Let’s explore how to craft an informative and interesting newsletter to boost alumni giving and engagement that will get them involved and updated
After graduation, it can be difficult to stay in touch with your sorority or fraternity’s alumni as they pursue careers or graduate school. That’s why having an engaging newsletter is critical to alumni engagement. Your newsletter keeps your alumni brothers or sisters in the loop and interested in your chapter with digestible tidbits of information written by current members. It’s a perfect place to highlight upcoming events, show appreciation for alumni volunteers and donors, and link to your donation page.
That being said, your newsletter is only useful if your members are enticed to read it and click through to your resources. Your alumni likely get tens (if not hundreds) of emails daily, so it’s critical to stand out from the crowd so your message gets across. Let’s explore how to craft an informative and interesting newsletter to boost alumni giving and engagement.
No matter your chapter’s focus, there are several fundamental strategies for developing a winning alumni newsletter that you should know. They are:
Also, don’t forget to use your fraternity and sorority management software to collect and store your alumni data securely. Keeping all of your data in one centralized location will help you draft and distribute your newsletters seamlessly. Plus, according to OmegaFi, you can even communicate with alumni through this software, making it a convenient option to deliver your newsletters.
Now that you know the basics of newsletter distribution, let’s discuss how to make an eye-catching deliverable to interest your alumni readers.
While you’ll be updating your alumni about your chapter’s current activities, you should still keep a strong focus on the alumni community itself. For example, you might include an alumni spotlight section highlighting a different brother or sister in each issue. Also, remember to highlight alumni-centric events or fundraisers, whether they’re digital, hybrid, or in-person. If you’re referencing any specific alumni, include their graduating class in their title so your readers can easily identify them.
Everything should be created with your alumni in mind, including the user experience. Your newsletter should be a handy resource for your readers to find any relevant information regarding your chapter. If you’re sending your newsletter over a digital channel, include clearly marked links directly to important pages, such as your donation form or RSVP page.
Part of your newsletter’s appeal is that it’s informationally and visually stimulating. This format will complement your written updates with your graphic design elements. Incorporate all your branded components, such as your color scheme and font, while including photos of your chapter’s members in action. For example, you might include your chapter’s logo on the letterhead of every newsletter so your alumni instantly recognize the organization.
Don’t forget that while your overall branding should remain consistent, you should include new branded elements for upcoming campaigns or events. For instance, you might incorporate holiday-themed graphics into your December newsletter. This will help diversify your visual appearance, keeping your newsletter’s appearance fresh and interesting.
Finally, remember to receive written consent from your photo subjects with a release form to avoid any legal repercussions. Also, avoid using copyrighted images or branded elements that your chapter doesn’t own.
While you should already segment your donors for an extra layer of personalization, focus on personalizing email communications further. Use a mail merge template to input your alumni recipient’s demographic information, such as their name, graduating class, and relationship to your organization. Your alumni will be more likely to take the time to read content that specifically pertains to themselves, so take every opportunity to tailor your content to your alumni.
35% of email users click on emails based on the subject line alone. That’s over one-third of your alumni members that you can immediately engage with. So, leverage this opportunity by optimizing your subject lines. Your subject lines should:
The subject line is meant to entice your readers to click through to your email, so make it as compelling and informative as possible.
Start the drafting process on the right foot by examining your marketing materials that have performed well and model your next alumni newsletter after them. For instance, if your recipients respond better to puns in the subject line, make an effort to incorporate them into your newsletter rollout.
Once you’ve made your first draft, run it by the rest of your management team to catch any errors or spots for improvement. As long as your newsletter is visually attractive, organized, and personalized, you’ll catch your alumni’s attention month after month.
Table of Contents
Subscribe
See how modern advancement teams bring alumni engagement and fundraising together.
Alumni are an institution’s most precious asset. However, the reality is that while alumni will often have a sense of belonging to their alma mater, a constant connection is needed to cultivate this relationship. While there are a bunch of ways to achieve this, today, we’re focusing on one of the most effective communication methods employed by schools and universities around the globe – email communication.
While there’s a plethora of information on best practices for email marketing, our experience with various schools has helped us understand email best practices specific to alumni.
Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale.
- David Newman
While email communication plays a crucial role in the digital engagement strategy of many institutions, the rate of success for each school may differ greatly. The difference lies in the approach that each school takes. Here’s a list of tested techniques that have brought success to most schools:
To be able to engage alumni via emails, it is pivotal to maintain updated email lists. Over time, alumni contact information is bound to get outdated. For your email campaigns to have higher alumni engagement rates, it is integral that your emails reach the right people, and that’s only possible if you have updated information about your alumni.
Whether you’re a small school or a larger university, there are various ways to keep your alumni database up-to-date. Tap on the banner below to read more about the complete list of all the database update techniques that are typically employed by schools and their relative benefits.
While creating an email, it is important to be able to evaluate what alumni would value. Sticking to a template might look like the easiest route, but schools have witnessed greater success with personalized email campaigns. One way of personalizing your emails is by segmenting alumni based on gender, class year, and other relevant criteria.
It’s always a good practice to use a real name as opposed to a common name such as ‘Your Alumni Association’ as the sender of your emails. Using a person who your alumni may already be familiar with is ideal. You could even add in a picture and signature of the person at the end of the email to make the email seem more genuine.
Other than the high risk of your alumni email landing in spam, adding multiple links often comes at the expense of having an unfocused message, severely impacting your click-through rates. Sticking to a clear call-to-action button is the best practice.
Mercy High School, Burlingame does an amazing job at targeting its alumni with emails that have a clear call-to-action.
While we discussed how personalized email campaigns can help boost alumni engagement rates, monthly alumni newsletters and weekly updates have also proven to be highly effective. Monthly alumni newsletters and weekly update emails act as a source for alumni to stay updated with all that’s happening at their school and often evoke nostalgia and a sense of pride.
Here’s how Upper St. Clair School District & Taylor’s University keep their alumni engaged with informational monthly newsletter emails.
This is probably the most basic yet the most essential part of creating a successful email campaign. Optimizing your emails so that they appear in your alumni’s inbox at the right time and in the right format is critical to your campaign’s success. Here are some key aspects that should be ensured with respect to email optimization:
1. Ensure that alumni receive your emails during their active hours. If your alumni are in a different time zone, scheduling your emails is highly recommended. Analyzing past email delivery statistics might help in scheduling the timings for your new campaigns.
2. While attaching any images to your email, it is recommended to stick to a maximum file size of 1 MB.
3. Subject lines play an integral part in the success of any email marketing campaign. Including your alumni’s first name within the subject line is a great practice that we’ve seen schools achieve success with. Adhering to shorter, to-the-point subject lines is also highly recommended.
When it comes to engaging subject lines, QuestBridge Academy hands-down wins the game. For its September Bar Night event, the institution reached out to its alumni with a simple, yet highly effective subject line:
Here are some outreach email templates to kickstart your emails:
Subject: Connect & Grow: Your [Institution Name] Network
Dear [Alumni Name],
Hello from [Institution Name]! We hope you're doing well.
Did you know your connection to [Institution Name] offers a powerful way to boost your career? Our alumni network is full of people in many different fields, ready to connect.
We've made it easy for you to use this network:
- Network Platform: [Link to platform] - Join our special online platform to find and connect directly with fellow alumni for advice, opportunities, and shared experiences.
- Virtual Event: [Link to event details] - Sign up for our next online networking event. It's a great chance to meet alumni working in specific areas you're interested in.
- Career Help: [Link to career services page] - Visit our career services page just for alumni. You can find job postings, get tips, and learn about workshops to help you move forward.
Make the most of your [Institution Name] connections today.
Best regards,
The [Institution Name] Alumni Relations Team
Subject: Support [Institution Name]: Help Students Succeed
Dear [Alumni Name],
We're reaching out because you can make a real difference at [Institution Name]. Your time here helped shape your path, and now you can help shape the path of current students.
Supporting [Institution Name] is a direct way to invest in the future. Your contribution, no matter the size, can help provide essential resources:
- Give Now: [Link to donation page] - A financial gift helps fund scholarships for deserving students, support important research, and improve campus facilities.
- Volunteer: [Link to volunteer page] - If you have time to share, consider volunteering. You could mentor a student, help at an event, or offer your professional skills.
Every bit of support helps us give students the best possible experience.
Thank you for considering how you can help.
With sincere gratitude,
The [Institution Name] Advancement Team
Subject: Stay Connected to [Institution Name]
Dear [Alumni Name],
Life after graduation takes you to new places, but your connection to [Institution Name] and the people you met here is still important. We love sharing what's happening and hearing about your journey.
Here are a few simple ways to stay part of the [Institution Name] community:
- Read Our Magazine: [Link to magazine] - Check out the latest alumni magazine for campus news, stories about fellow graduates, and updates on upcoming events.
- Follow Us: [Links to social media profiles] - Connect with us on social media for daily updates, photos, and a chance to interact with the wider community online.
- Find a Local Chapter: [Link to chapter list] - Look for an alumni chapter in your area. It's a great way to meet up with other alumni near you for social events and activities.
- Update Info: [Link to update form] - Please take a moment to make sure we have your current contact information so you don't miss out on important news and invitations.
We value your connection. Stay in touch!
Warmly,
The [Institution Name] Alumni Relations Team
Subject: Keep Learning with [Institution Name]
Dear [Alumni Name],
The world keeps changing, and learning new things is key to staying ahead. As a graduate of [Institution Name], you have access to special resources to help you keep learning and growing in your career and personal life.
We offer opportunities designed just for our alumni:
- Online Courses: [Link to course platform/library] - Explore our library of online courses to learn new skills or brush up on topics relevant to your field.
- Webinars/Workshops: [Link to events page] - Attend online sessions led by our faculty or industry experts on a variety of interesting topics.
- Library Access: [Link to library access info] - Access many of the academic databases and publications available through the campus library from wherever you are.
- Mentorship: [Link to mentorship program details] - Whether you want to share your experience or learn from someone further along in their career, our mentorship program connects alumni.
Keep your mind sharp and continue your learning journey with [Institution Name].
Sincerely,
The [Institution Name] Professional Development Team
Subject: Share Your [Institution Name] Story
Dear [Alumni Name],
Your time at [Institution Name] gave you unique experiences and memories. Your positive stories are the best way to show others what makes our institution special and why it's a great place to learn.
We invite you to share your pride and help us tell the [Institution Name] story:
- Share Your Story: [Link to testimonial submission form or social media hashtag] - Tell us about your favorite memories or how [Institution Name] impacted you. We might feature your story!
- Represent Us: [Link to volunteer page] - Volunteer to represent [Institution Name] at college fairs or other events to talk to prospective students about your experience.
- Engage Online: [Links to social media profiles] - Like, share, and comment on our social media posts. This helps our news reach more people.
- Refer a Student: [Link to referral form] - If you know a student who would be a great fit for [Institution Name], encourage them to apply and let us know.
Your voice is important in helping us build a strong future for [Institution Name].
Best regards,
The [Institution Name] Communications & Alumni Relations Team
We hope we’ve given you some new ideas and motivations to make the most out of your email channels. If you’re looking for a tool to streamline your communication efforts, let us know and we’d love to show you how we can help.
6 ways to increase alumni engagement over emails
Find the email best practices to increase alumni engagement for your school, college, or university. Here's the list of techniques for alumni email marketing
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
The journey from being a student to an alumnus is a memorable one. Alumni leave their definitive footprints that fuel the growth of their institution or university. And all the alumni who spend a considerable amount of time and money at their institutions would definitely want to feel valued by it.
Let’s be honest, universities and schools attain an impressive social ranking with the help of alumni to attract students from all around the world. Therefore, it becomes essential for institutions to honor their contribution.
And, it all boils down to one thing: communication.
Choosing a mode of communication is a critical standpoint. And sending out genuinely crafted emails can make you the winner. Email marketing is one of the best ways to engage all your alumni. But blasting them with bulk emails is not the road you want to take, for you will just end up annoying them altogether. Moreover, all your emails might just end up in the spam box.
To give you an insight, a well-crafted personalized email makes alumni feel valued than sending the same email with a general template to your entire alumni base.
So, the question is, how can ensure top-notch alumni email open rates and boost your overall email engagement metrics? Here’s your answer:
You might want to segment your alumni base according to your different target audience. Which translates to segregating your alumni base into different groups and sending out the emails accordingly.
For instance, would you put a 1990 grad who listens to Guns N' Roses and a 2016 grad who listens to Billie Eilish in the same category?
Probably not!
Segmenting your alumni base helps in curating personalized messages according to the target group. It doesn’t matter if you have a small email base, what matters is segmenting it into different groups. It might take some effort in the beginning to sort out the contacts and create separate email lists but the end result will be worth it. And this one-time effort can help you achieve more engagement and open rates.
There are ample email marketing tools that can make this segmentation process a breeze. While many choose to go in for a popular tool like Mailchimp (learn about their new pricing) you can consider other alternatives that provide many refined features at affordable prices.
After picking up the best-in-class email marketing tool, you may make your target lists according to the year, course, subjects, seniority, career/job field, time zone, or more. When you successfully segment your alumni email base, you can work on your key messaging and tone of the content according to the interest level of the target groups.
Pro Tip - Keep updating your alumni email lists at regular intervals
Now let’s hop on to the format of your emails.
I know. It’s super easy to pick a standard newsletter template, change the content, throw in some pictures, and voila! Your email is ready to send.
Please don’t do this. There are high chances for your email to remain unopened or even land up in the spam box.
With a definitive hike in the number of email marketing software, almost all your alumni must be aware of the “standard newsletter template” you are using daily. Even if you spend a good amount of time writing the content of your email, it might get ignored due to the format you used.
A decent email marketing tool comes with a variety of options and pre-made templates to suit your needs. But don’t go for just any tool, rather, do your research, take free trials, consider your budget, and then carefully make a decision.
Speaking from experience, don’t believe the first thing that shows up in your search results. Choosing a newsletter tool that is tailor-made for niches like schools and universities will go a long way.
Change the format and see the wonders!
Pro tip - Keep a clean design with minimal graphics and a uniform font style to make your email look mature.
Crafting personalized emails is an art. And marketers are trying their best to master it. So personalized emails entail three touch-points:
It is recognized as an engaging practice to include the name of the recipient in the subject line. It has a positive effect on the open rate of the email as “Personalized subject lines can increase open rates by 50%” (Source).
While people are accepting this practice, including the sender's name also makes your email more personalized. For instance, include the name, designation, and a picture of the sender to make the email look more authentic. Consider it like an author’s bio.
You have included the name of the recipient in the subject line and sprinkled it here and there. Now what? How could you make it more personalized?
While sending out weekly updates or monthly newsletters is necessary, you may also consider sending birthday wishes, specialized holiday messages, virtual postcards, calendar invitations for alumni events, etc. to add more value and personalization to your email campaigns.
This is a key strategy to follow if you want a significant boost in your email open rate. Your alumni might be all over the world. Then why do you send emails to your entire alumni base at one particular time? Before you say anything, I have come backed by a fact.
To determine top open and click-through rates, research was carried out by sending 21 million messages from US email accounts. The results? If you send messages between 6 am and 12 pm, it would lead to inbox clutter, thereby decreasing the open rates. Following the same, if you want the best results, try sending them out in the early afternoon. (Source)
Pro Tip- Keep a tab on the analytics and messaging style of all your email marketing campaigns and compare them to find the roadblocks.
You have chosen an email marketing tool, segmented your alumni base into target groups, and optimized your subject line, content, and timing. Now it’s time to work on your CTA.
The first insight to master this art is to decide the purpose of the email campaign. If you have that purpose clear, you will easily nail the ‘call to action’ phase. Including a lot of options, buttons, and unnecessary links might lead to a lower engagement rate.
Use this mantra: “One purpose, one action”.
For instance, if your purpose is to get maximum contacts for your alumni base or to create an exclusive alumni community, don’t include multiple CTAs like joining in for an event or a donation drive. Keep it for a separate email campaign.
Moreover, don’t keep a complex CTA format. You don’t want your alumni base to jump from one form to another. Rather, keep it a one-step process. This practice would surely pull up your dipping engagement metric.
Pro Tip - You may include a special “What’s ahead” section with one-line information as to what your next email shall entail improving your engagement metric. (P.s.- This needs a lot of planning)
The goal was to paint a clear picture of what maintaining relationships with alumni through email communication entails. And if you follow these touch-points religiously, then you can definitely see a boost in your open rates and engagement metrics.
This blog is written by Shivani Srivastava. A content marketer by heart, Shivani is passionate about writing anything in the field of the technological landscape. She's written this guest blog for SendX: Email Marketing Software.
How to Improve Alumni Email Open Rates and Engagement
Looking to improve your alumni email marketing campaign? Find the best practices & strategies to boost alumni outreach, email open rates, and alumni engagement.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Social media is a pivotal tool for alumni engagement, especially for young alumni who spend a lot more time on social media platforms than older generations. Engaging young alumni after graduation is crucial to building lifelong relationships. In order to stay connected with these young alumni after graduation, the two must-haves are: an effective alumni social media strategy and high-quality content.
Let’s take a look at some of the best practices for engaging alumni using social media from world-famous educational institutions, and how they use social media posts and content for engagement:
Alumni respect the professors who helped them master new skills and gain valuable knowledge during their formative years. A social media post featuring one of your beloved professors can tap into your alumni’s sense of gratitude and nostalgia, strengthening the sense of belongingness to the institution.
Keeping alumni regularly informed about deceased professors also offers a good opportunity for the former to pay their respects.
One of the ways to engage and motivate your followers is to share inspiring alumni stories. It can be stories related to internships, scientific research, entrepreneurship projects, or other topics that resonate with your audience on social media.
Celebrating the small and big wins of your alumni paves the way for stronger bonds.
If one of your alumni gets recognized for an academic or business front, don’t forget to give a shout-out to this achievement. Show your followers that you are truly proud of people who glorify their alma mater. Genuine appreciation for your alumni's success will make them feel valued and more connected to your institution.
One way to truly create an alumni community is to help them display their skills. Encourage them to create and share the artworks that represent your educational institution. Creative works of your alumni would perfectly complement your social media content strategy and help your alumni feel welcomed.
Remember that you can’t share your alumni’s work without getting their permission and you should always tag the original content creators in your posts.
Hashtags play an essential role in content promotion. If you want to improve the visibility of your social media content and increase reach and alumni engagement, you should add relevant hashtags to each post.
Here are a few basic rules to follow:
- Add three to seven hashtags to each caption or tweet
- Create your own branded hashtags (e.g., #berkeleyforlife, #berkeleyPOV)
- Make sure that all hashtags you are using are relevant to the image and message of your post
If you have already mastered the art of using hashtags, you can start a hashtag to collect a specific type of alumni content.
“Throwback-to-the-good-old-days” posts resonate with graduate students on a deep emotional level. Sharing black-and-white photographs of campus buildings and other old pictures that evoke nostalgia is bound to grab attention and further boost alumni engagement on social media.
Whenever you post a new article in your blog or add a thought-provoking research paper to your publication database, you should share updates on social media with the alumni. Try writing a short caption to intrigue your readers and use a call-to-action to invite them to your website. Here are a few examples of call-to-actions you can use: check the link in the bio, browse this site, or hit the link below.
If you want to engage your alumni, you should provide them with useful information. For instance, you can give tips on how to apply for an internship or how to stay productive while working from home. Also, you can share checklists, guides, templates, or any other helpful alumni-centric content.
Stanford University published a holiday gift guide for book lovers and invited its alumni to check it out. It’s a great example of helpful and relevant content to use on Instagram.
Do you use social media to sell college merchandise? Offer your alumni a special discount, and you will hit two birds with one stone – boost your alumni engagement on social media and increase sales. Numerous institutions have used this approach and seen great results.
People like to share inspirational quotes with their friends, family, and coworkers. Inspirational quotes are a big hit amongst alumni of all ages. Posting daily or weekly inspirational quotes to motivate your audience is a great way to drive alumni engagement on social media. Remember to choose quotes that resonate the most with your alumni.
Today, social media has become the prime platform for alumni engagement and if you’re not leveraging it already, you’re missing out on engagement opportunities. A vast majority of your alumni community is more active on social media than anywhere else, so a strong social media presence should be a part of your alumni engagement strategy. Incorporate these 10 tried and tested strategies to drive higher alumni engagement than ever via social media.
.avif)
10 Best Practices for Engaging Your Alumni on Social Media
Your social media channels are your most accessible way to connect with your alumni. Here are 10 ideas to improve your engagement strategy
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
.svg)
.webp)
.webp)
%20(1).webp)