How can institutions prove ROI for alumni through career service and professional development programs? Last month, we released our 2018 Career Services for Alumni Assessments report. We were startled to see that almost all of the respondents reported that 25% or less of their resources for career services go to alumni! With ever-shrinking resources, alumni… Continue Reading 3 Ways Career Services Can Prove ROI to Alumni
In the past blog series, we discussed what customer journey mapping can teach us about an alumni leader’s journey and development. In this post, we offer three final tips for how to implement the framework. 1) Let data shape the customer journey map Research-driven “customer” (student, alumni, leader, etc.) journey maps will likely prove to… Continue Reading 3 Quick Tips for Creating Great Regional Alumni Leaders
Can customer journey mapping help your institution create a network of amazing regional leaders? In fall 2017, as part of a follow-up to our 2017 Regional Engagement Assessment, I conducted one-on-one conversations with advancement and alumni relations professionals about how their institutions were engaging regional alumni, including challenges they were facing and insights they’d learned from… Continue Reading What’s Your Alumni Leaders’ Journey? (Part 2 of 2)
Do you know the secrets to using customer journey mapping to transform your students and alumni into superstar regional leaders? Most alumni relations and advancement professionals know all too well the challenge of finding and keeping topnotch alumni volunteers and leaders. But what if we approach this challenge with an entirely new mindset and model? What… Continue Reading What’s Your Alumni Leaders’ Journey? (Part 1 of 2)
In our recent welcome questionnaire, we asked all Research Consortium members, “What is your most pressing question or concern about alumni engagement and philanthropy?” Second to the topic of career services and alumni, the most popular response was research and content related to engaging young alumni. You aren’t alone. According to the results of the… Continue Reading 4 Ways You’re Neglecting Young Alumni
In the Regional Alumni Engagement Assessment we conducted in fall 2016, one of the questions we asked alumni relations and advancement professionals was: “What are some resources, programs, practices, or services you think your institution still needs to provide or offer to regional alumni?” Over 42% of responses to this question related to the desire to provide or… Continue Reading 6 Innovative Approaches to Career Services for Alumni
If we think of regional alumni outreach as a recipe, what are the key ingredients? ✓ Strong volunteers and leadership ✓ Dedicated staff ✓ Relevant programming and events ✓ Open communication ✓ Effective use of alumni data Another ingredient that is often overlooked is web presence. When your alumni visit their local club or chapter’s website,… Continue Reading Five Secrets to Effective Alumni Club Websites
*Image info: Eck Vistors Center, Home of Notre Dame Alumni Association. Photo Credit: Copyright © 2017 University of Notre Dame Campus Tour. We’ve already discussed the challenges of engaging alumni in our first post, but what if we consider this from the other end? What can we learn by taking an in-depth look at an alumni association that… Continue Reading How Notre Dame Creates a Culture of Alumni Engagement
When you think about your institution’s alumni, who do you picture? What is their age? Gender? Race? Religious affiliation? Political leaning? Where do they live? Where do they work? What is their income? Do they have a family? What are their passions? If you had trouble picturing an average alum — or if you resisted… Continue Reading Secrets to the Alumni Lifecycle
Did you know that over two-thirds of institutions report* that at least 60 percent of funds raised are from alumni, supporters, and friends who live outside a 75-mile radius of their central campus? Yet, 25 percent or fewer of the staff in these departments are focused primarily on engaging alumni outside that 75-mile radius. Institutions dedicate a lower percentage… Continue Reading 5 Surprising Challenges to Regional Alumni Engagement and How to Overcome Them