In 2007 the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association moved under the university's umbrella after the alumni members had spent 11 years under the CU Foundation. But there were two major catches. First, the chancellor wanted them to eliminate their membership dues, as he felt they competed with the annual fund. Second, he could only make up the budgetary shortfall caused by the eliminated dues for one to two years. The university's budget was tight and would only get tighter amid the recession. The bottom line is they would have to find ways to boost their revenue stream. In this article, the author discusses how the University of Colorado Boulder replaced alumni association dues with a student fee. "Forever Buffs" is a new model of the alumni experience at CU-Boulder that welcomes all students and alumni into a 270,000-strong family with lifelong benefits and no annual membership dues. In place of dues is a one-time $70 fee all students pay upon matriculation that guarantees them a lifetime of alumni services and programming. Three years after its creation, Forever Buffs has successfully transformed the alumni association and university culture, impacting everything from admissions recruiting and career services to alumni programming.