Ultimate Alumni Networking Guide
An alumni engagement program is a powerful tool for universities, colleges, high schools, and other educational institutions. Influential alumni can help education institutions on a variety of fronts, from fundraising and admissions to graduate and athletic programs. To help you take your school’s alumni engagement program to the next level, we’ve provided a plethora of helpful information in form of an ultimate guide.
Here you can find infographics with eye-opening statistics about alumni programs and alumni preferences. It is followed by a list of effective ways you can use to strengthen your alumni network. In the end, we talk about a few common mistakes that you must avoid if you want high alumni engagement.
7 ideas to create a stronger connection with the alumni
Interesting events
Who doesn’t love an entertaining event? Host exciting speakers at your institution to draw alumni back to campus. Also, consider organizing alumni events that provide the valuable networking opportunities young alumni often seek. Equipped with Edana Alumni app, you can send notifications to all of your alumni to make sure everyone receives your invitations
Monthly newsletters
80% of alumni organisations report that “blogs, social media, and e-newsletters” have the most impact on alumni engagement. If you aren’t already compiling a monthly e-newsletter for faculty, staff, students, and alumni, you should strongly consider it. Sending out regular communications about your institution is a crucial way to build community. Most recent alumni regularly view emails on their phones, so an email newsletter is an easy way to connect with them no matter where they are.
Edana Alumni app allows you to send richly-designed newsletters to your former students. Push notification functionality ensures a high engagement rate that easily surpasses email and other similar platforms.
Money is not everything
Many times we get caught up in the monetary aspect of “Giving Back,” and forget that a person’s time is one of the most valuable resources that they can provide. Whether it’s planning a reunion or simply sharing and liking our social media posts, any and all forms of giving should be recognized and rewarded!
There is nothing more unsettling than making alumni feel like their importance is directly correlated with the amount they have given. Giving your alumni the sense that they are important stakeholders is crucial. It could be as simple as asking their opinion on an upcoming event or a new building project, Their input is valuable even without a direct monetary contribution
Support alumni businesses
It is crucial to consider the alumni network a two-way street. Creating an environment of mutual support between the alumni and the institution is the key to driving engagement and establishing a much deeper relationship
Supporting alumni businesses by offering a free-to-use business directory is a very easy and effective way to continue supporting alumni even after they have left your school. A sign of loyalty and appreciation. Allowing your former students to tap into your already built network of alumni would not only boost small businesses but also provide the chance for users to reconnect with their former classmates and strengthen the network even further.
The Business Directory feature in Alumni, Staff, and Parent apps provides a free and easy-to-use platform to achieve exactly that. connecting businesses with potential customers and job seekers with potential employers. Our aim is to provide a useful starting point for anyone requiring services or looking for a particular business provider from trusted and verified sources. Business Directory is entirely free and parents and alumni associated with the institution as well as the spouses or other family members of the institution’s staff members and students are eligible to use it.
Effective surveys
Giving alumni a voice through surveys can be an effective way to keep them linked to your institution. You can distribute surveys about all of the above to get feedback on your alumni efforts. You should also consider sending a general alumni engagement survey to find out how your alumni rate their experience as a student, what your graduates need from you, and how you can build long-term relationships with alumni.
Student-Alumni Mentorships
Creating a student-alumni mentorship program for your institution can help you build strong connections between current and former students. Students want to engage with those who came before them and find out how to succeed beyond the university. Connect students with alumni from the same major area of study, athletic program, or hometown. Help them build a network of professional connections that can offer career advice, internship opportunities, and general “real world” support.
Encourage non-monetary donations
The educational fundraising landscape has evolved as an outcome of the coronavirus situation. Not far removed from the crisis, both alumni and educational institutions find themselves trying to catch their breath financially. In these circumstances, encouraging non-monetary donations and fundraising in-kind could provide a platform for alumni to continue their contributions without feeling pressured.
Mistakes to avoid with alumni networking
Make alumni feel recognized
If any institution hopes to create a vibrant alumni network, they cannot take their alumni for granted. Only 19% of alumni report an organisation’s representatives made them feel recognized. Also, 74% of donors/members appreciate some form of personal “thank you” for their gift or membership. Showing even a little bit of appreciation can go a long way.
Don’t ask for money straight away
Alumni networks are not all about raising money. It’s about creating a mutually supportive community. Alumni would not appreciate being considered as little more than a bag of cash. It is, thus, very surprising to see that 100% of alum surveyed viewed an email, phone call, or direct mail piece from their alma mater as an ask for money BEFORE they engaged in the communication. It is a mistake all educational institutions want to avoid when communicating with their former students.
Don’t make the enrollment process too long
No one can stand long forms and registration processes anymore. Time is valuable and we are all so used to quick interactions. There is no reason to think the situation would be any different with the alumni, especially the younger ones. Data shows that 34% of Millennials don’t join a program because the enrollment process is too long. If you use an enrolment process, keep it short and effective.
Don’t only rely on emails
You can’t expect to build a thriving alumni engagement program if your only method of communication is 15 direct mail pieces that are all solicitations for money. Posting relevant content on social media and engaging them with in-app updates can create a more wholesome approach toward alumni network growth.
