The Nutshell - News for Alumni Group Leaders
The Nutshell
News and resources for Alumni Group Leaders
Welcome
With the fresh momentum of May, thank you for the time, talent and passion you bring to your alumni community. New tools and resources are coming soon to help you connect Buckeyes and achieve your goals. Your impact makes Buckeye spirit thrive. Thank you!
Upcoming opportunities for alumni group leaders
Ohio State Guest Accounts
We’re pleased to announce that Ohio State Guest Accounts will soon be available for select volunteer leaders on each alumni club and society board. These guest accounts will provide access to key osu.edu systems such as Workfront, Teams, BuckeyeLearn and more, helping your group meet its goals more effectively.
To prepare for this rollout, each board must select two volunteer leaders to receive guest account access. These individuals should be the primary contacts for submitting marketing and communication requests and should work closely with your OSUAA liaison. We recommend selecting your President and Communications Chair.
Please note: Even if you already have and actively use an osu.edu email address, you are still required to submit your alumni club or society information. You will soon receive instructions on how to submit the names of the two selected volunteers who should receive guest account access for your alumni club or society.
This information must be submitted by July 1. Clubs or societies that do not submit the required information by this deadline will lose access to additional tools and resources rolling out in the coming months. Please work with your board to determine the appropriate volunteers and be prepared to submit the required information below.
OSUAA opportunities for alumni groups
Secure your game watch location by July 17
Lock in your game watch location by July 17 and score a merch box for your group! The first 50 groups to confirm their location and update their OSUAA game watch page will receive free Buckeye gear.
Special announcement
After 30 years of dedicated service to Ohio State, Craig Little will be retiring on June 5. Throughout the years, Craig has been a supportive, caring and friendly presence for countless volunteers. His commitment to service and his passion for making an impact have left a lasting mark on our Alumni Clubs and Societies. Please join us in congratulating Craig by sharing a message or warm wishes below.
Save the date for Ohio State vs. Texas
Ohio State heads to Austin to face the University of Texas September 11–12. Join the Alumni Club of Austin at our game watch location and cheer on the Buckeyes together!
Away-game tickets are available to Ohio State season ticket holders and are distributed according to priority giving levels and priority points. Find out more information about the recommended tour package. Public ticket sales for this game, if available, will be administered by the host institution, the University of Texas, through SeatGeek. Learn more information online about our Ohio State football tickets.
Pelotonia – join Team Buckeye
Join Team Buckeye Alumni and Friends Peloton as a Challenger or a group of Challengers. Our goal in 2026 is increased participation. Challengers pay no registration fee, set their own fundraising goal ($100 minimum), and we'll support your fundraising efforts. 100% of every participant-raised dollar goes directly to innovative cancer research and clinical care at The The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
Tell us your Buckeye story!
What does being part of your alumni club or society mean to you? Share your favorite memory and the impact your group has had on your community. Your story could be featured in future marketing materials to inspire Buckeyes everywhere! Check out Angie's story!
Student Social Media Intern
Do you know a creative student interested in social media or community engagement? We’re looking for a student intern to help support our alumni clubs and societies across social platforms. The intern will build their portfolio and gain real world experience managing organizational social channels.
Alumni group spotlights - let's celebrate your impact
Have a shoutout for your group or a best practice you'd like to share? Tell us!
Shoutout to the Cincinnati Alumni Club for submitting multiple event listings across April, May and June! This group continues to find creative ways to keep alumni engaged and has done a great job highlighting those opportunities on their events page. Their efforts paid off with their highest-performing email to date, driving 363 clicks to their events page and achieving a 4.44% content click rate. Go Cincy! Kudos to your team for engaging your alumni community and making strong progress in your communications.
Thank you to the 29 alumni clubs and societies that participated in Day of Giving 2026! Together, you raised over $14,000 in support of scholarships and programs, an incredible achievement. The top fundraisers were the Alumni Club of Detroit raising $3,015 and Stadium Scholars Alumni Society raising $6,550. As winners of the Day of Giving Challenge, Detroit and Stadium Scholars will each receive an additional $1,000 matching gift toward their scholarship funds. Three groups reached the $500 challenge: Aviation Alumni Society, Dance Alumni Society, and TBDBITL Alumni Club. From a random drawing, Aviation and TBDBITL were selected to each receive an extra $250 matching gift.
Congratulations and thank you to all who participated. Your impact makes a difference! Watch our congratulatory video.
Standing ovation for the Scarlet and Gay Alumni Society! 112 applicants. 21 scholarships. $55,879 awarded. This is impact in action! Congratulations and thank you for your work.
Group resources
Check out our new social media toolkit featuring best practices, tips and tricks for alumni volunteers.
Get custom merchandise for your alumni group! We’ve partnered with Legends Global, the official custom retail sponsor of Ohio State, to provide access to high‑quality, customizable items featuring your group’s logo.
To get started, please contact your REO, who will guide you through the ordering process and connect you with Legends Global. As part of the pop‑up shop offering, proceeds can also support your group’s fundraising goals.
New imagery is available for your use on social or other marketing materials. This includes photos of campus, the 'Shoe, students, graduation, service events and more. See library.
For questions, contact Kelly Greene.
Reminder: Use the link below to access the marketing request form. This form is your go-to for requesting emails, webpage updates, event pages or postcards.
We’ve also prepared training resources to make the process easy — a short video walkthrough and a PDF guide outlining all available options. If helpful, please share these resources with others in your group.
Submit all post event forms for all events via DocuSign to reach your group's tier status.
A reminder as we head into the second half of the fiscal year: remember to send your group's updated board roster to your OSUAA liaison.
Is there a member of your group who deserves recognition for making a positive impact in your community? We’d love to hear their story and may feature it in next month’s Nutshell to spotlight your group!
Tell us what news or resources would be valuable to support your group. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
Scholarship success
The Franklin County Alumni Club has developed a highly successful approach to managing its scholarship program and has generously agreed to share its keys to success.
Planning and recruitment
The Franklin County Club receives more scholarship applications than any other club with 232 this year, following more than 270 last year. Planning begins each fall with volunteer recruitment to review applications. Using the club newsletter, email, and Facebook the club recruited 34 volunteers this year. Scholarship leader Frank Stoy emphasizes proactive communication, clear instructions and regular updates to keep volunteers engaged. The volunteer pool is notably diverse, with many contributing specifically to the scholarship process. Alternates are also identified as needed. Each spring, the board hosts a thank-you lunch, which has proven effective in sustaining participation. Feedback gathered during the lunch helps inform planning for the next year.
Application review process
Volunteers independently read and score applications using their own criteria, such as GPA, family circumstances, involvement, extracurriculars or work experience. No formal scoring rubric is used, and the process has consistently produced strong results. Volunteers have 10 days to review applications and submit their top 10 students. Each application is read by three volunteers. The top seven candidates advance to interviews with four scholarship committee members, resulting in three recommended scholarship recipients.
Student recognition
Recipients are invited to speak at the club’s June membership appreciation celebration. A future option used by other clubs is presenting certificates at recipients’ high school awards assemblies, which also serves as a recruitment tool for future applicants.
Time commitment
The scholarship leader role requires about one hour per month most of the year, increasing to 10–15 hours in February and March. Volunteers spend 4–5 hours reviewing applications during the 10 day period. Committee members assist by coordinating logistics, communications with high schools and recognition events.
Transition plan
The program’s success is supported by a strong transition plan established by former scholarship leader and current president Brad Farmer. Clear processes and shared knowledge help ensure continuity. Frank is available to speak with other presidents or scholarship leaders; contact information is available through emailing Leslie Smith.
Volunteers in action
Highlighting alumni groups around the world! Have a photo you want to submit? Contact Kelly Greene.
