Affinity FAQs

Who are your current affinity partners?
We currently have partnerships with TD Insurance for home and auto insurance and Manulife for life, health, dental and critical illness insurance.

Why do you have affinity partners?
The Office of Alumni Relations offers a variety of events, programs and services to our alumni and current students (e.g. Alumni Weekend, professional development funding, scholarships). The revenue generated through affinity partnerships allows us to fund these events, programs and services. Without such partnerships, we would be reliant on either annual membership dues from our alumni or University of Alberta funding.

How do these affinity partnerships benefit me as a grad?
Our affinity partners offer direct value to our alumni. You have access to preferred rates on services or exclusive offers that allow you to save money. Additionally, these partnerships help provide funds so that we can offer free or low cost events, programs and services to our alumni.

How are these affinity partners selected?
All affinity partners are selected through a rigorous process involving a public Request for Proposals and evaluation by the Office of Alumni Relations (with support from University of Alberta's Risk Management and Insurance, Procurement and Legal Services), as well as volunteer members of Alumni Council. Partnership contracts are then awarded to the successful vendor.

How do you get money from these affinity partners?
The agreement with each affinity partner varies. Generally, we receive a small percentage of premiums the affinity partner collects for their services. It is through the vast numbers of alumni who use these services that these monies add up.

How many alumni use these affinity partners?
Approximately 50,000 alumni use the services provided by our affinity partners.

Do you give my contact information to these affinity partners?
The Office of Alumni Relations respects your privacy. We oversee the distribution of all affinity program materials or work with a third-party email distributor that has entered into a confidentiality agreement with us. Your personal information remains confidential and is never released directly to any of our affinity partners.

If you prefer not to receive information regarding affinity programs, please email alumrec@ualberta.ca.

Do you know if I am signed up for one of your affinity partner programs?
No, we do not. Just as we protect your privacy by never releasing your contact information directly to our affinity partners, our affinity partners also protect their clients' privacy. They will share aggregate data with us so we do know how many alumni take part in their programs/services, but do not know the specific names of clients.

What if I have other questions, who can I contact?
If you have further questions regarding our affinity partners, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 780-492-3224 or alumni@ualberta.ca.