Are your alumni engaged? Are you sure?
According to a national survey conducted by the Collaborative Innovation Network for Engagement and Giving, only 52 percent of alumni at the 100 institutions with the highest alumni participation rates believe that their alma mater keeps them closely connected and values its alumni relationships. That’s a foreboding statistic.
At your own institution, do you:
- Pursue a strategy for consistent and deep listening?
Read: “What Engagement-Focused Fundraising Looks Like” – July 2011 - Provide and improve the services alumni most need – at low cost?
Read: “Alumni Career Services on a Budget” – March 2011 - Save on the cost of reaching alumni where they’re at by maximizing the reach of your events?
Read: “Expanding the Reach of Your Alumni Events Through Social Media and Mobile Technologies” – November 2012
“Taking the Campaign Beyond Campus Events: A Case Study” – January 2013 - Begin outreach early – while your future alumni are still students at your institution?
Read: “The Student-to-Alumni Transition: Are You Missing These Opportunities?” – December 2012
“Building Strong Relationships with Young Alumni” – August 2010
“Millennial Alumni: How to Reach Them” -September 2011 - Engage your alumni board as a truly strategic partner in the outreach effort?
Read: “Make Your Alumni Board Effective” – June 2011 - Measure the effectiveness of your engagement efforts and set goals accordingly?
Read: “Alumni Relations ROI” – May 2013
Over the past 3 years, Academic Impressions has surveyed hundreds of institutions, offered dozens of educational programs for alumni relations professionals, and has interviewed experts from those institutions that have seen success in increasing alumni participation and giving rates. We offer you their insights, practical tips, and case studies in this Special Edition on alumni engagement.
We hope you will find this edition useful and use it to start key conversations in your alumni relations and development office.