Why start an FFA Alumni Chapter?
Why You Should Start an FFA Alumni Chapter?
Your FFA alumni chapter can be a wonderful resource and support for FFA advisors, mentors for FFA members, advocate for agricultural education, identify funding opportunities, help to prepare teams for competition and much more. To learn more about starting your own alumni chapter, visit www.ffa.org/alumni.
How to Start an Alumni Chapter
To get started contact Cara Soukup, Membership Coordinator at mnffaalumni@gmail.com
An overview of how to start your alumni chapter is outlined below:
- Have at least 10 members. The MN FFA Alumni is part of the Alumni Chapter program, which means that local chapters pay a flat fee of $300 submitted to the MN FFA Alumni ($100 to National and $200 to State). Our mailing address is 2355 Fairview Ave. #119; Roseville MN 55113
- Have current bylaws in harmony with the National FFA Alumni Bylaws. (Contact us for suggested bylaws)
- Have a council of elected officers.
- Complete the Application for Chartering/Reactivating. (Contact us for application)
- Submit the completed application for Chartering/Reactivating to the MN FFA Alumni (can be sent to Cara). We will complete the new alumni chapter set up process on FFA.org. After the charter process is completed, you can then go to your Chapter Profile and add/link the Alumni chapter to your local FFA chapter. Once linked, you will receive an Alumni Leader Role for the Alumni chapter. You will have 30 days to submit your initial roster in FFA.org. After your roster has been submitted, you will have 30 days to pay your membership invoice. Once the state receives your payment and submits your roster for national approval, you will then be issued a charter certificate and a scroll and allowed to apply to be a part of National FFA’s 501c3 status.
2021 FFA Alumni Business 101 – slide show deck from 2021 annual conference
Please contact Cara at mnffaalumni@gmail.com and we can walk you through the whole process. Or fill out this questionnaire I Need Help Starting an Alumni Chapter
Benefits of FFA Alumni Membership
Alumni and Supporters fill many roles that support and strengthen agricultural education and the FFA Chapter by coaching CDE (Career Development event) and LDE (Leadership Development Event) teams, serving as ‘experts’ in the classroom, mentoring students in their Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE), and fundraising. Minnesota FFA Alumni Chapters work with their local FFA Advisor and Chapter members to help with fundraising so that students can attend local, region, state and national camps, conferences, conventions, and other member opportunities throughout the year. Scholarships and financial support awarded through Alumni and Supporters help remove barriers to student participation. Recent changes in education funding have directly impacted how local FFA Chapters disperse monies which adversely affects a local chapters’ ability to fund individual students seeking greater opportunities. Tightened school district budgets along with these new regulations make an Affiliated Alumni and Supporters group, as a recognized non-profit, more valuable than ever. Working with the local Agriculture educator and FFA Advisors, Alumni and Supporters can become the financial steward for the FFA Chapter. For more information read the full document from the Department of Education and the MN Dept of Revenue. MN Dept of Education fundraising regulations and MN revenue fundraising sales
Membership in the Minnesota and National FFA Alumni organizations makes is possible for students from your local FFA chapter to qualify for Washington Leadership Conference, State Greenhand Leadership Conference, and State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders scholarships.
Member affiliates are eligible to apply for National FFA Alumni grants and new Minnesota alumni chapter grants. In addition, you are supporting the effort to expand the number of alumni chapters in the state and continue valuable activities such as the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame, the FFA Alumni Association Annual Meeting, state awards programs and the Stop-n-Shop at the State FFA Convention.
Our Vision of the Minnesota FFA Alumni Association is for there to be an Alumni FFA Chapter for every FFA chapter in Minnesota.
Benefits of FFA Lifetime Membership
- Lifetime membership in the National FFA Organization.
- An official life membership card.
- A lifetime subscription to FFA New Horizons magazine.
- Discounts and special offers from National FFA.
- An opportunity to show your support for quality education with an investment.
- Being a part of an international team of more than 8 million other alumni and supporters.
- Regular communications from National FFA that include key tools and resources, FFA stories, and event invitations.
- Fellowship with FFA Alumni and Supporters and FFA members.
- Leadership workshops and networking events at the state, regional, and national levels.
- Access to the FFA Forever Blue Network at ForeverBlueNetwork.org.
- The priceless feeling of making a positive difference in the lives of young people.