Alumni are one of an institution’s greatest assets and engaging them isn’t just a matter of maintaining their bond with your institution, but also strengthening it. This is where alumni management software come in to help teams reach out to an ever-increasing alumni population.

Over time, it has developed into its own market with many great choices available. In this blog, we’d like to present you with some of the best options available and what you need to consider so that you can find the best alumni management software for you.

What is an alumni management software?

First things first, let’s understand what you should expect from an alumni management software. It serves as the central hub for all alumni bookkeeping and engagement efforts.

It works with your alumni database and/or CRM to maintain an up-to-date directory of your alumni. With this data, it allows you to segment, analyze, and engage your alumni for all your fundraising, communication, and networking needs. Today, alumni management tools can automate directory updates, personalize and automate communication, manage events and programs, and serve as the main hub for all your analytics and reports for these and other efforts. Some tools focus on excelling at a specific offering, such as directory management, while others offer an integrated approach that encompasses your entire alumni relations efforts.

10 great alumni management software

Below, in no particular order, we’ve compiled a list of 10 alumni management software you should consider in 2025.

1. Almabase

Almabase is an all-in-one alumni engagement and fundraising platform. Almabase offers an impressive set of features designed to seamlessly integrate with popular CRMs and help teams set up fundraisers, mentorship programs, digital engagement programs, and much more.

Pros:

1. Offers best-in-industry sync with Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT
2. Extensive experience in helping K-12 and higher-ed institutions
3. Designed for easy CRM integration
4. Excellent 24/7 customer support over email and chat

Cons:

1. Almabase does not offer a free trial or free tier
2. Not as extensively experienced with nonprofits and NGOs as some others on this list

Best for: educational institutions and small to medium nonprofits

Pricing: Almabase offers friendly, customizable pricing based on user needs. Get in touch with us here to get a free personalized demo.

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2. PeopleGrove

PeopleGrove focuses on the career and networking aspect of alumni and students by offering tools for alumni engagement, career advancement, and mentorship among others.

Pros:

1. Good choice for institutions that need mentorship or career advancement tools specifically.
2. Specialized tools for training mentors and mentor/mentee matching

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Cons:

1. Some users mention difficulties with data integration
2. Reviews mention that it can be difficult to learn for some

Best for: Institutions looking specifically for a mentor/mentee management tool

Pricing: No public pricing. You can speak to a representative to get a quote here.

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3. Hivebrite

Hivebrite is an all-in-one community management platform used by universities, nonprofits, and corporate alumni networks. Hivebrite provides a customizable hub for alumni engagement. It’s often praised for combining a wide range of alumni activities – from events and groups to mentoring and fundraising – into one unified platform.

Pros:

1. Hivebrite offers good community-building, group management, and online interaction features
2. Many reviews praise their customer support

Cons:

1. Comes with a steep learning curve
2. As a well-established and extensive tool, it is one of the more expensive options
3. Some users mention limited customization outside of templates

Best for: Large institutions looking to invest in a comprehensive engagement program

Pricing: Hivebrite has three pricing tiers: Connect, Scale, and Enterprise, with baseline pricing that varies based on each customer. Learn more here.

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4. Graduway

Graduway (now part of Gravyty) specializes in helping educational institutions build exclusive online communities for their alumni, focusing mainly on alumni engagement and fundraising. 

Pros:

1. Has integrations with Raiser’s Edge NXT, Salesforce, and Handshake among others
2. Provides fundraising solutions as well for interested teams

Cons:

1. Standardized framework may feel restrictive for institutions with specific customization needs
2. Some users report limited customer support

Best for: Higher-ed institutions looking for versatile administrative tools

Pricing: Graduway’s pricing is not publicly posted. You can request a demo or contact them here.

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5. Anthology Encompass (iModules)

Anthology Encompass (formerly iModules) is Anthology’s alumni engagement solution. It has a data-driven approach intended to cover each stage of alumni engagement. It is best used in combination with other Anthology tools such as Anthology Reach CRM.‍

‍Pros:

1. A unified database across features for better analytics
2. Good for customers used to other Anthology products

Cons:

1. It has a steep learning curve due to its complexity
2. Some users complain that the software feels clunky and dated

Best for: Customers who enjoy the Anthology software environment

Pricing: Anthology Encompass does not have public pricing. You can request a demo or speak to a sales representative here.

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6. EverTrue

EverTrue is an advancement platform that helps alumni and development offices personalize outreach and fundraise more effectively. It’s not a traditional alumni social platform; rather, EverTrue focuses on equipping your advancement team with rich insights about alumni and donors – pulling in data from social media, career info, wealth indicators, and more.

Pros:

1. Allows teams to identify and track Facebook interactions
2. Provides extensive engagement and giving history tracking features
3. Syncs with Eventbrite, Emma, Graduway, Thankview, and Hustle

Cons:

1. Reliant on Facebook integration and alumni usage of the social media platform
2. Some users mention lackluster CRM integration

Best for: Teams who want to engage alumni active on Facebook and mainly prioritize fundraising

Pricing: EverTrue’s pricing is not publicly available. You can request a demo to get a quote here.

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7. 360Alumni

360Alumni is an all-in-one alumni networking, management, and fundraising platform geared towards schools and nonprofits that want to build an engaged alumni community and also facilitate giving.

Pros:

1. Integrates with Blackbaud and Salesforce
2. Provides alumni-centric features such as the alumni map and directory which motivates alumni adoption
3. Also provides fundraising and event management solutions

Cons:

1. Some users mention that the pricing can be relatively high
2. Due to the extensive features it provides, it can potentially discourage less proficient or irregular alumni from getting the most of it

Best for: Institutions with a technologically proficient alumni pool and a higher budget.

Pricing: 360Alumni requires an initial setup cost, an annual subscription, and transaction fees. You can find more information and request a demo here.

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8. Wild Apricot

Wild Apricot is a membership management software used mainly by associations, clubs, and nonprofits.  It’s known for being affordable and user-friendly, essentially a one-stop system for managing contacts, collecting dues or donations, registering event attendees, and even building a basic website.

Pros:

1. Features a website builder and online store
2. Relatively user-friendly, especially for simple membership and event management

Cons:

1. As a general membership solution, Wild Apricot may lack some educational alumni-specific features out-of-the-box
2. It is best suited for smaller groups as the pricing scales exponentially with the number of contacts

Best for: Associations looking for a simple membership solution

Pricing: Wild Apricot has a transparent payment scheme based on number of contacts and billing cycle. It also has a free 60-day demo. You can find more information here.

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9. ToucanTech

ToucanTech is a UK-based alumni management software built for independent schools, colleges, and alumni foundations. It offers an elegant, all-in-one alumni portal that combines a database, community news, events, fundraising, and email features.

Pros:

1. ToucanTech offers an activity tracker that shows how alumni engage with your email, website, and events
2. Users mention the approachability of the support team

Cons:

1. Steep learning curve to get the most out of the wide array of features
2. Will take time and effort to switch to if your institution already has an extensive software environment or CRM in place

Best for: Teams looking to get started with a comprehensive alumni management CRM

Pricing: ToucanTech’s pricing isn’t publicly listed. You can request a demo and get a quote here.

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10. Join It

Join It is a lightweight, user-friendly membership management software. While it’s not exclusively built for alumni engagement, its affordability and ease of use make it a great option for smaller alumni groups, associations, and nonprofit networks.

Pros:

1. While not built specifically for educational institutions, it is one of the more affordable options

2. Has a wide range of integrations with popular tools

3. Users report that it is easy to use and setup

Cons:

1. Does not include fundraising or mentorship features.

2. Basic customization: The platform offers limited branding and customization features, which may not meet the specific needs of larger institutions seeking a tailored experience.

Best for: Small teams that need an affordable and simple member management only solution

Pricing: Join It offers a starter, total, and extra package as well as a custom enterprise package that can be paid monthly or yearly. It also has a free trial. You can find the exact prices here.

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Why alumni management software is essential for your institution

Alumni relationships don’t maintain themselves. Without the right systems in place, institutions risk losing the interest of their alumni and missing out on valuable engagement as well as mentorship and fundraising opportunities. An alumni management software helps prevent this by:

1. Organizing and updating alumni directories

2. Building hubs and touchpoints for alumni to get in touch with each other and your institution

3. Simplifying, personalizing, and automating communication (depending on the platform)

4. Facilitating career and networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and exclusive events for alumni

5. Building a strong community online for fundraisers, reunions, and other important events

Key features to consider when opting for alumni management software

With so many alumni management platforms available, we’d like to help you refine your shortlist by highlighting some key considerations to make when choosing your next platform. Let’s get

CRM integration:

Depending on your institution, you may want a solution that comes with its own CRM or integrates seamlessly with an already existing CRM. Whatever you go with, make sure that there are as little data siloes as possible between your various solutions.

Social media integration:

Keep your alumni pool in mind and what social media platforms they historically prefer. A Facebook integration-heavy tool may not be right for you if your alumni prefer LinkedIn groups or Instagram pages. Once you identify a few tools that fit that niche, make sure the level of engagement analytics is to your liking.

Communication:

Depending on how big your alumni base is, your needs for segmentation, personalization, and automation will vary. If your team is focused on fundraising for a large institution, a platform that includes giving and engagement history may be important for you while it may be an unneeded cost for a small school only looking for simple membership management.

Pricing:

Many of the tools in alumni management offer customizable or contact-based pricing. Try to get a feel for what feels right considering both the short-term (your next three events for example) and long-term (Will the platform scale well into your third annual subscription?) needs. Also keep in mind your already existing software and what you may need to pay extra for considering additional integration costs to keep them in line with your chosen solution.

Fundraising and donation:

Most alumni management tools also offer fundraising tools as well. Depending on how the tool is set up, consider how your potential and past donors will engage with your efforts. A solution may be really intuitive for you but be clunky and hard to navigate for your donors. Some donors may prefer networking and donating from the same platform while others think it’s a hassle. Always keep your donor’s preferences in mind before making a choice.

Wrapping up

At its core, the effectiveness of alumni software comes down to how well it enables institutions to connect with alumni in meaningful ways and drive tangible outcomes—whether that’s increased participation, stronger professional networks, or higher donations

We’d love to work with you to connect and engage with your alumni better. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you, feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll be glad to give you a personalized demo!