More than ever before, ensuring alumni engagement and career success are top priorities for colleges and universities. Indeed, as higher education enrollments continue to fall and universities feel heightened pressure to bring in more revenue, active alumni networks not only help institutions of higher education cultivate a compelling brand, but also serve as a vital source of financial support for colleges.
According to the latest findings by Salesforce, “the advancement office is fundamental to institutional growth and development” at universities. Additionally, advancement and development staff rely heavily on the generosity and giving of alumni to achieve their fundraising goals and keep their institutions vibrant and afloat.
The Crisis of Alumni Engagement
As important as alumni communities are for the longevity, reputation, and financial vitality of universities, institutions are having increasing difficulties nurturing alumni networks and sustaining alumni giving.
Traditional methods of communicating with alumni are decreasing in their effectiveness. Advancement professionals continue to rely on the triumvirate of phone calls, email, and direct mail to reach alums, even as these outreach methods yield waning response rates.
Because consumers are so overloaded with email spam, emails frequently go ignored these days. While it might seem that everyone is tied to their email inbox, the majority of people (around 39%) only check their email 1-3 times per day. What’s more, standard email open rates hover anywhere between 20-25%.
Additionally, the 2017 VAESE Alumni Relations Benchmarking Study revealed that 57% of alumni organizations report that using telephone solicitations to solicit new members is “somewhat or not effective”.
That doesn’t even touch on the crisis of alumni engagement. University alumni, and especially millennials, want to feel part of communities. Indeed, millennials cite “wanting to join or feel part of something” as the primary reason they gave gifts over $250 to nonprofit organizations.
Source: IMPACTs by Colleen Dilenschneider
On this front, their needs are not being met. Only 19% of alumni report an organization’s staff made them feel recognized or acknowledged, and a whopping 87% of alumni professionals report they need to improve member engagement. As a result, 72% of alumni organizations report “lack of engagement” as the top reason why members don’t renew.
Digital to the Rescue
At first glance, this may seem like a catch-22: advancement offices communicate through outdated methods and as a result, alumni feel ignored by the very organizations that are trying to engage them.
That’s where digital comes in.
Alumni want to engage, both with their fellow alums and their alma maters. They want to feel a part of something, they want to feel appreciated when they do give, and they want to make full use of the benefits of alumni membership. As it turns out, digital solutions are available to create new synergies between universities and their alumni that help deliver value on both sides.
Let’s take a look at the stats: Recent reports show that 78% of alumni state they would rather be able to access their alumni benefits online, and 75% of surveyed alumni or constituents state that they would be more likely to engage with their organization if the benefits information were mobile-friendly.
Moreover, according to the VAESE report, 77% of alumni organizations have success in engaging their alumni using compelling digital content including social media, blogs, and e-newsletters. In fact, this content is the most effective tool for alumni engagement.
Alumni communities are asking for digital. Now is the time to meet them where they are.
One of the easiest and most effective solutions for engaging alumni through the digital and mobile channels they desire is digital membership cards. Not all alumni-based organizations are dues-paying, and they don’t all issue membership cards either! For those that do, however, replacing traditional paper and plastic membership cards with digital ones that live in the mobile wallet, are taking the first step towards meaningful communication with alumni.
Most higher education institutions offer a variety of benefits to their alumni, ranging from discounts to career services. For alums who pay membership dues, these benefits can be even more extensive. Digital cards keep alumni apprised of all of the benefits afforded to them, to continue to remind them to make use of them. Even more, they are optimized to serve as an outreach channel more effective than phone calls and email. Indeed, digital membership cards are able to send membership renewal reminders straight to your members’ mobile devices, as well as a whole host of other important information. From location-based notifications for local alumni meetups to invitations to donate, push notifications can be instrumental in fostering alumni engagement and alumni giving.
Digital membership cards can also be used as guideposts to keep members up to date types of digital content they appreciate. Whether it’s an invitation to view the latest online newsletter or to follow you on Twitter, a digital membership can be a gateway into deeper digital engagement across many channels.
As colleges and universities depend increasingly on their alumni, now is the time to engage them. Don’t spend 2020 making more answered phone calls - this is the year to go digital!
Interested in increasing alumni engagement through digital? Schedule a free consultation with Cuseum today.