Here are 5 emerging trends - reshaped event strategies, young alumni engagement, short-term fundraising, virtual engagement metrics, and on-demand alumni services.
These are both exciting and nervous times for Alumni Relations as schools and universities around the world go through a tremendous transformation in the way they approach, engage, and stay connected to their alumni. The pandemic almost makes it look like the world has hit the pause button but, for alumni relations professionals who have invested years in building meaningful relationships with their alumni, putting everything on hold is not an option.
Alumni Relations teams are going above and beyond to keep delivering value to their communities with incredibly creative digital engagement strategies. As we looked at the data based on strategies adopted by Alumni Relations teams in 2022 so far, we were able to put together some emerging trends. Watch our Alumni Relations Trends for 2022 webinar here.
While the future is still volatile and the long-term impact of the pandemic is highly debatable, here’s a closer look at the 5 emerging trends in Alumni Relations that are here to stay.
Events are at the heart of any alumni engagement program but COVID-19 completely transformed the way events are now being approached. As strict social distancing measures make it impossible to host in-person events, the pandemic paved the way for virtual events. A majority of institutions have already adopted this new format and hosted a slew of successful virtual events for their alumni.
While Alumni Relations teams may be embracing the shift to virtual events, most of these institutions are apprehensive about going fully virtual while planning their events calendar for this year. Some feel that virtual events can never substitute the feeling that alumni share at in-person events and also are apprehensive about security concerns such as Zoom bombing. However, this new world order is gradually prompting many teams to think differently and explore all options.
So, while Alumni Relations teams might not have shifted to virtual only, 2022 is definitely going to see a lot of them. And, as institutions continue to experiment, events strategy, going forward, will most likely be a combination of both virtual and in-person events - the best of both worlds.
As virtual engagement strategies open up new avenues, Alumni Relations teams are now able to tap into a wider network of alumni. A large part of traditional alumni engagement strategies involved trying to get alumni back to campus for reunions, homecomings, or chapter meetings. Going to campus for these occasions was only possible for alumni who lived in the vicinity or had enough resources to travel from afar to attend. This way, a large segment of alumni were left unengaged.
However, with the adoption of digital engagement methods such as emails, social media, online communities, and virtual events, Alumni Relations teams no longer face this challenge.
Institutions are now able to target alumni living miles away from their campus and invite them for a virtual reunion or homecoming. They can also easily stay connected to their younger alumni via social media, rally more support for their virtual events or giving campaigns, and build a loyal community online. Alumni relations teams will now see newer alumni that who never engaged in the past start to engage.
As a consequence of the pandemic, we saw countless fundraising campaigns getting postponed and cancelled but, on the other side, we also witnessed millions of people expressing their generosity on the global day of unity and giving - #GivingTuesdayNow. While most of the initial fundraising campaigns amidst the pandemic were student emergency campaigns or appeals that urged alumni to donate in kind, this seems to change as we move into 2022.
Sure, Alumni Relations teams will still be apprehensive about asking their alumni to donate money but, that doesn’t mean that fundraising will be halted altogether. Here are the 3 major changes in the way schools and universities will fundraise going forward:
1. As things slowly resume to normalcy, fundraising will pick up the pace with one major change - it is not going to be as aggressive as it used to be.
2. As millions of people face pay cuts and undergo furloughs due to the economic crisis at hand, institutions will prioritize cultivating relationships and providing value to its community over chasing short-term fundraising goals.
3. Schools and universities will continue to garner monetary support from their alumni but, the intent will change. In future, we will see institutions urging their communities to come forward in order to support their alma mater and help them raise money to power through the economic crisis.
With the approach to fundraising changing, the outcomes will too. The economic impact of COVID-19 will leave a devastating impact on the total dollars raised but, as institutions continue to ramp up engagement & value-add services, relationships will grow stronger. While these loyal supporters may not be able to contribute big, institutions will see a rise in participation and the number of volunteers.
In April 2020, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine launched a network of volunteers, staff, students and alumni, to devote small amounts of time to crowd-sourced work. The institution received overwhelming support from over 1200 volunteers.
Traditional ways of adding value to alumni included organizing local mixers, career networking events, and workshops on campus but social distancing measures have put an end to all of these in-person activities. As Alumni Relations teams strive to keep their alumni digitally engaged and informed, closed affinity groups and online communities play a critical role.
Many institutions are adopting creative strategies to drive participation amongst these close-knit affinity groups and encouraging alumni to get more deeply involved.
With recent reports showing over 21 million Americans as unemployed, industry-based affinity groups will see a massive spike with alumni counting on their peers to navigate the tough job market.
The pandemic has also wreaked havoc on mental-health systems as we witnessed a historic wave of mental health problems approaching. While the social distancing norms are creating a lot of mental health challenges, the dire situation of the economy is adding to that stress. Alumni Relations teams realize the immense need for alumni to connect virtually to get through these testing times, as a community.
Prior to COVID-19, a lot of institutions measured alumni engagement based on a set of parameters such as in-person event attendance or volunteer participation. With the pandemic forcing Alumni Relations teams to function completely virtually since the past 5 months, engagement metrics have changed.
As alumni outreach initiatives shift to the virtual format, Alumni Relations teams are rapidly evolving to measure the outcome of each of these initiatives accurately.
The institutions that previously reached out to their alumni once a month via a monthly newsletter, have now ramped up the frequency. Institutions that were inactive on social media now take to Facebook live to announce an upcoming virtual event or a giving campaign. Alumni Relations teams are adopting tons of creative ideas to get accustomed to the new normal. Here are some of the virtual engagement metrics that will no longer be ignored:
1. Virtual event attendance
2. Email opens & click-through rates
3. Social media impressions, likes, and shares
4. Volunteer participation measured via online requests
5. Digital donors
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Pandemic or not, nothing stops advancement teams from coming up with the best ideas to engage alumni virtually and support them.
So, with the current state of things prompting schools and universities to digitally engage their constituents, one trend that’s picking up is virtual events.
Having observed over a hundred schools and universities host successful virtual alumni events in the past three months, here’s the list of the top 10 trending ones being adopted by advancement teams in the US.
While nothing replaces the feeling of reuniting with old friends at a class reunion, strict social distancing measures are leading to an increasing number of institutions adopting the virtual format to host their reunions.
Translating these large constituent gatherings into an online celebration is a great way to drive more attendance as constituents from all over the world, irrespective of their geographical location can join, granted they have a good internet connection. Whether it’s a short social mixer or a longer event spread over the weekend, effective planning is the key to hosting a successful virtual alumni event.
In lieu of social distancing measures, Brenau’s Office of constituents and Constituent Engagement hosted its Constituents Reunion Weekend online, bringing its community together to connect and catch up during these challenging times.
Commencement is a milestone in every student’s life and deserves to be celebrated with grandeur. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has led to many ceremonies being called off leaving students around the world in a state of despair.
If you’re concerned about your Class of 2020, use this opportunity to reach out to leaders in your alumni community and urge them to reach out to your young graduates. As an alma mater, this is the time for you to boost their morale and foster leadership skills needed to navigate the new world.
In a grand gesture, high school students, educators, and world leaders came forward for a television special Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 on May 16th, 2020, to honor those high school graduates whose graduation ceremonies and proms were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show included a variety of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational speeches.
Another great virtual commencement ceremony that deserves a shoutout is by the University of Pittsburgh. The first-of-its-kind in the history of the university, degrees were awarded to nearly 8,000 undergraduate, master’s, professional and doctoral candidates. Students were emailed a “virtual” diploma immediately after the ceremony.
With everyone confined to their houses, forced to work from home, schools closed, and limitations on social interactions, physical fitness and well-being is getting deprioritized for a lot of people. Virtual runs/walkathon events are a great approach to bringing your alumni community together, driving more conversations and most important of all - creating an avenue for them to make time for their well being.
Virtual happy hours are the perfect approach to helping your alumni relieve stress and overcome the fear of isolation as they open up to their friends over drinks. Create a dedicated event page for collecting RSVPs and lay down all the details on this page. Ask your alumni to grab a beverage of their choice, join the meeting link, and drink away the night!
St. Thomas University School of Law created a dedicated event page for its first-ever Young constituents Virtual Happy Hour and promoted the event via social media.
It’s going to be a while before your alumni can go out to their favorite club or invite their friends over for a crazy dance party but don’t let that stop you from bringing the experience home to them. Host a virtual dance party to bring out those crazy moves.
Antioch College roped in their alumni DJs from across generations and got 400+ registrations to its Virtual Div Dance Party event in just 11 days! The college set up a dedicated event page on its alumni network, laying down all the details needed for alumni to be able to participate and extensively promoted the event via Facebook.
While many institutions are still in a dilemma of whether or not to make a fundraising ask during an ongoing global crisis, the recent #GivingTuesdayNow saw some super creative virtual giving campaigns.
As schools and universities face a desperate need to maintain their revenue streams especially in the face of a looming economic crisis, many institutions are opting for student emergency campaigns and online auctions.
The French American International School anticipated a need for an increase in financial aid for next year as it provides support to its students in the form of tuition, books, lunches, and to every family that needs help during these tough times.
Support your alumni community with vital resources required to deal with the coronavirus via a virtual webinar or a seminar. As the world deals with uncertainty, fear, and anxiety amidst this crisis, bring health experts, career coaches, and your university leadership to come together and disseminate helpful information.
In response to COVID-19, University of Washington’s Department of Global Health initiated a weekly virtual lecture series featuring UW researchers who are coronavirus and pandemic preparedness experts, covering topics from testing and response measures to vaccine development and social & economic impacts.
With the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, your alumni now have the time to catch up on that old classic that they never got to complete and even reconnect with their long-lost reading groups.
Create virtual book clubs and target interested audiences with invitations to join these exclusive communities where they can connect with like-minded peers and have fruitful conversations that stir every book lover’s soul. Share a reading schedule allowing members time to read the book, participate in the discussion, and allow them to choose if they want to participate in the next reading session.
William Peace University, a liberal arts college in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, launched a Virtual Book Club focused on professional development and career advancement for the university students and alumni. The group acts as a community that collectively sets and realizes career-related goals.
A virtual gaming night can be a great way to de-stress and relax with friends. Bring your alumni community together for a fun night of online poker, charades, or pictionary to inspire a healthy sense of competition amongst your alumni. You could even get some of your favorite staff members to make a special appearance to spruce up the night.
Here’s how Samueli Academy brought its alumni community together during COVID-19 with Social Distancing Gaming Night over Zoom.
With the rising stress and anxiety levels owing to COVID-19, now’s the best time for your school or university to start a virtual exercise or yoga program for your alumni. Organizing virtual exercise or yoga sessions for your alumni community during these tough times can help them deal with stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and motivate them to work towards their overall physical and mental well-being.
Get certified Yoga practitioners/trainers from your community to lead these sessions to help their peers become fitter and better.
William Peace University roped in its former Alumni Board President, Alli Leggett '01 to organize a virtual yoga session for alumni to join from the comfort of their home.
Top 10 Trending Virtual Alumni Events In Higher-Ed Amidst COVID-19
Here are the top 10 trending virtual events in 2020 to boost your alumni community engagement online.
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As a remote working professional with years of experience in alumni relations & fundraising, Nita June, Director of Alumni Relations at The Association of Waldorf Schools (AWSNA) finds that working remotely offers flexibility and freedom that is refreshing and gratifying. She also feels that this same freedom can be challenging to manage successfully and that everyone has their own methods that work for them. Check out our Advancement from Home eBook to read what Nita and other advancement professionals are saying.
With schools and universities closed for a long time now, advancement staff members are gradually adapting to the new norm of working from home while effectively engaging alumni and donors via virtual events.
Backed by data from 200+ schools and universities who have hosted successful virtual events over the last two months, here’s a virtual event checklist for advancement teams.
With tons of creative virtual event ideas floating around the internet, the best way to figure out what’s best for you is to ask yourself these questions:
- How can you offer support to your audience during these testing times?
- How can you solve a particular pain point of your constituents with your event?
Based on what your audience will resonate with the most, get started with building your virtual event.
The French American International School anticipated a need for an increase in financial aid for next year as it provides support to its students in the form of tuition, books, lunches, and to every family that needs help during these tough times.
Once you’ve decided your virtual event theme, put together your event agenda and figure out what tools you need to execute your event.
You can set up a dedicated event page on your alumni website or create a Facebook event page to capture registrations. If you need additional software such as Zoom for video conversations with attendees, Trello for organizing your event, or Almabase or Blackbaud to send emails to your attendees, this is the right time to talk to the experts on each team.
Take a cue from Antioch College’s incredible success with its first Virtual Div Dance Party. The Alumni Association set up an event page on its alumni website and Facebook to capture registrations. In addition to this, Antioch College needed funds to be able to host the 6-hours long virtual event which had 400+ registrations. So, the college set up a virtual fundraiser and urged attendees to contribute. Read how Antioch College got 400+ attendees to its Virtual Div Dance Party in 11 days amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
Your virtual event’s success is largely dependent on your marketing strategy. O, how do you build a solid marketing strategy? The answer is by following the basics - emails and social media.
Use past data including event attendance, Facebook engagement, donation history and email engagement to identify highly engaged constituents and retarget them with personalized emails for your virtual event.
Social media is a powerful tool when it comes to maximizing the reach of your virtual event. Create a hashtag, a series of posts, get your followers to join in and encourage them to share these posts with their network.
You’re done with the planning, you got people to register for your virtual event, and with that awesome tool you signed-up for, your event is going great. Now what?
Having a good measure of engagement is critical to report on the success of your virtual event while working remotely. Measure your event based on metrics like registrations, check-ins, email open and click rates, and social media impressions and reactions.
Another key metric that helps determine the success of your virtual events is post-event feedback. This is crucial in improving the quality of future events and boosting participation. It reveals what attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders loved about your event and what you can do to make it even better next time. There are various ways to collect high-quality feedback from your event attendees.
4 simple steps to host a successful virtual event while you’re working from home
Find the checklists to host successful virtual events for alumni. Create your virtual events while you are working from home and boost alumni engagement.
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As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to disrupt alumni relations and fundraising, institutions around the world have found themselves in a tight spot as a consequence of canceled events, giving days, and other planned alumni engagement activities.
With this new world order settling in, advancement teams are looking for unique ways to engage their alumni digitally. While a lot of institutions have been engaging alumni digitally for a while now, in this blog post, we’ll be looking at some of the most creative engagement ideas that we’ve seen being implemented during COVID-19.
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With alumni confined to their houses and being forced to work from home, everyone’s missing out on those Friday night Happy Hours. But wait, who said social isolation’s equivalent to the end of Happy Hours?
Virtual happy hours are a great way to encourage social interactions among alumni during these difficult times. You can organize your next virtual happy hour as a 1-hour event open to limited registrations. Create a dedicated event page for collecting RSVPs and lay down all the details on this page. Ask alumni to grab a beverage of their choice and join the meeting link. To add structure to your virtual event, encourage your event attendees to share something about themselves during the event like a short introduction, some insight into how they’re dealing with the crisis, or what they’re doing to help those in need.
St. Thomas University School of Law created a dedicated event page for its first-ever Young Alumni Virtual Happy Hour and promoted the event via social media.
According to a recent survey by Goldman Sachs, 51% of America’s small-business owners said they could not weather more than three months of the current economic environment.
With small business owners struggling to stay afloat throughout this crisis, this is a good time to offer your support to your alumni who own small businesses by leveraging your alumni network.
Create a web page listing small businesses owned or operated by your alumni and promote it on all your official websites and various social media platforms.
Here's how Centenary College of Louisiana offered its support to alumni small business owners.
Since the educational fundraising landscape has evolved as an outcome of the coronavirus situation, the approach that institutions have been adopting for fundraising asks has also transformed. Since schools and universities need funds now more than ever to be able to support their students, but feel apprehensive about asking their alumni for monetary donations, a lot of them are choosing to opt for fundraising in kind.
Similar to other institutions, Nicholls State University also had to move its classes online. However, the university realized that many students did not have webcams at home which served as a major obstacle to conducting online tests and smooth functioning of classes.
With the ongoing coronavirus situation, raising funds for webcams wouldn’t have been possible and so, the university appealed to its alumni to help students out by donating webcams.
With everyone confined to their homes, forced to work from home, limitations on social interactions, and physical fitness taking a back seat, health and well-being of alumni has become a major concern for institutions across the globe.
Aid your alumni through this phase of social isolation and encourage them to make exercise a part of their routine by organizing a virtual race. A virtual race can have participants from any location within a predetermined time. Photos shared by alumni during their walk/run can further be shared with the alumni community via Facebook or alumni website, helping drive engagement and registrations.
The College of Idaho’s ongoing ‘2020 Coyote Dash [Virtual 5K] race’ is helping connect its alumni who are located miles away from one another during these testing times.
Read the complete success story here 👇
With COVID-19 leading to stress and anxiety as a result of social isolation and financial pressures, the mental health of alumni is a rising concern for all schools and universities. Many institutions are organizing virtual exercise or yoga sessions for their alumni to help them deal with stress, depression, anxiety, energy, fatigue, and motivate them to work towards their overall physical and mental well-being.
William Peace University, a liberal arts college in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, roped in its former Alumni Board President, Alli Leggett '01 to organize a virtual yoga session for alumni to join from the comfort of their home.
Alumni photos that capture happy moments is another great way to engage your alumni and get them to interact with one another. You can start a photo contest by encouraging your alumni to post their photos on your alumni website or alumni group on social media.
Bob Greene, Alumni Director at Serra High School started a ‘Picture Time’ contest via email, urging alumni to share pictures while they’re at home with their families or any picture that makes them feel happy.
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Social isolation during COVID-19 means that you can’t invite your alumni to your school or university for a fun game of soccer but, how about hosting a virtual event for alumni to engage in some healthy competition over online games?
Bring your alumni together for a fun night of online Charades, Monopoly, Pictionary or Cards against Humanity. Take it a notch higher with special appearances of some of their favorite staff members.
Encourage your alumni to show off their creative side by hosting a virtual coloring contest open to them and their families. Coloring is known to be great for mental, emotional, and intellectual health in adults and serves as a wonderful hobby that keeps children calm and entertained.
Chestnut Hill College organized a fun virtual coloring page contest for alumni and their families where campus photos and logos were converted into coloring pages using the Colorscape app. Take a look at the coloring pages here.
The college also took to social media to launch a contest by encouraging alumni to download coloring pages and participate by coloring and sharing it with the alumni community. The best submission will be chosen by the alumni community and receive a CHC prize pack.
8 creative ideas to boost alumni engagement & fundraising amidst COVID-19
Here's a look at the 8 unique and creative ideas that we've seen advancement teams implement to engage their alumni digitally during the COVID-19 crisis.
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For schools and universities around the world, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has shortened the semester and put a hard stop to all planned events and gatherings. The worst hit by this series of events is the Class of 2020 as their final months on campus are snatched away from them and commencement ceremonies either stand cancelled, postponed, or moved online.
These new alumni experience mixed feelings as one of the happiest moments of their life - their day of graduation that they worked so hard to get to, is now replaced with sadness and disappointment over not being able to celebrate this joyous day with friends and family.
As these new graduates launch themselves into the worst job market since the Great Recession, amidst anxiety and fear over revoked job offers and huge loans, your role as their alma mater could define their lives for decades to come.
Here are 5 thoughtful ways to welcome your Class of 2020 alumni to lift their spirits and ease their way through this transition.
One thing that your new graduates would definitely appreciate is hearing from their seniors! Have your alumni community create short video messages to welcome the newest members with the most thoughtful messages, praises, and words of wisdom to encourage them as they embark on a new journey.
Even better, surprise your newest members with a special video appearance from a star alum!
To brighten up the virtual graduation ceremony for their newest alumni brethren, St. Francis High School encouraged its alumni to create short videos to welcome the Class of 2020. The video compilation also included a special appearance by the school’s longtime community member, Fergie, former Black Eyed Peas music band member who dropped in to congratulate the new alumni.
The Class of 2020 has already been robbed of a conventional commencement ceremony and definitely deserve some extra love and attention. Honor each one of them for the sacrifices they’ve had to make and celebrate their achievements and success with customized yard signs.
Yard signs with pictures of alumni are a unique way to display support for your graduates and publicly announce their accomplishments.
Nicholls State University Alumni Federation arranged to have yard signs made to honor each and every graduating senior and encouraged them to drop by the Alumni House on campus to click a picture with their customized signs. The pictures taken by young graduates were then shared on social media and the memorable souvenirs were later on taken home by alumni.
Give your new graduates a chance to bond again over music that will forever stay close to their hearts. Have your teachers and students put together a Spotify playlist featuring the Class of 2020’s favourite tracks define their campus experience and surprise them by playing the tracks during their virtual commencement ceremony. Also, make the playlist available via a link on your alumni website.
University of Maryland Alumni Association created an exclusive Spotify playlist to celebrate their Class of 2020. The university also added a link to the playlist on their alumni website.
As the Class of 2020 misses their traditional end-of year programming, many schools and universities are hosting virtual events to honor this important milestone in the lives of their new graduates.
North Allegheny School District went a step further and dedicated a week of events to celebrate their new alumni. From a car parade to a virtual dance party, the institution meticulously planned multiple themed events in the spirit of graduating seniors. North Allegheny Foundation, NA Alumni Association, and NASD also started a fundraiser to raise money for this special gift to their graduates.
The job market is extremely hostile and your new graduates are reeling under the pressure of rescinded job offers and canceled interviews. As this crisis unfolds, one way of welcoming your Class of 2020 is by offering them the support of those who’ve had first-hand experience dealing with a similar situation.
Yes, we’re talking about your Class of 2008. While the circumstances may be largely different, your Class of 2008 comes closest to understanding what the Class of 2020 is going through. Make it easy for your new graduates to interact with your graduates of 2008 by creating an affinity group on your alumni website or a community on Facebook or LinkedIn.
The College of Idaho created a closed community on their alumni network inviting graduates of 2008 to help out their newest alumni members. The private community has a total of 341 members.
As the Class of 2020 learns to adapt and overcome the challenges thrown at them, the onus is on schools and universities to ensure that these young graduates come out strong. So, we hope you make the most of the ideas shared in this blog post and welcome your Class of 2020 as alumni to your institution with pomp and gaiety!
5 ways to welcome Class of 2020 alumni amidst COVID-19
The Class of 2020 graduates missed out on their much-awaited traditional send-off. Here are 5 thoughtful ways to welcome your Class of 2020 alumni to lift their spirits.
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