Speakers Bureau Program

Program Guidelines

Please keep the following guidelines in mind when requesting a speaker for your club:

Booking a Speaker
• Submit your request online as soon as you know the date(s).

• If time does not permit a written request, call 413-538-2738. Speakers have very full schedules, so please make your request as early as possible.

• Please contact the Alumnae Association, not the speaker, to make your request.

• Check the “Notes” section of the speaker’s listing to make sure the she or he is available during the date(s) you are considering.

• Once a speaker agrees to a specific date, a confirmation will be sent to you and the speaker. All arrangements after the initial contact are made between the club and the speaker. Please remember: it is the club’s responsibility to keep the speaker and the Alumnae Association informed about program plans.

Travel Expenses

• The Alumnae Association will cover travel expenses for speakers booked through the Speakers’ Bureau Program. The club is responsible for meals and accommodations, if necessary.

• When a speaker’s travel time exceeds 1.5 hours one way, clubs should offer to pay for a speaker’s overnight lodging and meal costs. Please confirm all housing and travel arrangements with the speaker well in advance.

• If providing overnight accommodations to a speaker is cost-prohibitive, an alumna home can be offered or the Alumnae Association can offer financial assistance with advance notice. Remember that faculty speakers do not receive honoraria, only reimbursement for expenses.

• There is no minimum attendance required at a Speakers’ Bureau event. Do not hesitate to request a speaker, even if your club is small.

• Consider co-hosting a speaker with a nearby club.

Event Follow-Up

• Speakers’ Bureau participants are generous with their time, so please drop your speaker a thank-you note after the program.

• The Alumnae Association would like to hear reactions to the organized program. Please use the program comment form at the end of this booklet to give us your feedback.

You may have many vocations in your life. But about each, you should ask yourself three things: Does it give you joy? Are you good at it? Does it serve others? — Donal O’Shea, dean of faculty, baccalaureate address, 2001