getting started
how does one get buy in from the other departments on campus?
Ruth,
Good question. Could you put yourself in their shoes and come up with a few ideas on how you might get buy in?
June Gudeman
yes I can. I will have to sell the idea of increased addmissions and retention. Are we Good?
Learning more about each others departments. No one department is stand alone and all would benefit from an alumni assoc. certainly through referrals and recommendations.
James,
You're right and you may need to be able to make a list of specific benefits that would apply to each department you really hope to get 'buy in' from. They may need to see specific benefits in order to commit their time and energy.
June Gudeman
I plan to inform the different departments of the benefits to a successful alumni association. For admissions, it may lead to new referrals. For student services, it may lead to new resources available and retention tips. For academics, it could ensure we stay current with the changing trends and job readiness of our graduates. For graduate services, this could lead to new job leads and networking possibilities.
Samantha,
Good thoughts!
Sometimes it just takes pointing out the specific advantages to each department of connections with your alumni.
June Gudeman
To receive "buy in" from other departments and campuses around the province you should start with a Alumni mission statement. That way there is no confustion about what is trying to be accomplished and why it is beneficial to each department and campus. By having a Alumni board and regular meetings the departments can be given the minutes of these meetings to know first hand what is going on. When they are conversing with person's on the board they will also feel the excitment of building and participating in a alumni, than they will want to partipate to enjoy the excitment and the positive outcomes that will result from the Alumni.
Coryne,
Good thoughts! Again, involving some representatives of different departments will certainly help with a sense of 'ownership' to your team and endeavors.
June Gudeman
Our school is considered a branch school and in the past we have not been successful with an alumni. My issue is the same how to get started. Our students are very difficult to track down once they leave school and are working. What is the best way to get in touch with our former students?
Kelley,
There are certainly several options you can use to track down former students, depending on your budget. Many institutions spend thousands of dollars paying companies who specialize in finding current contact info for alumni. Facebook is a cheaper option, but takes time and manpower. To be honest, if you can set up a dedicated alumni website you will be shocked at how your graduates find you! And, if you can set it up so you force them to provide their most current contact info in order to 'get what they want', you will continue to get their info. For example, graduates are always coming back needing Transcripts. We have all our campus sites trained to send all grads looking for transcripts to the alumni website. This forces them to register with us and provide updated info in order to log onto the site and request a transcript. We also provide a service where our grads can connect with old classmates but sending messages internally once they've logged in. Career services also bring back many grads. Set up your website so all of these services require an updated profile. Certainly, you can also do some email blasts to the grads you do have current info on and encourage them to pass the word to classmates they are in contact with.
There's a few ideas to get you started, I'm sure there are more.
June Gudeman
Thankfully we tend to hire our graduates into departmental and instructor roles in our campus, so these department heads have an investment in becoming Alumni Association members. I have an FA Rep, Career Services Rep, Registrar and 2 Instructors. Using their talents of persuasion I believe we will be able to get others on campus to participate and take ownership in our association.
Mary,
Great! It sounds like you won't have to do any arm twisting then to get some people passionate about an alumni group.
Don't forget to invite some alumni who are not employed by your campus and maybe even a couple current students to give their perspective to your planning.
June Gudeman
It is hard to get people to buy in you have to have a very good product.
Debbie,
Could you clarify your statement and explain it further? It's unclear.
Thank you,
June Gudeman
I think it is all about communication. Introducing the plans to other departments at their meetings and asking for their involvement and excitement is crucial. They need to know what impact they can make and how it can benefit them.
Jodi,
Wow! You hit the nail on the head-- 'it is all about communication'. You are absolutely correct. If you can clearly articulate your plan and help the different departments take ownership and see the value, you'll have a motivated team.
June Gudeman
Getting buy in usually includes understanding what drives the other party and/or what they want/need.
If you can figure out how the alumni association will benefit each department, and engage them in discussion around those issues, then they will be much more likely to assist.
You also need to have the support of whoever drives the overall goals for the college. If that person or board is committed to making an alumni association happen they will be able to support the project. They can help other departments understand the big picture and the role they need to play. They can also make the project a priority for those persons that don't fall under your authority if that is necessary.
Our alumni attend for 4 months and then end up all over the country for work. I totally understand how hard they can be to get a hold of.
We are currently using social media, mainly facebook, to create "communities" for them. We have a member of our staff dedicated to outreach. She has been able to interact on social media with the alumni. They like to share pictures of themselves working, and each week, she features one of their pictures on our college facebook page. She also posts job listings and things on her page.
Use multiple ways to engage with students, social media, email, texts and and even phone calls.
If you have a student portal where you communicate with students, look at the content. Are there things you could post to the portal that would provide value to the alumni so they want to check in every so often? We have a job posting section of our website that only alumni can access. The jobs that get posted there are entry level up through journey level jobs. This keeps alumni coming back because it is a resource of value to them beyond just initial employment.
Melissa,
Ownership is critical. Getting a group of individuals who understand the ROI for an alumni association/community is your first step in gathering your owners.
June Gudeman
