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#TheOG50: The one with Joe Volin from Illinois Tech
“I work with great people. That’s what makes this job easier.”
— Joe Volin, Associate Vice President for Constituent Engagement, Illinois Tech
Meet Joe, the Associate Vice President for Constituent Engagement at Illinois Tech.
We recently caught up with Joe to talk about his work on alumni engagement, how he's using AI to scale relationships, and why sometimes, the best strategy is just listening.
When we first recognized Joe as part of the original 50 Under 50 list, he was already making waves at Illinois Tech. Today, as Associate VP for Constituent Engagement, he continues to build meaningful connections between the university and its alumni - but with a much bigger toolbox.
Joe now leads a team of nine and oversees alumni engagement, annual giving, boards of advisors, and the Mies van der Rohe Society. But beyond the titles and org charts, what really drives Joe? “I work with great people who are passionate about what they do. That’s what keeps me going,” he says.
Moving thousands with Illinois Tech Connect
Joe led the transition from their previous alumni platform to Illinois Tech Connect, powered by Almabase. The change wasn’t just a software swap - it was a total reimagining of how alumni connect with their alma mater.
With a sharp focus on user experience, Joe’s team merged the engagement platform with their alumni database and even extended it to support mentoring. The result? An increase from ~2,000 active users to nearly 4,000 engaged alumni - and a new way to define and measure engagement meaningfully.
AI meets Advancement
Ahead of the curve, Illinois Tech became one of the first to adopt Givzey’s virtual engagement officer, Scarlet. The adoption of Scarlet was led by Susan Lewers. Since October, Scarlett has been managing a portfolio of 1,000 alumni - digesting emails, tracking interactions, and driving outreach. Joe credits Scarlet with helping do more with the same resources and sees AI as a core part of future advancement strategy.
Alumni insights, backed by data
Joe’s not just about gut feel - he’s got the reports to back it up. Following an all-alumni survey, Illinois Tech now knows their most active volunteers are from the 90s and 2000s, while their most generous donors are from the 70s and 80s. These insights have helped refine engagement strategies and personalize outreach based on where alumni are in their life journey.
What’s next for Joe and Illinois Tech
With a strong, cross-functional team and data-led strategies, Joe’s eyes are set on deepening engagement across decades, expanding mentorship, and unlocking more ways for alumni to feel seen and valued - even as the world shifts toward AI and automation.
Want to connect with Joe?
“I work with great people. That’s what makes this job easier.”
— Joe Volin, Associate Vice President for Constituent Engagement, Illinois Tech
Meet Joe, the Associate Vice President for Constituent Engagement at Illinois Tech.
We recently caught up with Joe to talk about his work on alumni engagement, how he's using AI to scale relationships, and why sometimes, the best strategy is just listening.
When we first recognized Joe as part of the original 50 Under 50 list, he was already making waves at Illinois Tech. Today, as Associate VP for Constituent Engagement, he continues to build meaningful connections between the university and its alumni - but with a much bigger toolbox.
Joe now leads a team of nine and oversees alumni engagement, annual giving, boards of advisors, and the Mies van der Rohe Society. But beyond the titles and org charts, what really drives Joe? “I work with great people who are passionate about what they do. That’s what keeps me going,” he says.
Moving thousands with Illinois Tech Connect
Joe led the transition from their previous alumni platform to Illinois Tech Connect, powered by Almabase. The change wasn’t just a software swap - it was a total reimagining of how alumni connect with their alma mater.
With a sharp focus on user experience, Joe’s team merged the engagement platform with their alumni database and even extended it to support mentoring. The result? An increase from ~2,000 active users to nearly 4,000 engaged alumni - and a new way to define and measure engagement meaningfully.
AI meets Advancement
Ahead of the curve, Illinois Tech became one of the first to adopt Givzey’s virtual engagement officer, Scarlet. The adoption of Scarlet was led by Susan Lewers. Since October, Scarlett has been managing a portfolio of 1,000 alumni - digesting emails, tracking interactions, and driving outreach. Joe credits Scarlet with helping do more with the same resources and sees AI as a core part of future advancement strategy.
Alumni insights, backed by data
Joe’s not just about gut feel - he’s got the reports to back it up. Following an all-alumni survey, Illinois Tech now knows their most active volunteers are from the 90s and 2000s, while their most generous donors are from the 70s and 80s. These insights have helped refine engagement strategies and personalize outreach based on where alumni are in their life journey.
What’s next for Joe and Illinois Tech
With a strong, cross-functional team and data-led strategies, Joe’s eyes are set on deepening engagement across decades, expanding mentorship, and unlocking more ways for alumni to feel seen and valued - even as the world shifts toward AI and automation.
Want to connect with Joe?
Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.
A Unified Vision
The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.
“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”
- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud
