Engaging Alumni — Tapping into Your School’s Legacy

Students are the bedrock of any college or university, and once they complete their studies, they continue to lead the way in uplifting their alma mater and cultivating a better future for new students. 

Let’s explore the importance of tapping into your school’s legacy and seven helpful strategies to boost alumni engagement at your higher education institution. 

Why Should You Engage Your Alumni?

Here are some reasons why fostering alumni relationships is essential for any college or university. 

Creating a lasting sense of community

Students will maximize the benefits of attending a higher education institution when they feel a sense of camaraderie with their school. Those who feel disconnected from the university or college might drop out or transfer, so it’s critical to create an enduring fellowship from the moment a student enrolls.

Maintaining ongoing relationships with your alumni demonstrates how much your institution values its students. It also allows you to establish connections between graduates and currently enrolled students.

Supercharging your fundraising efforts

Alumni play a massive role in college and university fundraising. Over 23% of charitable giving to higher education institutions in the United States comes from former students. Actively engaging and keeping up with your alumni is one of the best ways to increase your donations. 

Those who feel their alma mater values them will be more likely to give back. 

Improving higher education

Students are the lifeblood of any higher education institution. Their experiences and feelings toward their alma mater matter. If your school wants to improve its processes and programs, invite current and former students to have a voice. 

Fostering meaningful relationships with your alumni is a fantastic way to learn what areas you can refine to ultimately uplift your university or college’s mission to make the world a better — and more educated — place. 

7 Strategies for Engaging Alumni

Your institution can use various tactics to harness better alumni engagement and tap into the people who know your college or university best.

1. Spotlight your alumni’s work and achievements

A simple and effective way to engage your former students is to spotlight their impressive accomplishments. 

Initiatives like having alumni return to campus and speak about how the university or college influenced their success or highlighting their achievements in your institution’s newsletter can be a good starting point. It is also valuable for currently enrolled students to see what is possible after tossing their caps in the air. 

2. Provide ongoing learning opportunities

Once students receive their diplomas, they should continue to feel their alma mater wants to support their career growth. By offering professional development opportunities, you can enhance engagement and demonstrate how much your institution values graduates. 

Some ideas for ongoing learning include hosting career fairs for graduates looking for new work or having annual networking events that allow alumni to connect with others in a professional but familiar setting. 

3. Stay in touch regularly after graduation

While it may seem simple, regular communication is the cornerstone of alumni engagement. Sending an alumni newsletter is a great way to inform former students about what’s going on at your institution and ways for them to get involved. 

Whether you send an email or physical mail to your alumni, use personalization to demonstrate how much your university or college values them. Avoid sending messages to alumni solely asking for donations, and be sure to continue providing value to your former students in these letters as well. 

4. Host alumni events online and in person

Another idea for boosting alumni engagement is to meet people where they are, offering multiple participation options so everyone can find a fit for their schedule and preferences. For instance, hosting online and in-person alumni events is an excellent way to get more people involved. 

Some people are inevitably unable or unwilling to travel or attend an event in person, but that should not prevent them from participating. Offering multiple attendance options and donation methods can go a long way. 

5. Showcase how alumni donations help

Whenever someone donates their hard-earned money to a cause or institution, they naturally want to know how those funds will help. A fantastic way to engage more of your alumni is to demonstrate how you use their dollars to improve the institution they know and love so much. 

Your college or university can share accounts from current students that illustrate how alumni donations have enhanced their educational experience and why they are so grateful for the gift.  

6. Diversify your alumni fundraising events

Like offering alumni events in person and online to accommodate more attendees, your institution can also diversify the fundraising events you host to extend your reach to more former students. 

Charitable giving to higher education institutions increased by 9.6% in 2021, but people still do not want to receive a letter from their alma mater asking for money. 

Instead, consider implementing more exciting alumni fundraising ideas, such as:

• Silent auctions
• Raffles
• Virtual events
• Tree planting on campus
• Special luncheons

Diversifying your alumni fundraising strategies is critical to getting more people involved.

7. Provide regular incentives 

Another way to keep your alumni more engaged is to provide them with regular incentives. These do not have to be anything extravagant or costly. Something as small as a bumper sticker or window decal of your school’s logo can show your alumni how much you continue to value them as part of your community. 

Engage Alumni with Fundraising Management Software from GiveSmart

If your college or university is interested in supercharging its fundraising efforts, explore what fundraising management software from GiveSmart offers. 

Our fully featured solutions help organizations like yours enhance their campaigns and create more positive donor experiences. From silent auctions and mobile bidding to ticketing and guest management, we have the tools you need to transform how you collect donations. Connecting with and managing your alumni donors is easy with GiveSmart. 

Are you ready to get started? Request a demo of the fundraising management software from GiveSmart to learn more today!