The Networks and Volunteers Working Group (NVWG) brings together volunteer representatives from across the Cambridge alumni community to help ensure alumni groups are supported, connected and heard. Acting as a bridge between alumni group volunteers and the University, the NVWG identifies common opportunities and challenges, shares effective practice from across the network, and helps shape the support available to volunteers.
This month, Ali Draycott takes over the role of Chair. We caught up with her to learn more about her plans for the NVWG, her experiences as a volunteer and her connection to Cambridge.
Is there a particular project, theme, or area of support you'd like the NVWG to focus on?
We have a really diverse set of both local and international representatives on the NVWG but we are all aligned on a shared mission: to make it easier and more rewarding to not only lead an alumni group, but be part of one.
Our mission means we need to listen closely to what alumni group volunteers need (through sounding boards and outreach), sharing what works across the network (through alumni group updates), and providing practical tools and support that help volunteers build strong, sustainable communities; there is so much great stuff on the alumni website that we continue to build on.
The Oxford and Cambridge Society UAE celebrating at their May Ball event. Ali is the Deputy Chair of this alumni group.
What do you think is the biggest benefit of having a volunteer-led working group?
With our diverse ages, geographies, experiences and interests, we all bring different perspectives to the table, and as Cambridge University alumni we have that shared interest and investment in the community. The biggest benefit is that NVWG can bring together the experiences of group leaders around the world, identify common challenges, spot good ideas, and feed a strong volunteer voice back into the University and the alumni office.
Why should alumni group leaders engage with NVWG?
In short, the NVWG is there to represent alumni groups. The more people we engage, the better our support can be. We want to hear from alumni groups (and their members) about what’s working, what isn’t, and where the University and the wider alumni network could make it easier (and more enjoyable) for groups to connect and thrive.
Ali's Cambridge Union membership card from her undergraduate days in Cambridge
How has volunteering with Cambridge alumni groups shaped your connection to the University?
For me, and I am sure for many, Cambridge was a unique and formative experience. As a volunteer that connection and feeling has continued to live on. Cambridge is no longer somewhere I simply studied; it has become a global community I continue to engage with, learn from, contribute to and feel part of more than 20 years after graduating. It's also great to see the University from the other side of the fence and, from time to time, get to peek under the bonnet of its operations. Not a perspective I even considered when I was an undergraduate.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new alumni group leader, what would it be?
Don’t try to do everything at once and, if you can, avoid trying to do it all on your own. Build a network of support around you, engage with the tools and best practice provided, use the support of the alumni office and experiment with what works for your community. Remember that people volunteer because they want to connect, contribute and enjoy being part of something. It doesn't need to be perfect or large scale to add value and have meaning.
Ali taking part in interviews as part of her SPARK Incubator programme at Kings College in 2025.
What is your favourite memory of Cambridge?
I have many wonderful memories of my time at Jesus College, but I returned to join the Kings College, SPARK Incubator as an entrepreneur in 2025, 20 or so years after graduating. The experience of being back in Cambridge and learning on-site brought together lots of old memories, as well as creating many new ones. It was the University's first Incubator, open to all alumni, and I wouldn't have found out about it had I not read the alumni newsletter. Further proof that alumni networks hold value in ways we often cannot predict.
Over the next 18 months, the NVWG will focus on strengthening feedback from alumni groups, sharing best practice across the network, and helping volunteers make the most of the tools and resources available to them. The group will also continue conversations on key topics raised by alumni volunteers, including succession planning and engaging younger alumni.
Want to shape support for your alumni group?
The NVWG exists to represent alumni groups and ensure volunteer voices are heard. Whether you'd like to share feedback, discuss a challenge, or highlight something that's working particularly well, we'd love to hear from you.
Looking for your Cambridge alumni community?
Whether you've recently graduated, moved to a new city or simply want to reconnect, there may be an alumni group near you.