The Generosity of a Powerful Alumni Network

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 develop your organization's network will benefit your organization and your members for decades to come.

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

The Network is the Benefit

The power of your network is your entire constituency. The larger and more diverse your network, the more extraordinary the potential opportunities. Don’t limit your efforts to just alumni - include current students, local or connected employers, staff, professors and supporters of your organization. Finding ways to connect your constituency across those naturally occurring silos is low-hanging and valuable fruit.

Invest by Helping Your Network Build Itself

Empower your constituents with the tools to expand interconnectedness. With tools to engage, like-minded individuals or companies can set up groups to share information about their firm, connect with interested users and foster ongoing relationships for networking, mentorship, and potential jobs.

360Alumni helps you do this by putting the power of alumni engagement in the hands of your users:

• An alumni job board makes it easy for your members to find their next job or key employee. Introduce a mentoring program for students and alumni to share career advice.
• An interactive alumni map lets members to easily visualize their network and connect based on location.
• Alumni Groups, chapters and cohorts are micro-communities can facilitate the connections, conversations and gatherings among members of affinity groups
• Event management provides an engaging experience for users to easily register online for reunions, homecoming, games, regional events and performances while also empowering your affinity groups to manage their own events too.
• Fundraising campaigns engage and encourage your alumni to give back to the organization they love with compelling visual storytelling tools.
• Communications tools from in-app messaging between users and groups; to social sharing for events, giving and jobs; and email marketing via Emma for your admins, the 360Alumni platform fosters communication on every level.

Who Wouldn’t Benefit From Being More Connected?

Whether looking for a job, making a tough hire, moving to a new city or pursuing new interests, everyone can benefit from the connections you are fostering.  Being able to tap into a network of people from different professions and geographies with an array of interests can represent a universe of opportunities for finding  mentors, job and intern candidates, volunteer opportunities and social networking.

Generous Networks in Action: Hiring Fellow Alumni

In a competitive job world, you can provide excellent value for your constituents by enhancing their social capital. Hiring is a prime example of how an alumni network can benefit both employers (who hate turnover) and job-seekers looking for a great fit. According to job site Zippia:

• A staggering  85% of jobs are filled via networking with personal and professional connections.
• Up to 70% of employees received their current company position through networking.

How would you rate your current ability to foster these connections? Does your current alumni program and platform provide the tools to mobilize and enable all of your constituents to connect?  To see how 360Alumni can help you increase connectedness among your constituents, schedule a demo.

For Clients:

• Steps to Building a Successful Fundraising Campaign
• 360Alumni’s Job Board
• Finding Alumni in Your Community

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• The Power of Alumni Networks in a Digital Age: Overcoming the Challenges