Planning

If you have an idea for an activity we suggest that you find one or two fellow Danida Alumni and develop the proposal together. If a local Danida Alumni Network (DAN) has already been established in your country please contact the network committee in order to ensure that your activity timeline is aligned and coordinated with other local alumni efforts. 

You can find the list of local Danida/Denmark alumni networks here.

If there is no local network in your country, and you would like to take the first steps to establish one please read more here to learn how you can get started.

You can find and reach out to fellow alumni via the DAN Portal, and that way find a group of people who may be able to join forces with you in planning activities. You may also find it useful to share a post in the closed Danida Alumni Network groups on Facebook or LinkedIn as part of engaging others in your area.

Below we have listed three key principles that you should incorporate into your planning early on.

Have a clear goal and know your target group: Consider who your intended target group is and make sure the idea for the activity is clearly articulated. Is it a coffee and cake social activity for all alumni or a professional activity with a specific topic? It is important to clarify the purpose and the format of the activity or event, so that those you want to involve - i.e. both members of the alumni network and any potential partners - can easily identify whether it is relevant to them.

Be realistic: Activities take time and effort to plan and implement, and it is important to always remember that alumni are voluntarily donating their limited personal time to make these activities happen. Thus, stay realistic and plan activities of an appropriate scale and assess early on in the process what resources are required to successfully deliver on your plan.

Include everyone: In larger countries it may be important to accommodate a geographic spread of activities, as part of engaging those members, who cannot easily travel to the capital. 

Remember that not all network members have studied in Denmark, as some alumni have attended Danida courses in their own country. This should be taken into consideration when planning events, as part of ensuring that all are equally welcomed.