About Academic Ambassadors
After nine years, we are now an aggregation of non-profiteers with some leverage! Click here to see where Academic Ambassadors come from.
Together, we form a co-op of sorts. I'd love it if we communicated with each other more. Please do consider using the Discussion page, or email me with requests, suggestions, critiques, praise, even. Also, if you want a restaurant recommendation, meeting space ideas… our bulletin board may provoke some responses. And, I'll contact members on your behalf who may have some regional insight.
Thanks, as ever, members for your trust and confidence. I look forward to expanding and improving this service. Your assistance will go a long way to helping Academic Ambassadors meet its potential.
Message from the Founder
When I was the Director of Major Gifts at Smith College, I traveled quite a lot and all over the country to meet with alumnae. What I know (and you know) is that there are thousands of us academic travelers and other peripatetic non-profiteers (pros and vols) representing our institutions to outside constituencies. And, we spend real money (millions in the aggregate).
Knowledge of this market has until now escaped the travel industry—that's why we have not been eligible for deep discounts.
Calling from my office with its small (but dedicated) group of traveling staff, I could not lever our travel into discounts beyond the off-the-shelf corporate rate or AAA; we just did not have the numbers that a large company can guarantee. The creation of Academic Ambassadors was born of that frustration.
I hope this service works for you. I am enjoying making contacts in the non-profit world to learn of your interests as I represent us to hotels around the country. For this program to thrive, I need word-of-mouth to spread news of this concept. Then, I will have even greater leverage to request even deeper discounts.
Also, I want this website to be a sort of common for far-flung non-profit travelers. Use the discussion area to ask your colleagues around the country for travel tips (“Where should I take a big donor to dinner in Denver?”), elicit ideas for things to do after hours on the road, learn of job openings… And, of course, contact me with any requests, complaints or recommendations. I look forward to collaborating with you. Bons voyages!
Yours truly,
Adam M. Siegel
President, Academic Ambassadors
