Let's get right to the point. Effective institutional advancement encompassing community building and fundraising is critical for sustained institutional success. For educational institutions, that means a robust alumni relations program. For other entities, it can be cultivating engaged members or participants. The key is to create a structure and a program that drive the institutional advancement effort. To borrow from the corporate world, “what can be measured, can be managed.”

As engagement and fundraising professionals you are uniquely positioned as ambassadors of generosity and goodwill.

Business author Harvey Mackay said his golden rule of networking was, “Don't keep score".  Don't get me wrong - results are critical, but the hard work you do today to grow connectedness in your network will continue to benefit your organization and your members for decades to come.

So the question becomes how can you most effectively use your time to foster relational engagement across your entire network?

Ryan Catherwood recently posted an article “Why Alumni Network Platforms Will Likely Fail Us All”, but the article actually points responsibility to both the platforms promoting best practice and the organizations building communities. Ryan, I challenge you to re-title it “Why Everybody Could Win with an Alumni Community”.

As marketers, new regulations around data and communications might make us worry. But the GDPR presents opportunities to build goodwill and serve your people better.

Volunteers are your best ambassadors, the lifeblood of your organization. So how can you supercharge their engagement and commitment to your mission?

Volunteers can offer vital help to your institution and to your alumni community, but the benefits can be even greater for the volunteer. By offering volunteer opportunities, you provide an outlet for alumni to gain experience, develop skills, improve career prospects, meet new people and increase their affinity to your institution.  Asking alumni to share something other than money cultivates lasting committed relationships. These deepened relationships, as well as a focus on time versus money can also impact their willingness to eventually donate.