Gators are now able to pay it forward with a new UF Alumni Association membership. Gators who are not yet members can receive a $25 one-year membership and extend this opportunity to a fellow Gator.
This membership includes everything the annual membership, which was originally set at $40, does. Alumni and current students can gift this membership anonymously to a student within his or her college or club or a recent graduate.
Gators all over the country have the chance to get involved, said Chris Cupoli, senior director of membership and philanthropy for alumni affairs.
“No matter where you are, when you see another Gator you feel connected to them,” Cupoli said. “It’s an action and a story to tell. It’s a natural way to describe what we do to invest overall in the alumni association.”
Students, staff and alumni can share their stories using the Twitter hashtag #GatorOn. Their stories about why they decided to participate will be shared on the GatorOn Tumblr page.
“We recognize that the UF alumni base is prideful and loves being connected, and we are always looking for ways to strengthen that,” Cupoli said. “This is an opportunity to tap into that immediate connection we have with other Gators.”
Cupoli foresees this campaign being a digital conversation that will be shared among all social media platforms.
According to the UF Alumni Association website, the campaign is a way for Gators to reconnect with UF and help build support for scholarships, research and new facilities on campus.
Alex Povella, a 20-year-old UF anthropology junior, said the association helps keep alumni informed and involved about what is happening around campus.
“We go to school here at the University of Florida for four years, but we still consider ourselves Gators for life,” Povella said.
Povella has previously been a member of the association but said a decrease in price would definitely entice him to renew his membership.
The membership includes a discount on food at local restaurants, deals on hotels, rental car agencies and salons. Members will receive exclusive access and priority entry at a variety of events.
Gators can purchase memberships on the UF Alumni Association website.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/25/2014]
