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Building a Culture of Alumni Engagement
….in College and Beyond
Agenda:• Survey Results
• The Why?
• How we engage our Scholars and Alumni
• Alumni Engagement Trends
• Tips and Tools
• Coke Scholars Connect
• Questions?
Survey Results
Results of Alumni Engagement Survey29 filled it out
Of those- 59% Private Charities, 21% Public Charities and 20% Other
What year did your org start?
• 4 started in the last 10 years• 7 started between 2000 and 2010• 9 started between 1990 and 2000• 4 started between 1980 and 1990• 5 orgs between 1947 and 1967• So oldest is about 70 years old. • Youngest org is 3 years old.
How much money given in funding
scholarships a year?
• Ranged from $6,500 to 40 million • Average given = 4.4 million a year
How many total Scholars (current and alumni) does your org
have?
• 21% 0-500• 6.9% 500-1,000• 28% 1,000-2,500• 24% 2,500-5,000• 6.9% 5,000-7,500• 6.9% 7,500-10,000• 6.9% more than 10,000• Average of total Scholars = 3,000
How many of those are alumni out of college?
Ranged from 3 to 20,000Average = 1,500
How fully is your organization tracking alumni (ie,
have a current email, know current employer, etc.)?
Fully, we have all the data we’d like 3.45% (1)
Mostly, about 70% of good data on alums 17.24% (5)
Limited, some data on alumni 62.07% (18)
Not at all 17.24% (5)
If so, what system are you using to track…?
Excel 47.62%Homegrown System 14.29%Access Database 9.52%Platform 9.52%Salesforce 9.52%Others: Blackbaud/Raisers Edge, Graduway, LinkedIn
Do you engage your alumni in meaningful ways by
providing opportunities to connect with each other
and back to your organization?
Yes 20.69% (6)
In a limited fashion 44.83% (13)
No 34.48% (10)
How many full-time staff /FTEs are devoted to working
with alumni engagement? Out of how many staff
members total?
• Most said 0 or 1• 1 org said 2• 1 org said all 3 people on staff have a piece of it.• Highest number of people on staff- 55.
What kind of a budget do you have for alumni
engagement?
None yet 44.83% (13)
A shoestring budget 31.03% (9)
A significant amount 24.14% (7)
Ways your organization engages your
Scholars/ alumni?
• Current Scholars 28.57%• Events 28.57%• Community Service 14.29%• Facebook Group 14.29%• Incoming Scholars 14.29%• Social Media 14.29%
Do you have an alumni board or council?
Yes 20.69%
No 58.62%
We are working on creating one. 20.69%
Do you have an alumni portal that allows
Scholars to connect across regions?
Yes 13.79%
No 56.625
We are working on finding one that meets our needs.
20.69%
If you answered YES, which platform are you using?
Graduway 25.00%
We are in the process of finding one to meet our needs.
25.00%
We use a custom-built platform 25.00%
Other: Private FB group 25.00%
What topics listed below would you be most excited to attend a session on at the annual
NSPA conference?
Majority want to know • more about tracking post graduation• Creating Engagement/ Programming Opportunities and Developing Scholars throughout
college to be dedicated alumni
ALSO:• importance of tracking/engaging alumni• matching current alumni with younger Scholars- mentoring/coaching• finding an alumni portal…
Metrics:• What kind of questions or data should we be asking now and in the future for evaluation and
reporting?
Best Practices:• Want the opportunity for other scholarship providers to share alumni engagement info in a
more formal manner on a semi-regular basis.
Background on the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation:
• 29 years old
• 150 scholarships a year at $20,000
• $3 million a year
• 5,900 Scholars since 1989
• Undergrads = 600
• Alumni (college and beyond; since 1989)- 5,300
• 1 on staff dedicated to Undergrads and 1 dedicated to alumni
• Use Blackbaud/ Raisers Edge to track
• Do engage in meaningful ways; limited but fair budget
• Do have an Alumni Advisory Board
• Alumni Portal
The WHY?
Why is it important to track and engage your Scholars beyond college?
• To demonstrate the value of your program to your investors/funders/BOD
• To show the impact that the scholarship had on its recipients
• To demonstrate influence of your program and network
• Accurate metrics help you to better tell your story.
Starts with having their email and knowing where they live.
How We Engage OurScholars & Alumni
• 27 alumni, 9 staff Coaches
• 93 first-year Coachees
• Transition, campus engagement, career
exploration
• Goal setting
• Career site for high-achieving students, young
alumni
• Exclusive job posts
• Career development training
• $78 annual fee – free to 2008-2016 Scholars
• 10 campus pizza socials
• 140 total Scholars
➢ SWALS (Alumni Legacy Scholarship)➢ Networking Videos – interviews of CCSF Board
Members by Hannah Nemer (2010)
➢ Connecting across campuses/groups in CSC➢ Annual Reports to renew scholarship
Alumni Engagement:• Alumni Advisory Board
• Selection Committees
• Leadership Development Committee
• Coaches
• Social Media + Newsletters
• Regional Connections
• Giving Opportunities
• Coke Scholars Connect Portal
• Stories of Impact and Influence
• Networking receptions (can utilize alumni homes/places of work)
• Hiking with Mark
• #CokeScholarPro events
• #CokeScholarsDine
• Service Summits and Service Trips
• Leadership Summits
• Cards/ birthday posts/ baby tees
2016 In Summary:
In-person connections: 730+Scholar engagement (undergrads): 500+
Online touch points: 4,200+Newsletter mentions: 240+
Reading the Newsletters: 1,600+ Alumni Giving: 79
*note: Some are duplicates so… at least 35% engaged in some way.
Alumni EngagementTrends
Industry Trends in Alumni Relations:
Moving Towards…
1. Strategic Planning
• Goals, strategies, metrics, action plan
• Demonstrates the values/principals that guide what you stand for
• Operationalizes a plan around your vision/mission, priorities…
• Ex: Paterson StrapOps model, Duke’s academic model
Action Initiative Plan
2. Demonstrating Mutual Value:
• Start at the beginning – when you first connect with your
Scholars
• Talk about the network and how it can enrich your life
• Engage your alumni in mutually beneficial partnerships that
generate meaningful connections, and strengthens the
network and your investment
• Set up affinity groups- connect them around shared
practices and mutual interests.
• Train them to become ambassadors for your program
3. Accountability:
• ROE- demonstrate return on engagement
• METRICS: What is important for you to measure?
• See Case task force on alumni engagement metrics
• Show correlation between engagement and outcomes
4. Integration
• Integrate common language around alumni engagement and
fundraising to better tell your story.
• Where can you get the most “bang for your buck”?
(For example, if trying to raise money among your alumni or sponsors etc., find
a draw among your alumni. We have a Senator/Congresswoman in our network-
have one of them come speak to our Washington Scholars…)
Tips and Tools
Make sure you have an effective database/ system (CRM) that
works for you.
Alumni SyncFinding lost alumni
Getting Emails/cell numbers for alumni and major gift prospects
Identifying deceased constituents
Use social media + easy hashtags (to track, engage and be a resource for your
alumni and other scholarship providers,
donors etc.)
Donor Search or Blackbaud Fundraising
Toolsif trying to raise money
For Tracking
Alumni Engagement
Stay up on A.R. Trends
Colleges/ universitiesOther Scholarship
ProvidersBlogs like “Alumni
Futures”
Alumni Networking Platforms:
GraduwaySwitchboard: (more for
fundraising)First Hand: more of a mentoring platform
TassleAlumni Fire
Tie bigger events back to Nostalgia
(ie: traditions/favorite aspects of their Scholars
Weekend; how they became a Scholar in the
first place)…Brand your events creatively
(ie: “Slices for Scholars”, “Coke Scholars Dine”)
Use what you have:
NewslettersYour website
BlogsTheir words/testimonies
Your alumni as “broadcast towers”
Conferences:
Graduway C.A.S.E. (Council for Advancement and
Support of Education)A.C.S.N (Alumni and
Career Services Network)
Coke Scholars Connect
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