Ucla Black Alumni Association

What Ucla Black Alumni Association does

The UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the only ethnic alumni association at UCLA with its own tax-exempt status, serving African American Bruins — alumni, current undergraduates, graduate/medical students, faculty and staff, parents, and community supporters. Founded with roots tracing to former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and early organizers including Larry Hollifield, Herschel Ramsey, and Winston Doby, UBAA has operated for 40+ years and, since the passage of Proposition 209, has directed more than $10 million in scholarships to over 800 African American/Black students at UCLA. Its core programming encompasses tiered membership products ($20 student through $500 lifetime plus a free 3-year new-grad tier), signature events (the annual Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Gala, Black to Westwood Homecoming, 31st Annual Ski Trip to Mammoth Lakes, and Social Justice Summit), endowed scholarship funds (Winston C. Doby, Berky Nelson, Lacey E. Wyatt Medical), and a branded merchandise e-commerce shop.

UBAA's operating stack is built on the PeopleVine membership management platform, which powers the member portal (member.uclablackalumni.org), event registration, dues processing, and merchandise sales through a single e-commerce storefront. The organization is incorporated in California and operates through a Board of Directors, officer slate, and chapter structure including a dedicated Bay Area Chapter. Revenue is diversified across four streams: recurring membership dues ($20-$500 across tiers), transaction-based event ticket sales ($20-$65 per ticket), merchandise sales ($8-$75 SKUs), and tax-deductible donations including a $1M "1000 for 1000" fundraising campaign. Multi-channel outreach spans LinkedIn (3,200+ member group), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, a content blog, and email newsletters, supported by strategic partnerships with the California Community Foundation (fund administration), David Geffen School of Medicine, Imagine Justice Foundation, Ralph Bunche Center, University Credit Union (co-branded credit card), PeopleVine (technology), the UCLA Alumni Association (formal affiliation), and Bay Area chapter officers for regional distribution.

Name

Ucla Black Alumni Association

Legal name

UCLA Black Alumni Association

Website

https://uclablackalumni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The UCLA Black Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the only ethnic alumni association at UCLA with its own tax-exempt status, serving African American Bruins through tiered memberships, endowed scholarships, signature events, and branded merchandise on the PeopleVine platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues ranging from $20/year (students) to $500/year (lifetime). New graduates receive free membership for first 3 years. Standard annual membership is $50/year.
2. Event Revenue: Ticket sales for events including ski trips, homecoming celebrations, scholarship galas, and various social gatherings. Events range from $20-$65 per ticket.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, jackets, hats), accessories (mugs, water bottles, tote bags), and specialty items (license plate holders, blankets). Products range from $8 to $75.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations to various scholarship funds including the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship, Berky Nelson Scholarship, Lacey Wyatt Scholarship, and general scholarship fund. The 1000 for 1000 campaign aims to raise $1M from 1000 donors at $1000 each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that serves UCLA's Black alumni, current students, faculty, and supporters. Its core offerings include multi-tiered annual and lifetime membership programs, signature community events (scholarship galas, homecoming celebrations, ski trips, social justice summits), an e-commerce merchandise store, and several endowed scholarship funds (Winston C. Doby Legacy, Berky Nelson, Lacey E. Wyatt Medical, and the 1000 for 1000 campaign).

Product overview

The UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) operates as a membership-based alumni organization with a multi-tiered structure. The core offering consists of 10 distinct membership programs (Annual Alumni, Bay Area Chapter, Faculty & Staff, Friends & Supporters, Lifetime, Parents, Recent Alumni, Student, and free New Grad memberships) providing access to networking, events, and community engagement. Supporting revenue streams include an e-commerce merchandise store selling branded apparel and accessories, and multiple scholarship programs funded through donations and fundraising campaigns including the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship, Berky Nelson Scholarship, Lacey E. Wyatt Medical Scholarship, and the 1000 for 1000 campaign. The organization hosts signature events including the annual Legacy Scholarship Gala, Black to Westwood Homecoming, Ski Trip Weekend, and Social Justice Summit. All membership management, event registration, and donations are processed through the PeopleVine platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UBAA Membership Program Multi-tiered membership program offering alumni, student, parent, faculty & staff, friends & supporters, lifetime, and recent alumni membership tiers, providing access to networking events, community programming, and member-only pricing on events and merchandise.
• UBAA Merchandise Store Online store selling branded UBAA merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, pullover jackets), accessories (tote bags, baseball caps, license plate holders), drinkware (thermal mugs, tundra bottles), and specialty items (blankets). Prices range from $8 to $75.
• Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Primary scholarship fund of UBAA supporting African American students at UCLA with scholarships ranging from $1,000 (one-year) to $40,000 (multi-year). Since 2007, over $3.4 million has been raised from more than 500 donors, benefiting over 700 students.
• Berky Nelson Scholarship Fund Endowed scholarship awarded to incoming African American freshmen at UCLA majoring in African-American studies, honoring H.V. 'Berky' Nelson.
• Lacey E. Wyatt, M.D., Legacy Medical Student Scholarship Endowed scholarship supporting incoming African American medical students at UCLA, established in partnership with the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) UCLA/Charles Drew University Chapter and David Geffen School of Medicine. Requires $100,000 to endow and $500,000 to make self-sustaining for four students.
• 1000 for 1000 Scholarship Drive Fundraising campaign aimed at raising $1 million from 1,000 donors contributing $1,000 each to support the Legacy Scholarship Fund for African American students at UCLA.
• UBAA Events and Programs Portfolio of signature community events and programs including the annual Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Gala, Black to Westwood Homecoming Celebration, UBAA Ski Trip Weekend to Mammoth Lakes (31st annual), Holiday Party with Toy Drive, Social Justice Summit, and additional community engagement activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ students have received $10M+ in scholarships since Proposition 209
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University Credit Union (UCU)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 May 2020UCU offers a co-branded Rewards Credit Card for UBAA members with no annual fees and unlimited reward points. UCU promotes UBAA membership through their application process.
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (UCLA and USC Chapters)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 November 2018Co-hosted UCLA-USC rivalry game tailgate event, combining alumni from both universities for community building and game watching.
• Imagine Justice Foundation (Common's Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Strategic partnership born from UBAA's Social Justice Summit. Common's Imagine Justice Foundation co-developed the annual Social Justice Conversation event featuring prominent activists and thought leaders.
• California Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBAA partners with the California Community Foundation to manage scholarship funds including the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship. The foundation handles fund administration and enables single or recurring contributions.
• Student National Medical Association (SNMA) - UCLA/Charles Drew University ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNMA at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine partnered with UBAA to establish The Lacey E. Wyatt, M.D., Legacy Medical Student Scholarship for underrepresented minority medical students.
• Ralph Bunche Center for African American Studies (UCLA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UCLA's Ralph Bunche Center for events like the Blood in the Water book discussion featuring Heather Ann Thompson and CSPAN-covered Social Justice Summit.
• PeopleVinecoreTechnology or IntegrationPeopleVine provides the membership management platform powering UBAA's website including member logins, event registration, merchandise store, and membership renewals.
• UCLA Alumni AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal affiliation with UCLA Alumni Association, utilizing the UCLA Alumni logo and collaborating on events and programming.
• David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DGSOM for the Lacey E. Wyatt Legacy Medical Student Scholarship targeting incoming African American medical students.
• Bay Area Chapter OfficerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chapter structure with dedicated Bay Area officers planning events including basketball games, ski trips, and community gatherings for Black Bruins in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Black MBA Association: A national professional and alumni organization serving Black professionals with scholarships, networking, and career programming. Overlaps with UBAA in its mission to advance Black educational and economic outcomes, but operates nationally and on a much broader scale.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): UNCF is one of the largest minority scholarship organizations in the U.S., raising and distributing scholarship funds to Black students. Comparable to UBAA's scholarship-fundraising function but at far greater scale and serving HBCUs and other institutions nationally.
• UCLA Alumni Association: The official, university-wide UCLA alumni association with which UBAA maintains formal affiliation. UBAA partners with this entity on programming and utilizes its logo; it is a much larger incumbent offering overlapping membership and event benefits but without UBAA's ethnic-affinity focus.
• NAACP: A national civil rights organization that operates significant scholarship programs for African American students. Overlaps with UBAA in addressing educational access barriers for Black students, but at a national scale and through advocacy rather than alumni engagement.

Direct peers

• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Alumni Extension: NSBE operates dedicated alumni networks and scholarship programs for Black professionals and students, including the NSBE Bruin Alumni Scholarship listed among UBAA's giving pages. Comparable in combining scholarship giving with affinity-based community for a Black professional/student demographic.
• Stanford Black Alumni Association: Stanford's affinity alumni body for Black graduates, students, and supporters. Operates with a similar charter of scholarships, networking, and signature events for an elite California university demographic.
• UC Berkeley Black Alumni Network: A peer affinity-based alumni organization serving Black graduates and students at another University of California campus. Comparable in mission (scholarships, networking, community) and structure to UBAA, with a similar California-based donor and member base.
• USC Black Alumni Association: The USC Black Alumni Association is the most direct peer to UBAA — an ethnic/affinity-based alumni association for Black graduates and students at a major Los Angeles-area research university, offering similar scholarship, networking, and signature event programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlackBruinAlum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UBAABlackBruinAlum
• Facebookfacebook.com/uclablackalumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-black-alumni-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclablackalumni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ucla Black Alumni Association