechanisms used by classes to elect new class officers:

1. Conduct class-wide elections by mail/email.

2. Select officers by vote of the class council or executive committee or nominating committee.

Regardless of the method used, new officers are typically announced at the class dinner during reunion and begin their service on July 1 for a five-year term.

For class-wide elections by mail/email:

• Send a "call for nominations" for secretary and treasurer to the entire class. Self-nominations are encouraged.

• Each nominee provides a statement of candidacy (maximum of 150 words). We recommend restricting campaigning to the election statements distributed to the class; in other words, candidates are banned from soliciting votes by any other method.

• Your YAA staff liaison will coordinate in sending an email in the spring to all classmates with a link/code for a single-use ballot. Online elections are recommended. Classmates without email addresses are notified of the election via U.S. mail.

The Online Alumni Directory provides contact information for individual classmates.

• Lists of classmate contact information are available ONLY for class and university purposes. They may not be posted on the Internet without password protection and are not allowed to be stored in the Cloud.

• Information must not be used for purposes of: politics, fundraising, research, or non-Yale publicity.

• Please review the Confidentiality Policy for Volunteers in the Communications Toolkit section.

For more information and to request an electronic spreadsheet, contact your YAA staff liaison. Please plan on 5-7 business days for these requests.

The following policy language regarding conduct at alumni programs and events is provided as part of the YAA’s support for alumni organizations and has been approved by Yale’s Office of General Counsel.

The language can be adopted: (i) as a policy by the alumni group by acclamation or preferably upon motion made, seconded and approved and documented in minutes, or (ii) as an amendment to the group’s governing documents, such as bylaws or constitution.

If your group has a Facebook page or other social media channels, you may wish to review the “About” section of the Yale Alumni Association Facebook page and adopt the language as your group deems appropriate. For more on social media and social media policies, visit the Social Media section of the Communications toolkit.

Yale College Classes

“The Class of [insert year] is committed to promoting and maintaining a strong sense of community among the Class and in support of Yale. This Class and its officers and Class Council are therefore expected to sponsor programs and activities that are inclusive, protect confidential information regarding alumni and students, refrain from engaging in or promoting commercial ventures or political activities, and at all times adhere to Yale’s policies on non-discrimination and harassment.”

Class treasuries have 501(c)3 status under Yale's umbrella and are therefore governed by relevant IRS regulations. Funds are intended to develop a strong and enduring class structure to further the interests, welfare, and educational purposes of the class and of Yale University.

Treasury funds may be used for:

• Class communications, including mailings and websites

• Volunteer reimbursements for expenses related to class business; not all expenses can be reimbursed. Please check with your staff liaison before using personal funds.

• Support for 5-year reunions in New Haven

• Class directory or reunion book publication

• Expenses that benefit most all of the class

• Solicitations other than annual class dues require prior approval from the Office of Development

Contact your YAA staff liaison with further questions.

Treasurers: please go to the Dues Postcards page of the YAA website to send acknowledgement postcards to classmates who have contributed dues.

Providing a cash gift or an in-kind gift of goods or services is eligible to receive a gift acknowledgement for federal income taxes if:

1. Approval is given by the class officers and event organizer.

2. Contribution is made directly to the class treasury with notes indicating what the funds are intended to cover (for accounting purposes).

3. Expenses are covered directly “out of pocket” and receipt documentation is provided to the YAA staff liaison indicating this is for gift acknowledgement, not reimbursement.

NOTE: Classmates who make class donations will not receive university or Reunion gift credit, since the gift is to the class, not to Yale.

Travel expenses for class officers and delegates attending YAA Assembly and Yale Alumni Fund Convocation or other class-related business meetings may be covered by treasury funds.

1. Obtain expense approval from the class secretary or treasurer.

2. Class secretary/treasurer confirms expense to YAA staff liaison.

3. Traveler submits travel-related expense receipts for reimbursement.

4. If the traveler decides not to request reimbursement, travel expenses may be claimed as an income tax deduction and YAA can provide a certificate of attendance for this purpose.

NOTE: Officers and delegates are asked to make a voluntary contribution to help cover the cost of Assembly and Convocation. If your class chooses to cover this contribution, the delegate should not pay out of pocket. YAA will make an internal funds transfer in the amount you designate instead. 

Balance reports are automatically provided once per year in advance of the annual dues solicitation process.

Contact your YAA staff liaison if you would a detailed statement.

Allow one week for processing your request.

Important information to enable classes to satisfy IRS FORM 990 reporting obligations (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax).

To enable classes to satisfy IRS FORM 990 reporting obligations (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax):

• The YAA keeps a list of all officers and individuals with governing authority (covered persons) as reported to them annually by the class officers.

• Each Covered Person shall report to the treasurer as soon as reasonably practicable any of the following conditions or events, if they occur:

  • Family/Business Relationships: A Covered Person has a family relationship (e.g., spouse, child, grandchild, sibling) or a business relationship (e.g., employee/employer, co-directors or co-owners of a business, parties to transactions in amounts exceeding $10,000 not in the ordinary course) with any other Covered Person

  • Business Transactions:

    • A Covered Person or any family member engages in a direct business transaction with the class, or an indirect business transaction through direct or indirect ownership of more than 35% in any entity (individually or collectively with other Covered Persons or their family members), in an amount exceeding $10,000 in the fiscal year

    • A Covered Person or any family member serves as an officer, director, trustee, key employee or partner of an entity, or a shareholder of a professional corporation, doing business with the class in an amount exceeding $10,000 in the fiscal year

  • Compensation: A Covered Person receives total compensation or other payments exceeding $10,000 from the class in the fiscal year; or

  • Grants; Loans: The class provides a Covered Person, a Class donor, a member of a grant-making committee, or any of their family members, or an entity in which such individual has a greater than 35% interest, with a grant or other assistance, or the individual provides or receives a loan.

Example Whistleblower Policy

It is the intent of The Class of ____ of Yale University (the "Class") to adhere to all laws and regulations that apply to the Class, and the underlying purpose of this policy is to support the Class’s goal of legal compliance as well as compliance with its adopted policies. The support of all Class Officers, Executive Committee members, Class Council members, staff and volunteers of the Class ("Class Individuals") is necessary to achieve this goal.

If any Class Individual reasonably believes that some practice or activity of the Class or of any individual associated with the Class is in violation of law or Class policy, such individual should report the suspect practice or activity to the Secretary or, if the concern is with regard to the Secretary, the Treasurer.

The Class will not retaliate against any Class Individual who, in good faith, raises a complaint pursuant to the foregoing, or who provides information to a law enforcement officer relating to the commission or possible commission of any violation of law.

The Yale Alumni Association will post a copy of this policy on its website as well as contact information so that each Class Individual has an opportunity to ask questions about this policy.

The secretary is responsible for setting standards for document.

Records retention and disposition schedules for the class apply to records of all formats, paper and electronic.

There is no requirement to create additional documentation, but this is the policy for existing documents.

Yale University carries a special liability insurance policy that automatically covers official events organized by YAA-recognized Yale regional clubs, Yale College classes, and shared interest groups. If an event venue or other organization you’re working with needs to see this policy, you may download a copy from the Enterprise Risk Management section of the Office of the General Counsel’s website.