Cultivating a Successful Alumni Engagement Strategy
Building and nurturing alumni engagement holds great significance for schools, as fostering an enduring connection that extends far beyond graduation is important to your community as a whole. Sustaining a strong bond with alumni yields a multitude of benefits that enrich both the institution and your former students.
Why is alumni engagement important for schools?
First and foremost, engaged alumni become pillars of financial support. Their contributions, whether through direct donations or funding specific projects help the school with campus infrastructure and many more things. This financial backing empowers institutions to innovate, expand, and maintain their academic excellence.
Beyond financial assistance, engaged alumni contribute their time, expertise, and networks to their alma mater. Their involvement such as participating in committees and advisory boards to volunteering at campus events is a very important point for schools as such involvement infuses fresh perspectives and fosters a vibrant campus community.
By returning to campus events, alumni inspire current students with real-world success stories, providing living proof of the institution's transformative power. Through mentoring relationships, industry placements and internships, they guide and nurture the next generation of students.
Here are 3 alumni engagement ideas that you can use to boost your school’s alumni engagement:
Take a Hybrid Approach to Alumni Events
When planning events for the year, mix in-person and online options. For those far away, let them join in-person events virtually. Online events can be fun too. Have sessions by industry, play virtual games, and share interactive talks, organise regular reunions or leverage your alumni’s skills to offer expert talks to your students. By offering both in person and virtual events, more alumni will be able to join. Ask alumni what events they like with polls, then add more of those to the schedule!
Develop a Community of Global Connections
When your alumni feel involved, they become more open to offering their time and support to their fellow alumni and other members of your community. This is advantageous for both former students and institutions, as it forms a group of people who can connect, assist, or work together on business-related projects. Creating a global network using newsletters, annual events, or by sending out a school magazine is a great way to develop this community and keep them updated on the latest news about the school.
Show Where Donations Go
When alumni choose to donate to your school, they want to see what their money is going toward. It is very important to share details on upcoming and completed projects that are funded with their money. Institutions can transport alumni back onto campus by offering virtual tours of new facilities, or host a walk-through of a school space funded by alumni donations.
In our rapidly changing world, the needs of graduates change over time. So, it’s important to develop an alumni engagement strategy that meets these evolving needs and expectations. If you’d like to learn more about how to create an effective alumni engagement strategy, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to assist you! Book your call here.
