An increasing number of advancement teams today are adopting an alumni-centric approach, keeping alumni needs and behavior at the center of program design. Learn how alumni centricity can transform alumni engagement & help you build lifelong relationships.
Kalyan Varma
Published:
June 29, 2021
Updated:
June 29, 2021
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Is your institution student-centric? Certainly, most of the institutions will respond with a firm affirmation. Students are the sole reason for the existence of educational institutions; how can they not be student-centric? However, when the same question is translated to the Alumni Relations plane, the answers are not as obvious as they may seem. The concept of alumni centricity might sound simple on the surface but a deep dive reveals that a majority of advancement professionals are not quite sure about the essence of it.
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Alumni-Centricity is a discipline of advancing your institution by building relationships that are not solely based on alumni loyalty, but equally on value; keeping the needs and behavior of the alumni at the center of program design. It paves the way for lifelong relationships that are mutually rewarding and more fulfilling. Despite the benefits, most institutions are not able to incorporate it in their engagement strategies. A simple question can dig out the reason behind this.
Do institutions understand their alumni enough to focus on their needs?
According to the 2020 VAESE Alumni Relations Benchmarking Study, 46% of alumni organizations have at least 10% of their alumni who have opted-out of contact with their alma mater.
As advancement teams let revenue generation guide their decision-making, what often gets overlooked are alumni programs that matter to alumni and their changing needs. Alternatively, institutions simply continue to deliver programs they've always had, crushing all creativity, and steering farther away from catering to needs of their alumni as they approach crucial landmarks in their lives. All these factors result in a severe disconnect between alumni and their alma mater.
Institutes that have gauged this disconnect have started to transform their engagement strategy. They’ve seen barriers break by understanding their alumni better, and this understanding has helped them design useful programs. They have seen tangible results by surpassing engagement and revenue goals and collecting more alumni data.
If you are still on the fence about whether or not your institution has an alumni-centric approach, this simple exercise by Jay Dillon can help you figure it out.
While we’ve understood the need for educational advancement to embrace alumni centricity, the next question that might pop in your head is, “We’ve always done things this way and we seem to be doing okay. Why change anything?”
According to the latest CASE Annual Giving Survey, for the first time in a decade, the total giving for the fiscal year 2020 dipped slightly from the previous year. And at this point, you might bring up Michael Bloomberg’s billion-dollar story, but tell me this - would Bloomberg have contributed if he had not felt a continuous sense of connection with his alma mater? The answer is a flat no. Every institution has its own Bloomberg, and not focusing on his/her needs is a lost opportunity as universities now compete for the attention and donations of their alumni.
Additionally, many institutions still rely on gifts from 5-10% of their alumni, that account for about 90% of all the funds they raise. Amidst an economic crisis ensued from Covid-19, this over-reliance on a select group of donors has led to some institutions facing massive constraints and a few even shutting shop.
The disconnect between institution and alumni further leads to alumni estrangement. If you continue to focus on short-term fundraising rather than the needs of your alumni, your endless solicitation calls would sooner or later meet a dead end. Your alumni will see little to no value being delivered to them and eventually, would discontinue the relationship, starting with opting out of communication.
It’s not too late for you to take the plunge and turn the tables: a win-win situation where you and your alumni both derive value from constant mutual efforts to serve each other’s needs. Aligning your engagement strategies to meet the needs of your alumni is the only way forward to build lifelong relationships while driving engagement, hitting revenue goals, and collecting more alumni data.
Want to know how institutions around you are embracing alumni centricity to drive alumni participation? Here are a few reads that I think you’ll enjoy:
1. Piedmont College launched a virtual giving campaign to support sheltered students and provide protective gear to frontline healthcare professionals on campus. Read the story.
2. Antioch College provided emotional support via a Virtual Dance Party to alumni amidst the pandemic. Read the story.
3. Misericordia University transitioned to a Virtual Homecoming celebration amidst the pandemic, keeping the health and safety of its community as the utmost priority. Read the story.
4. As the Class of 2020 missed their traditional commencement, William Peace University found a way to uplift their spirits by launching a series of virtual engagement opportunities to toast to the success of these grads. Read the story.
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The title of this blog post casts an exceedingly gloomy shadow and rightly so. According to the 2020 VAESE Alumni Relations Benchmarking Study, for every 100 alumni relations professionals in 2017, there are only 82 in 2020. Add to the statistic, the devastating impact of the pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has led to over 21 million Americans being unemployed across the country (Source: Fortune.com). Within advancement, more specifically, it's the alumni relations staff that have suffered the most.
At this rate, the alumni relations profession is under threat. If you don't act now, all the incredible work done to engage your alumni over the years will be undone very soon and it would take years to get back on track.
While the pandemic has a major role to play as we all witnessed our colleagues and friends undergo forced furloughs and massive pay cuts over the last year, there’s more to it.
As more and more institutions adopt an integrated advancement office, the data clearly shows that there are fewer alumni relations staff available to devotedly work on alumni engagement.
The immediate need for donations is superseding the long term goals of cultivating alumni.
This is an alarming trend, something that we collectively need to work towards reversing. Donations are undoubtedly important for advancing institutions but if the focus on short term results continues, the future of Alumni Relations will be in jeopardy. It’s almost like we’re trying to force the fruit of the tree to ripen.
Alumni are the backbone of every institution and building lifelong alumni relationships is the greatest investment for any school, college, or university. With an increasing number of institutions now turning towards an integrated advancement office, the focus is rapidly shifting towards raising more money which is equivalent to short-term gains.
The question that you need to ask yourself is - can these short-term gains compensate the loss of lifelong alumni relationships?
If you’re an advancement veteran, you probably are already familiar with the “4 R’s” of fundraising/development - Research, Romance, Request, and Recognition. This article by CASE cites the 4-R’s approach to discuss donor cultivation and stresses on the importance of fostering alumni relationships that last a lifetime.
To break it down further, the article states that 60% of the donor cultivation/fundraising process should be spent on ‘romancing’ i.e. building relationships with alumni.
While I go on stressing about the importance of engaging alumni over short-term fundraising, I also get this question a lot - How do I sustain my annual fund if I invest my time in building alumni relationships?
It is a valid question, even more so as institutions deal with the aftermath of the pandemic. Your annual fund needs replenishment and it must have taken a severe hit as you provided for your community during these testing times. Asking your alumni for funds as opposed to sending them an engaging mailer might look like the easiest and most reasonable thing to do at the moment. Last year alone, there were an abundance of emergency support fundraisers, urging alumni to step up and donate to their alma mater’s cause. But, how long until this cycle stops?
How long until your alumni get tired of your relentless fundraising appeals and ask to be placed on a ‘Do not solicit’ list?
According to the 2020 VAESE Alumni Relations Benchmarking Study, 46% of alumni organizations have at least 10% of their alumni who have opted-out of contact with their alma mater.
Scary, right?
Frankly, the price to be paid for over-solicitation simply translates to higher opt-out rates and various models only lead to confirm this fact. Here’s an analysis by Louis Diez, Executive Director, Annual Giving at Muhlenberg College which reinforces my thought “Stop chasing gifts; start building partnerships.”
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To conclude, I hold nothing against an integrated advancement office. In fact, I believe an integrated office is a better model because it eliminates the data silos that we’ve all seen with independent structures. I’ve seen plenty of examples of highly successful advancement teams. It takes wise leadership to balance the present and future health of our institutions.
Is The Alumni Relations Profession Under Threat?
For every 100 alumni relations professionals in 2017, there are only 82 in 2020, a shocking statistic brought to light against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digging deeper, we observe that it is not just an aftermath of the pandemic, but has been brewing up from quite some time.
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May 24, 2021
12 minutes
The past five or so years changed the landscape of innumerable things around us, and alumni relations was no exception. Existing boundaries were pushed, which resulted in new virtual methods emerging to resolve the challenges that the pandemic brought about.
While alumni engagement in 2022 looked promising as many institutions open up their campuses with adequate restrictions, the alumni relations landscape is currently undergoing a tremendous transformation.
Traditional alumni engagement metrics like event attendance and in-person fundraisers can no longer be relied upon entirely. Ever since the pandemic, schools, colleges, and universities have taken a step back and plan their programming in accordance with the ‘new normal’ and have continued to innovate and look for flexible solutions.
As you start planning your strategy for the year, here are five alumni engagement ideas you don’t want to miss out on.
The pandemic had everyone bottled up inside their homes for far too long. While you can’t go all out and invite all your alumni to campus every time, you can start the year with small meet-and-greets across various cities around the country, with the help of your local volunteers and chapters. We suggest creating proper guidelines, which can help the volunteers organize these events to increase engagement and guarantee a good time for everyone involved. These small-scale events can be a refreshing break from the webinars and large-scale fundraisers often attended by your alumni and students alike. This is also a great opportunity to help your alumni meet peers in and around their area, creating strong bonds within the alumni community.
Today, it is essential to find the right balance between online and offline events that stay relevant and useful for the near future.
Your alumni programming should be centered on your alumni. Regularly collect feedback and ask your alumni what they’d love to see. Open yourself to ideas beyond events and fundraising campaigns, when you ask for suggestions. An easy way to do this would be to send out questionnaires to your alumni via email or conduct polls on social media. Whether it is an online networking fair to promote interaction between alumni or a virtual dance party: you could be surprised at the innovative suggestions you might get from your alumni.
The best way to encourage alumni to share their suggestions is by providing lucrative incentives. An e-gift card or a small memento from their time at college could be a great motivation for your alumni to participate.
West Virginia Wesleyan College conducted a survey to ensure the opinions of their alumni are heard and taken into consideration while planning the virtual homecoming for the class of 2015.
Fundraisers continue to be a mainstay for any alumni relations program. Along with aiding important causes, turn your fundraisers into fun and festive affairs. Drive competition amongst alumni, students, and faculty members by setting challenges to unlock new milestones. To make it more engaging, conduct a poll with some challenges for alumni to choose from! Have a look at Calvert Hall College High School’s out-of-the-box challenge at their 5th Annual All Day Hall Day.
Ever since the pandemic forced forced furloughs and small alumni businesses to shut down, professional networking events such as job fairs and virtual conferences slowly became an integral part of alumni programming. After all, there is no better way to build strong relationships with your alumni than helping them power through when they need you the most.
Speaking of those hit the worst by the pandemic, one cannot overlook the Class of 2020, 2021, and 2022. These young graduates are looking at a potentially rough start to their careers even in 2024 as the economic situation and job market continues to prove hard to navigate. Your alumni network is a valuable source of opportunities for these new graduates looking for internships and jobs. Organizing virtual networking events can help facilitate job shadowing services, and serve as a major boost towards career development and discovery, helping students find their field of interest and get hands-on experience.
Social media has undeniably become the most powerful tool for communication, particularly in the last few years. A strong social media presence is not only advisable but almost necessary to keep your alumni engaged. While young alumni are turning towards more instant modes of communication, your regular mail in their inbox can go unnoticed. Start a trend to share a memorable moment from their college years with a hashtag on your handles, post a picture from their graduation days, the ideas are unlimited!
Here is an idea to try: Invite your alumni to write open letters of support to your current students. As your students feel fatigued with online classes, assignments, and exams, and struggle to find internships and jobs, letters from their favorite alumni can help put a much-needed smile on their faces.
While the pandemic brought along its own set of challenges, it also provided us with ample room for trying out new ideas. Traditionally, it would have been harder to implement these new ideas, especially with the pre-existing programs giving us fairly good results. But we have learned valuable lessons from both the pandemic and the post-pandemic situation, and as the alumni relations keeps evolving, the best time to experiment with your alumni programs is now.
5 Ways To Level-up Your Alumni Relations Program
Alumni engagement in 2024 looks promising with institutions learning from lessons of the past few years. Here are five alumni engagement ideas you can leverage.
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It’s no secret that keeping alumni engaged in the post-pandemic landscape will present unique challenges, considering most events and fundraising efforts have moved online. Fortunately, many educational institutions have risen to meet those challenges and sharpened their abilities to maintain and even increase alumni engagement in the past year.
If you’re wondering what are some key strategies your organization can utilize to keep that momentum going and continue peaking alumni engagement in 2022 - we have got you covered. Let’s dive into some of the best approaches to keep your alumni virtually engaged with your institution going forward this year.
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Nothing encourages former students to stay plugged-in with their alma mater like the opportunity to create a community with other alumni. Many people have struggled with a lack of social interaction during the pandemic, and virtual community-building events are the perfect remedy for this situation.
In order to plan a successful virtual event be sure to nail down key logistics beforehand like an event agenda, promotional efforts, and setting up a plan to analyze post-event feedback. Let your alumni know in advance what the event has to offer and make sign-up as seamless as possible by offering quick registration supported on a variety of devices.
When it comes to promoting the event, use multiple channels to maximize your outreach. For example, you could create Facebook pages alongside email invitations to reach alumni no matter how they prefer to communicate. A good way to increase engagement would be to make your promotional efforts interactive. Ask your alumni to RSVP using a hashtag or commenting on a Facebook post - this will ensure better reach and engagement on your social media handles.
Finally, you can create opportunities for post-event feedback to tailor your approach for future events and increase alumni turnout. You want your former students to know that their opinions matter to you, so make sure you ask them to share it! This will also make planning your next event simple since you can build on the feedback and experience that your alumni share.
Check out how various institutions have leveraged the virtual space for innovative online events like virtual happy-hours, book clubs, and flagship events.
A good social media presence can undoubtedly do wonders for your engagement goals. You likely already have a social media strategy in place, but how tailored is it to empower alumni to interact with one another and the institution? A simple way to get alumni engaged is to interact with their posts and to invite them to interact with yours!
One option is to create content that invites alumni to post photos of them at college events or even happy memories from their time at the school, college, or university. This is a great method to evoke nostalgia in your alumni and encourage them to remember the positive impact that your institution had on their academic experience.
You can even personalize these calls-to-action by tailoring them to specific programs or organizations involved within your school. For example, you could ask all journalism students to post a memory of why they chose to pursue journalism - or maybe ask all of the students involved in your athletics program to post a photo of their team. These specific calls-to-action are more likely to fetch responses from the targeted group of alumni.
Ensure social media calls-to-action remain engaging and personal by applauding donor efforts and the impact their gifts have on opportunities for future students. You can even share narratives of these impact stories by showcasing the effect their donations have made on a particular student or program. This is a great way to remind them that they are a part of the good change which will surely translate to donor engagement and retention.
Finally, you can encourage peer-to-peer giving campaigns through social media, so that alumni feel more directly involved with their community fundraising. By encouraging students to fundraise directly with their peers, you ensure an organic giving environment that fosters the sense of community that many alumni might associate with your school - making it a win for everyone involved!
When it comes to finding new ways to keep alumni engaged with your giving campaigns, matching gifts is a valuable giving option to consider. Matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy in which companies financially match the individual donations their employees make to charitable organizations - sometimes even at a 2:1, 3:1, and even 4:1 ratio.
Donors love to discover their eligibility for these programs as it allows them to instantly double the impact their donation can have on causes they care about, without having to reach back into their wallets. Informing donors of their eligibility can encourage higher donations; 84% of donors are more likely to give a donation in the first place if they know their gift will be matched and 1 in 3 donors indicate that they would donate a larger amount if their gift will be matched.
Many donors are actually unaware that they qualify for a matching gift program - in fact, 78% of match-eligible donors don’t know about their employer’s matching gift program. That’s why we recommend marketing matching gifts to your former students to help them discover eligibility and submit their matching request. This is a great way to add value to their donation experience while boosting revenue for your fundraising campaign. You can utilize a variety of avenues for this outreach, such as on a “Ways-to-Give” page, via social media, and through email outreach.
Moving forward into 2022 with these alumni engagement strategies in your toolbox, you can ensure your alumni remain not only plugged-in, but also well engaged, which is sure to reflect in your fundraising campaigns.
Alumni Engagement: 3 Ways to Keep Former Students Involved
Most fundraising campaigns and engagement events were held virtually in the wake of the pandemic last year, and have continued to leverage the virtual platform ever since. Have a look at three key strategies that can help you improve your virtual alumni engagement in 2022.
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June 8, 2021
12 minutes
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