Alumni engagement often conjures images and memories of class reunions, homecoming events, football games and mega tailgates, and cheering alumni and fans decked out from head to toe in their school’s colors, but alumni engagement is and must be so much more than that. It’s a strategic lifeline.
Strategic alumni engagement isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about building advocacy, generosity and relevance—three ingredients colleges and universities need to survive and thrive in a time of skepticism about the value of higher education.
With the myriad challenges facing higher education—enrollment declines, political pressure and dramatic shifts in funding and revenue models—strategic alumni engagement must go beyond having fun on campus. It’s about nurturing connection, community and relationships that will fuel institutional success regardless of the challenges we face. Alumni, the living proof of the impact and possibility higher education creates, are often an untapped source to thrive in this challenging climate. If colleges and universities fail to foster authentic, strategic connections with their alumni, they miss out on their most credible ambassadors and loyal supporters.
Let’s look at the three areas where strategic alumni engagement can foster impact beyond campus events: advocacy, generosity and relevance.
Advocacy: Alumni are embedded in the world around us. In boardrooms and legislatures, in local businesses, schools and community organizations. When institutions face scrutiny or criticism, alumni may be the best brand ambassadors—champions of the institution who can speak to the value of their experience. When we experience great wins, they can share the news in their circles of influence both online and in person. Alumni can build bridges between institutions and public perception.
Generosity: Philanthropy has always been critical to institutional success and stability. Gratitude and appreciation foster generosity. Alumni who have a genuine appreciation and connection to their institution, for example, alumni volunteers, are more likely to give—and not just their money but also their time, expertise and networks to strengthen their alma mater. An alum who visits a class to share their postgrad experience or who mentors a current student might just become a future donor or volunteer.
Relevance: In a rapidly changing environment, or VUCA world, institutions must embrace the lifelong alumni relationship. Your university is not a four-, five- or eight-year stint in someone’s life. You have the opportunity to remain relevant, useful and integral to their day-to-day life and future success. In addition to lifelong learning or additional degrees, universities can and should support career growth and success for all alumni. When universities create social impact, they positively influence their alumni communities. This mutuality creates relevance and lifelong partnerships that support the individual and the institution in an increasingly competitive world.
Some skeptics argue that alumni engagement is expensive and has uncertain long-term results but this take misses the fact that relationships take time to build. Affinity, once established, requires nurturing and ongoing support. This take also misses the challenging to quantify but unmistakable impact of alumni pride out in the community and the world. Developing and nurturing your alumni community is the best investment you can make in organic and authentic public relations.
For higher education to thrive, institutions must strategically engage their alumni communities. The path forward is clear. Neglect alumni engagement and your institution misses developing its largest, distributed and influential group of supporters. Invest in alumni engagement and build the most powerful and proud community of brand ambassadors who will support your college and university through good times and bad.
The world’s most recognizable brands never stop building engagement. From Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign to McDonald’s Happy Meals, community—in this case, alumni—engagement is a business strategy that supports brand strength and long-term success.
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