Tibco Meeting

• Simple objectives.
• one to make iit world class: demand salaries, benefits, give back etc
• assist alumni in networking. building the network.
• started in mid-90s. there's the same today.
• example: iit aa in bombay, although big concentration, unfortunately cannot get participation.
• because no focus.
• causes don't belong
• want to fix elementary education. huh?
• dedication has to be to be to alumni
• iitb had to bootstrap
• working with distinguished alumni

• fundamental problem.
• no bandwidth in iitbhf core.
• fabulous support, but we need something in the middle.
• umbrella should continue to be there
• need a nationwide executive
• need credibility

• courting/gestation/infant/childhood
• alum services,
• two parts to alum offices
• alum services
• dev activities
• stanf has 200 full time for alum services
• serious business
• create bridges from alum to stanford
• create reunions: 1, 5, 10, 25 in diff cities around the world.
• keep track of alumni as they move around; events etc
• iitb had 10-12 people started with 1975 to 1986 batch;
• no networking,
• just word of mouth
• newsletters started in 1990.
• added IIT jokes, fundas
• had Yogen Dalal... big VC. had him encourage alumni to do startups
• also: started hosting IIT professors.
• learnt funding frozen
• in 20th reunion, at dinner time, 'we need to do something'
• 1996 iitbhf formed.
• in one of the hosted events, they brought in 15 'da's.
• not a formal designation
• experience, not money
• need a broadband term? just need to give 'bhav'
• across all IITs: genuinely good people
• outreach * talk later
• establish chapters everywhere.
• built 9 chapters. fact is, everybody wants to do something
• provided nucleus
• get the gang of 5 (middle tier) and have them build the chapters
• get some people across the country
• need consistency. having worked for 15 years on it helps.
• don't have a bylaw of 'cannot be officer for more than 1 year'
• professional full-time people is how persistence is done in US. we can't...
• leveraged IIT: everytime someone well liked came
• pair them with a DA: who will talk about their success
• 1/3 * 2/3 mix. Nostalgia + listen to DA (the MAGIC formula)
• money: in the first meeting, 3 people pulled out their wallets.
• focus on value. how can you build value
• every contribution to IITBHF goes to IIT
• membership drive failed
• 15 people paid $25
• no annual fee
• did a one-page brochure in '98. small success to talk:
• his batch did $1000 each to hook hostels to internet
• the people who didn't want to pay now paid because they knew it's going to IIT
• success rate in the annual fundraising is 18-20% because of newsletters
• hardcopy
• some DA pay $10K every few years
• fundraising card has options:
• lifelong scholarship. if you contribute $3K, the interest will pay for someone's tuition
• the big thing.
• has an option for contributing to the chapter
• distinction between IIT and Chapter contribution
• other thing that helped: many people contributed large terms. interest on that is very

useful. BHF acts as an agent to see if the funds are controlled.

• annual fundraising mails the annual report
• after 99 or so, just a few people injecting money. rest of it is interest.
• because donor/irs wanna see checks/balances, we can keep the money that is

transferred, and use that interest.

• 2002 hired full time guy working for non-profit.
• this guy produced the annual report
• created a list of products for sponsorship
• institute should do this
• interaction was there. IITBHF took rudy to IITB. all the departments, ask them

what the dream was. could be a set of products

• professional required.
• brochure shown to DA, but is online.
• in 2002, decided we have chapter/email forwarding/database
• married iitbhf 5000 strong db with iit db 25000 strong... without accurate data.
• fairly large db. managed by iitbhf who pays some 'outsourcing' question.
• website here
• periodic feeds from the iitd db
• one place update.
• something else they did.
• want to hook them to the lifelong email address.
• during graduation, find out where they are going
• how to grow the network now? use pan-iit.

• dev services:
• 1998 kanwal rekhi said how much money do you want... got $2 mil
• 1st da meet in chicago. invited 30 successful individuals
• no bidding war, but challenged each other.
• not all showed up
• based on vision. hostels, infra etc. sold those ideas
• about $7-8 of $20-25 showed up
• purely fundraising invite-only event
• NY chapter had a philo disagreement. they thought all alum are same.
• 2 events. maybe same day.
• wherever there's a DA meet, lots of folks show up. 100-200 people
• the DA show up to the public event
• also invite non-US das
• 2000 focus shifted from fundraising to championing causes
• pairing DAs with Deans

• industry collaboration: not that much.
• like big schools have large contracts
• from industry for research/carrying out projects
• make that much bigger. have companies here collaborate with IIT
• needs a change of mindset
• successful schools initiate these activities. usually not from alum
• but in B case it was more an alumni donating

• iitbhf started reunions. 8 months to plan their own reunion.
• what cause to support? funded gymkhana. raised $5mil
• created a list of people to bug.
• get as many people to powai
• have everyone contribute something
• idea: does IITB belong as much in your heart worth one day of your salary?
• over 20 years, one month of salary. can you pledge one month of salary?
• put together CD of old pictures. if you pledge 1 month, you'll get it right now

• reunions: 35th is special; since kids are gone, almost retired. they think about wills etc

• faculty-alumni networking. best thing they did.
• rope in academicians
• 150 strong academic network
• 25 came together, with 25 faculty, invited 25 phd students interested in going back
• made interviews, 8-10 offers right then.
• 25 here shared the best practices
• can't contribute money, but knowledge
• the way IITB did: paid for deans to be here. rest of them were here on conferences etc
• have had 2 meetings.
• they held a conference in bombay where US faculty can bring their colleagues to B
• nanotech workshop
• one of the product is 'faculty development'
• do it in May. good time
• targetting other big issues, for him, recruitement is secondary

• other alum organizations get them early. as they grow, they'll give more
• they have project managers to manage delivery to industry otherwise faculty lose projects

• what do you mean by world class?
• if a F500 wants something done, they don't come to IIT

• first large event: made it free. lots of people came 150-200 people showed up
• had some da. was a draw

• scalability of the organization. leverage the DA network. open it up to 30 people
• talk to IIT to get the middle tier/DA list
• strong research focus will propel IIT
• brand development = networking. who to contact etc

• each time there is a graduating batch, engage the hostel gsec etc

to contact alumni assoc here

• students want to find out more about alumni. they want to help too. free networking.

• mission? make iit world class; help alumni network
• don't dilute it: eg B alumni
• organization?
• commitment from IITD?

• alumni center
• guest house reservations online?

what B can give us

• db & website
• offices
• lessons

• consistent set of 10 people for a couple of years. 5-10 hours a week

Who's where?

• whiteboard with name/place

Coordination with IIT:

• clearinghouse so we know who's coming when/where

Key lessons:

• always pair with DA
• contribution comes out of the pocket
• milestones on dates. khosla's money?

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