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Christina Balotescu
March 21, 2025
As graduates prepare to embark on their journey beyond academia, institutions face the critical question: "How can we retain - and grow - alumni engagement post-graduation?"
Ensuring ongoing alumni engagement is key to building a vibrant and supportive alumni community. If you're part of an institution seeking to cultivate lasting alumni networks, consider the following strategies as your roadmap for success.
Staying top of mind starts with staying in contact. Does your school have a process in place for staying connected before your students become grads?
Our recommendation: Never see another class off without knowing where they are going. Start building connections early by gathering students’ permanent email addresses and other important information before they finish their program. Automatically enroll your students in a private network where they are trained in how to connect with older alumni before they graduate. By taking these proactive steps, you'll be laying the groundwork for continuous engagement.
While platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are vital marketing channels, relying solely on social media is not enough. With so many social media options, investing in one or two platforms means you’ll be missing the majority of your alumni. What’s worse, the content you've painstakingly crafted could easily get lost amidst the overwhelming volume of posts in their feed.
The fact is: your content is consistently at the mercy of changing algorithms on these platforms. Did you know that the average reach for an organic Facebook post is now just 2.2%? Imagine trying to engage 1,000 alumni in your upcoming reunion, webinar, or fundraiser when your announcements might only reach around 22 of them.
Creating a Facebook group for your alumni community can help, but it still has limitations. To ensure broader reach and greater participation, diversify your communication and promotion channels. Consider options such as:
The basic principle for keeping your alumni’s attention is maintaining relevance and value in their lives. That's why it's crucial to build alumni networks that offer concrete benefits to members. Nurture "graditude" by continuously providing opportunities for advancement and networking, including exclusive resources, mentorship programs, networking events, and career development tools.
Show your alumni the value of your network early on, and you won’t need to worry about staying relevant. The university-student relationship can be a lifelong exchange of support and opportunity.
I once spoke with a Director of Alumni Relations who believed that alumni directories are no longer relevant given the existence of LinkedIn and Facebook. To me, this is like saying, “There is no value in the network that we are offering our students.”
While typical directories have their limitations, there is tremendous untapped potential in the alumni database you’ve been maintaining - especially when crafting a dedicated space for your alumni networks. An alumni engagement platform like 360Alumni can transform your alumni directory into a dynamic community hub. These platforms bring a host of features into play, including interactive alumni maps, job boards, group and event management, crowdfunding tools, and email marketing capabilities.
Watch as your alumni community comes alive with continuous activity, promoting engagement and connection among your graduates! As you elevate your network to a new level of interaction and mutual support, you also cultivate goodwill toward your institution.
Mentorship programs can be a powerful way to keep alumni engaged while providing valuable support to recent graduates. By matching alumni with current students or recent graduates, you create a mutually beneficial relationship that fosters a sense of community and belonging.
Giving alumni opportunities to volunteer can significantly boost their engagement and connection to the institution. Whether it’s through serving on advisory boards, helping with student recruitment, or participating in community service projects, volunteering fosters a sense of purpose and loyalty.
Ensuring alumni engagement after graduation requires continuous communication and a focus on the incredible value your alumni networks bring to their lives. From setting up seamless communication channels to developing a special space just for them, these strategies turn alumni connections into a lifelong journey of support and opportunity.
Explore 360Alumni's alumni engagement platform and see these strategies in action. Tap into the potential of your alumni networks and witness the transformation for yourself. By implementing these approaches, you'll foster a thriving alumni community that continues to support and uplift each other and your institution for years to come.
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