Alumni Engagement, although the concept is not new, is gaining popularity with the benefits that it’s reaping. Maintaining a positive relationship with your alumni provides long-term value to an educational institution by offering them the chance to stay in contact, continue to learn from each other, and also give back. But, it’s not easy to bring your Alumni back to the institution and make them form Associations once they lose contact with the Institution.
You are doing everything, sending emails, and marketing on social media, yet they don’t sign up or they don’t come back and we keep wondering why.
But the real question is — Why should Alumni sign up?
Different personas of Alumni look for different features to which the Institution should cater. To understand more, refer to The Four Alumni Personas
The services that you provide make it transactional for the Alumni to sign up. We, at Vaave, having expertise of over 10+ years in Alumni Engagement, are listing down 5 things that would help you to get your Alumni signed up.
Jobs Opportunities
Successful graduates are the institution’s best asset and you can help them with career choices. Offer career support for recent graduates and longtime alumni. Publish lateral job opportunities that are exclusively offered for Alumni on your platform with easy access to apply. Send them timely alerts so that they don’t miss out.
Upskilling or Transitions
After all, education is a lifelong investment and you have to provide ways for your Alumni to make the most of it, even when they leave. Alumni engagement would allow them to learn from each other by sharing their personal experiences, providing a platform to reconnect with influential Alumni aiding Personal and Professional Growth.
Sessions on niche-specific topics would interest the Alumni and help them in upskilling or transition to a new role in their present career paths. Encourage Mentor-connect initiatives so that not only the current students but also the Alumni can also be benefitted.
Alumni Services
Link mandatory services like transcript requests, entry to the library, Campus visits, etc., to your Alumni platform to make them easily accessible to your Alumni. Keep your Alumni updated with the latest services you will be offering. Ask for their suggestions and make a note of the services they want to avail themselves of from the institution and provide them with the same.
Networking Opportunities
Networking can take many forms. Institutions might offer online career sessions or host virtual networking events. Prove that your alumni association is an immense network of professional contacts by providing great sources for informational reviews or investments. Make reunions not just confined to reminiscing old memories or connecting on nostalgia, but also to developing and maintaining relations with Influential and Powerful Alumni.
Showcasing Businesses
Your Alumni’s brand value impacts your Institution’s brand advocacy. Identify star Alumni, Showcase their achievements, and Publish their success stories. Alumni would look forward to sharing their journeys and providing them with a platform. By marketing their sessions on social media which would reach plenty of people, you can improve your Brand image too.
Good alumni relations benefit alumni as well as the institution but unless we possibly show them the benefits, they’re not coming back to you. If you support your alumni in their professional and personal lives through activities such as the facilitation of social and professional networks, and preferential access to on-campus expertise and facilities, they are likely to be your loyal life-long supporters. Your support may also help your alumni achieve successful and Influential positions, which will, in turn, benefit your institution as they begin to give back. By helping your Alumni enhance their degree qualifications, the institution can become bigger, stronger, and more successful.
Listen from the CEO, Vaave himself sharing his 2 cents on Why Alumni aren’t signing up in the video below.
We, at Vaave, bring all these professional services at handhold and run your program to bring back your Alumni to you.
To know more about how we are helping institutions engage their Alumni meaningfully, write to us at hello@vaave.com