Two "Types" of Groups for Alumni and Students - Official and Alumni-Created Groups

The Stanford Business School Alumni Association and Stanford Alumni Association provides a number of official groups and clubs, allowing alumni to affiliate by region, diversity, interest/affinity, professionally, and class year.

FIRST - Review the Lists of Official GSB Groups Already Set Up

• GSB Chapter/Regional Groups
• GSB Class Groups- MBA, Sloan, PhD, and SEP
  • GSB Women - MBA Classes 1977 - 2013
• GSB Diversity Groups
• GSB Interest/Affinity Groups

NEXT - Search for Stanford University and Alumni-Created Groups

Log into the Groups home page and search for your proposed group. Remember not to be too specific when searching. For example, if you are looking for the MBA Class of 1996 group, search for just 1996 or MBA%1996. Search Groups

Once you have determined your group doesn't exist by reviewing our lists and doing a group search, you are ready for tab #2 - "Define Your Group."

Group Members Define Whether a Group Needs to Be Official or Alumni-Created

GSB Alumni-Created Groups
Alumni-created groups, for GSB alumni and students only, are quick and easy to set up. No pre-approval is needed from the GSB before you set up your group. Just remember to "Search Groups" to make sure a similar group doesn't already exist.

Note: If you want to include Stanford alumni from outside the GSB, you will need to set up your group from the Stanford Alumni Association Website. Don't forget to "Search Groups" to make sure your group doesn't already exist.

GSB Official Groups

GSB official groups are co-managed by GSB staff and an assigned alum or student. An official group can only be set up by the GSB Alumni Relations staff. The GSB has final approval on the content and programs presented on an official group. For questions or more information about official GSB groups, contact [email protected]

Avoid Prohibited Activities

Review and Understand the Terms of Use
All users of the site, including group administrators and members, are bound by our Terms of Use. Please review them and make special note of Section 4, Rules for Online Conduct, and section 7, Online Alumni Communities.

In addition, groups may not:

• Start or invest in any commercial enterprise.
• Endorse an issue, cause, or candidate.
• Engage in GSB or Stanford-related fundraising. Please contact the GSB Development Office if you wish to establish a group related to Stanford fundraising.

If you have read the Terms of Use and understand the difference between the alumni-created groups and official, and have read the "Terms of Use," you are ready for tab #3 - "Your Role as Group Administrator."

It Is Easy to Manage Your Group - Share the Responsiblity

As Group Administrator, Tell People Who You Are
Make sure your alumni profile is up to date, including your photo and information that reflects who you are today.

Invite GSB Alumni and/or Students to Join
Even if your group is public, alumni and/or students may not know about it until you tell them. Use our advanced search to search under interests/skills, industries, expertise, ethnicity, etc. to find alumni with a possible interest in your group. The GSB Alumni Relations staff may also be able to help - contact us at [email protected].

Start Conversations
On your group discussion board and blog, add topics and comments that group members can chime in on. Encourage others to do the same.

Approve Membership Requests for Semi-Private Groups Promptly
Monitor your group membership request frequently. You can add additional group administrators to help you out.

Blocking Members
Members can only be blocked from the group for violating the Terms of Use or the rules in this guide.

Removing Posts
Alums may flag discussion posts, blog posts, comments, albums, and images as inappropriate. They can only be removed for violating the Terms of Use or the rules in this guide.

Questions? Need Help?
Visit our Alumni-Created Groups: Complete Setup Guide for detailed instructions on how to set up and maintain your group. If you have additional questions, contact us at [email protected]

You understand your role as group administrator and are ready to set up your group under tab #4.

Here Is What You Will Do to Set Up Your Group

Choose Your Group's Name
Select a name that closely reflects the purpose of your group, so that interested alums can find the group easily. If you get an error message saying your name is taken, there is a good chance there is a group that meets your needs. Go to groups and search for it.

To distinguish between alumni-created groups and official Stanford clubs and organizations, we have a few naming rules: If "Stanford" is part of the group name, you must also include the word "Alumni" - as in "Stanford Alumni Quilters." The words "association," "chapter," "club," "fund," "official," "CYA" and "Cardinal Young Alumni" may not be used. We suggest you also include "GSB" in your group name to differentiate from other Stanford University groups.

Note: you cannot change your group's "short name" once saved. This short name will be part of your discussion board's email address: [email protected]. We recommend you include gsb in your short name.

Upload an Image for Your Group's Home Page
Choose an image that represents your group. The Block S, Block S with Tree, Stanford University Seal, Stanford Alumni Association, and Stanford GSB logos are copyrighted and may not be used.

Write a Description of Your Group
Your description must clearly define who can join and the purpose of your group.

Add a Spotlight
Use the Spotlight feature whenever you want to highlight something prominently on the group's main page.

Decide Whether Your Group Should Be Public, Private, or Semi-Private
Under "Group Settings" you must make this decision. You CANNOT CHANGE IT after your group is active and showing to alumni, so please make your selection carefully.

• A GSB public group is open to all GSB alumni/students, and new members join without your involvement.
• A GSB semi-private group requires you or another group administrator to approve each new member. It may be open to all GSB alumni/students or only to those who meet certain objective criteria that you set. You may not exclude alums who meet the criteria. (For example, if you start a group for alumni who attended an GSB study trip, you must allow anyone who attended to join.) Alumni can see contact information and a brief description of each group, but they can't see the rest of the group's web content without joining.
• A GSB private group is by invitation only, from you or another group administrator. Alumni who are not members of the group will not see references to it on the website. A private group can be a good choice for highly personal subjects (e.g., certain medical conditions), but most people who would benefit from it won't know about it, and there may be duplicate groups on the same topic.

Add Features
You have the option to enable any or all group features - photo gallery, documents, polling, blog, or additional web pages for your group under "Group Modules."

Agree to the Terms of Use
Before saving your group as pending or "Make Live" you must check the box indicating you have read the "Terms of Use."

Saving Your Group as Pending or Ready to Launch
You can save your group as pending if you still want to add information and make changes before the group becomes visible to other alums. Select "Create Group" when you're ready to go "live."