UCLA Retirees Association (UCLARA)
October 2020 Report
Submitted by Sue Abeles, President, UCLA Retirees Association
Membership. In the wake of the pandemic, where in-person events, programs, and interest groups are no longer possible, maintaining our membership has become a major focus. While membership increased 14.6% in FY20, our renewals this year are at about 80%. Our last renewal reminder was sent this past week and we are hopeful that we will get closer to our prior year numbers. This year, for the first time, we offered a free trial membership for a year to all new retirees who retired 7/1/2020 or later. This program will be evaluated and a decision made on whether to continue it beyond this fiscal year during the third quarter of the year. The Membership Marketing Committee has made it a priority to understand the demographics of Association members and to work with UCLA External Affairs to quantify the financial contributions that retirees make to the UCLA campus. A demographic profile of current members was developed utilizing data available to the Association from its membership management system, Wild Apricot. Preliminary financial contribution data has been provided by UCLA External Affairs for UCLARA retirees. Both lifetime giving and data for contributions made in the past four years has been provided. We are now working with External Affairs to get similar data for all UCLA staff and non-academic Senate retirees.
Programs and Events. Our Program Committee has been focusing on developing a schedule of virtual events and programs for FY21. Included among the planned offerings this fall are tours of Los Angeles offered by the LA Conservancy, a travelogue on Barcelona, and our ongoing series of quarterly after-lunch lectures jointly planned with the Emeriti Association now presented virtually.
Interest Groups. Because many of our interest groups require in-person interaction, many have gone on hiatus during the "Stay at Home" order. Our book clubs and play reading group continue to meet virtually, however. The Association is looking into what other activities (e.g., cooking lessons, jewelry classes, etc.) we might offer virtually to replace the interest groups that cannot meet during this time.
Campus and Community Relations. We continue to invite a senior campus administrator to each of our monthly virtual Board meetings and devote a portion of the agenda to discussions with that administrator focused on opportunities for partnerships between the Association and the programs and/or departments for which the administrator has responsibility.
IT Committee. The IT Committee has focused its efforts on further developing our website and increasing our social media presence (i.e., Facebook group page). Our newsletter editor, who formerly managed the UCLA home page, has agreed to be our Webmaster, which will facilitate our efforts to further update and reorganize our website. We have over 100 Facebook users on our Facebook page and are using this as a vehicle to communicate with members and recruit other UCLA retirees to our membership.
Travel Committee. With current travel plans interrupted, we are focusing on keeping our members engaged by providing information about future travel opportunities. One of our members gave a virtual presentation on his trip to Morocco, which was very well received. Later this month, Collette is doing a virtual presentation on a Canadian rail trip that is planned for late 2021.
Advocacy. Advocacy on behalf of UCLARA members continues to be a key area of focus. Throughout the pandemic and "Stay at Home" requirement, we have been reaching out to members and other retirees to help them stay connected to one another. The Board continues to publish its newsletter and, in coordination with the ERRC Director has communicated with retirees via email about services available to them during the pandemic.