Cal Alumni Association

What Cal Alumni Association does

Cal Alumni Association (CAA) is the official, self-funded nonprofit alumni association of the University of California, Berkeley, founded in 1872 and operating from 1 Alumni House in Berkeley, California. The organization serves approximately 100,000 active members — all Cal graduates — alongside current UC Berkeley students, providing a portfolio of membership, engagement, scholarship, and lifestyle programs. Its core product is an annual membership granting access to benefits, savings through affinity partners (Bank of America, Peet's Coffee, BMO, AMBA, Pepsi), and a network of 57 chartered alumni chapters across the US and 18 international donor markets.

CAA's product portfolio spans the Alumni Scholarships and Engagement Program (over $2.25M disbursed in 2025-2026 to 240+ scholars, with a cumulative 22,000+ students supported since 1934), the Lair of the Golden Bear residential camp in Pinecrest, Sierra Nevada (10,000 campers in 2025), Cal Discoveries Travel (1,200 travelers on curated international tours), the Graduate Wine Collective recurring wine club, Alumni House venue rentals, California Magazine and The Edge podcast, and the Cal Alumni Mentors program (208 alumni mentors matched to 244 student mentees in 2025). Technology is not a strategic differentiator; operations rely on standard web, mobile ordering via Bears Mobile, podcast distribution, and CRM-grade membership infrastructure.

The business model is multi-stream and nonprofit: recurring annual membership dues, donations from a globally distributed donor base, program fees (camp, travel, wine club, venue rentals), affinity partner royalties, and California Magazine circulation revenue. The go-to-market motion is community-led, with member acquisition and retention driven through chapter events, Summer Welcome Parties for incoming students, mentorship and career services, travel programs, and editorial content (the Cal Connection newsletter, California Magazine, and The Edge podcast). CAA is governed by a Board of Directors led by Board President Dr. Masha Roberts and operated by CEO John Clamme as of 2025.

Name

Cal Alumni Association

Legal name

Cal Alumni Association

Website

https://alumni.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The official nonprofit alumni association of UC Berkeley, serving 100,000 active members and current students with membership benefits, scholarships, mentorship, travel, camp, and a 57-chapter network — funded by dues, donations, program fees, and affinity partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alumni Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni Relations & Alumni Engagement Programs (EDALAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM), Alumni Events, Reunions & Regional Chapters (EDALAOAG), Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD)

Keywords

• Alumni association services
• Membership organization
• Alumni networking programs
• Student scholarship programs
• Nonprofit community engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide core revenue and access to member benefits including savings, discounts, and exclusive events.
2. Donations and Fundraising: CAA is a self-funded nonprofit that relies on donations to provide programs and services supporting students, alumni, and the university. Donors are located in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Norway, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK, and the US.
3. Alumni Scholarships and Engagement Program: Since 1934, CAA has supported more than 22,000 students. During the 2025-2026 academic year, students received more than $2,250,000 in direct financial support.
4. Cal Discoveries Travel: Alumni travel program hosting international excursions including Galapagos, Amalfi Coast, New York theater, Alaska whale watching, and other destinations.
5. Lair of the Golden Bear Camp: Summer camp and year-round accommodations at Pinecrest in the Sierra Nevada, hosting 10,000 campers in 2025 including week-long stays, winter getaways, weddings, retreats, and special events.
6. Graduate Wine Collective: Wine club with three shipments per year featuring wines from Cal alumni-founded, owned, or operated wineries. Proceeds support CAA's alumni and student programs.
7. Alumni House Rentals: Event venue rental at Alumni House including the Toll Room gathering point, with catering services available for weddings, group rentals, and special gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cal Alumni Association (CAA) is a self-funded nonprofit membership organization that connects UC Berkeley graduates to their alma mater through annual membership programs, alumni chapters, scholarships, mentorship, career services, travel programs, summer camps, and editorial content. Its core membership offering unlocks discounts, savings, and exclusive events, while its portfolio extends to student scholarship support, the Lair of the Golden Bear camp, Cal Discoveries Travel, and California Magazine.

Product overview

Cal Alumni Association (CAA) operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs and services centered on alumni engagement, student support, and community building for UC Berkeley graduates. The core membership product provides lifelong access to benefits, savings, and discounts, which is complemented by the Alumni Scholarships and Engagement Program (offering over $2.25M in annual financial support), Cal Discoveries Travel (alumni travel experiences), and California Magazine with The Edge Podcast (editorial content). CAA maintains a network of 57 Alumni Chapters, operates the Lair of the Golden Bear camp in the Sierra Nevada, runs the Cal Alumni Mentors program, and provides access to Alumni House venue rentals. Additional offerings include the Graduate Wine Collective, Summer Welcome Parties, and Career Services, creating a comprehensive ecosystem connecting alumni to each other and to UC Berkeley for life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alumni Scholarships and Engagement Program: Scholarship and student support program supporting UC Berkeley students since 1934
• Cal Discoveries Travel
• Lair of the Golden Bear
• California Magazine
• Cal Alumni Mentors
• Graduate Wine Collective

Products and services

• Alumni Membership Membership program connecting UC Berkeley graduates with lifelong access to alumni benefits, savings, discounts, career services, and community engagement opportunities.
• Alumni Scholarships and Engagement Program Scholarship program supporting UC Berkeley students with direct financial aid, providing TAAP and TLA scholar awards totaling over $2.25 million annually to help students achieve academic goals.
• Cal Discoveries Travel

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000+ students supported since 1934
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AMBAminorOthersAMBA provides insurance products as an affinity partner through CAA membership benefits.
• Peet's CoffeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPeet's Coffee offers discounts and promotions for CAA members as an affinity partner.
• PepsiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPepsi partners with CAA through campus groups and affinity programs.
• BradyPlusminorOthersBradyPlus provides beverage and food service supplies as a partner to CAA.
• My EdPrepminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMy EdPrep partnered with CAA to enhance the Lair of the Golden Bear's College Prep Camp program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Princeton Alumni Association: Princeton's worldwide alumni association with regional clubs, travel (Princeton Journeys), mentorship, and class-based programming paralleling CAA's chapters, mentorship, and travel operations.
• UCLA Alumni Association: Official alumni association for UCLA, the other major UC-system alumni body. Strong structural parallel to CAA as a public-university alumni association with chapters, travel, scholarships, and member benefits.
• Penn Alumni (University of Pennsylvania): Penn's alumni body running clubs, classes, lifelong learning, and signature travel that closely parallels CAA's chapters, scholarships, and travel programs at another leading private university.
• Stanford Alumni Association: Official alumni association of Stanford University with membership, regional chapters, travel, and lifelong-learning programs that closely mirror CAA's program mix at a peer West Coast AAU institution.
• University of Michigan Alumni Association: Large public-university alumni association with 100+ clubs, mentorship, and travel; a useful scale and program-mix benchmark against which to evaluate CAA's chapter and engagement scale.
• Columbia Alumni Association: Operates a comparable global chapter network, regional clubs, online community, and signature programming for Columbia alumni—a direct counterpoint to CAA's chapter-led engagement strategy.
• Harvard Alumni Association: The flagship private-university alumni association, offering analogous membership, chapters, travel, learning, and signature-program portfolios for Harvard graduates. The closest structural analogue to CAA among private universities.
• Dartmouth Alumni Association: Dartmouth's alumni association, known for class-based engagement, reunion programming, and affinity travel—offering an analogous chapter-and-travel-centric alumni engagement model to CAA.
• Yale Alumni Association: Yale's central alumni body running shared-interest networks, classes, reunions, and Yale-specific travel/adventure programs comparable to CAA's chapter, scholarship, and travel offerings.
• MIT Alumni Association: MIT's lifelong-learning and networking alumni body running tech clubs, skillnet communities, education programs, and signature events closely comparable to CAA's mentorship, chapters, and magazine models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CalAlumniAssoc/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalAlumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cal-alumni-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/calalumniassociation
• Xx.com/cal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cal Alumni Association