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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of alumni relations, sparking new questions and concerns, as well as opportunities for alumni associations. Since the escalation of Coronavirus, traditional methods for alumni engagement, such as class reunions, sporting events, tailgates, homecoming, in-person social events, alumni chapter meetups, and networking opportunities have been cancelled. In response, alumni associations are pivoting to digital and virtual strategies to keep alumni engaged and actively involved.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Jennifer Chambers (Assistant Vice President, Lifelong Learning @ Duke Alumni), Veronica Dominguez (Associate Director of Alumni Engagement @ UTSA Alumni Association), & Serena Bettis (Coordinator of Alumni and Parent Relations @ Southwestern University Alumni) as they do a deep dive into shifting alumni engagement tactics. This webinar will explore many aspects of digital engagement, including virtual events, programs, and networking opportunities, as well as digital communications.

View the full recording here.

Here are the main takeaways:

Experiment with New Digital Channels to Engage Alumni

Engaging alumni and fostering a community are some of the most important roles that alumni associations serve. Before the pandemic, Serena Bettis at Southwestern University noted that events like homecoming, reunion parties, and local chapter events were popular among alumni and essential to keeping for keeping engagement levels high They also had a strong record of involvement with their Operation: Pen and Paper, where alumni have the chance to write letters to prospective students.

Since the pandemic, however, alumni associations have had to rely increasingly on digital channels to keep alumni engaged. For example, since the pandemic, Veronica at UTSA Alumni Association has developed a virtual mentoring program for alumni. She also highlighted the importance of Digital Membership Cards for their engagement strategy:

“We started working with Cuseum to launch digital membership cards about a year ago, before the pandemic. Typically, each month when we had memberships renew, we would, like a lot of associations, print new cards and mail them out. We were super grateful to have [switched to digital] prior to this pandemic, because it allowed us to still get our membership cards digitally through people's Apple or Google wallet. As we transitioned our programming, our cards weren't an issue. In fact, I see digital as a benefit.”
– Veronica Dominguez

From Digital Membership Cards, social media initiatives, virtual programming, digital networking resources, online events, e-newsletters, and more, there are many channels at your disposal to engage your alumni throughout the pandemic. Experimenting with new channels and approaches can be an exciting way to explore what hits home with your alumni!

Pro tip: Looking for more information on Digital Membership Cards? Check out our resources!

Consider the Advantages of Digital

The onset and escalation of the pandemic forced many alumni associations to press pause on their existing programming and planned events. At Duke University Alumni Association, Jennifer stated that in-person programming instantly got canceled for the fall and she had to evaluate what to switch to a virtual setting and what to let go. She and her team implemented a series called Black in 2020: A Virtual Lecture Series with their Black alumni and the African and African American studies department at Duke. The popular six part series had faculty and alumni speakers, and garnered over 7,000 virtual attendees!. Unexpectedly, Jennifer discovered many new benefits of the new virtual environment.

“What we’re finding right now is the opportunities that virtual has given us. Offer things that people would not have been able to participate in the past for their lifestyle reasons or distance from campus. Time zones can make a difference in what you can participate in and virtual has leveled the playing field. It’s completely changing the way that we’re thinking about our programming overall.”
– Jennifer Chambers

Serena added:

“It’s a way to reach a target audience that normally is not one that would have engaged, so that is a really eye opening experience for us and how to reach that audience. It’s also been great to make connections with those people who want to be a part of connecting on a regular basis, but can’t, so they feel a connection that has been lost as well. So we’re reaching these people who’ve been wanting to feel connected to their Alma mater.”
– Serena Bettis

For Veronica, their biggest hit was their largest scholarship fundraiser, the Annual Alumni Association Gala. They are still considering a virtual gala and other virtual opportunities, like virtual homecoming programming. Their most successful initiatives included programming by retired faculty members, as well as their virtual travel program.

Veronica was also involved with programming the Grad Bash, an hour long program to celebrate new graduates. They had sponsors and a DJ with museum, games, and prizes, and received very positive feedback with great engagement rates!

Now is the time to learn from your peers! From virtual lectures to online galas, organizations of all kinds are coming up with successful events and programs, and these can inform the programming you design for your own alumni.

Learn from Failures

While it is important to look at successful initiatives, failures should also be examined and assessed. In these times of experimentation and learning, failure can be a critical tool for honing your strategy and doing better next time. For example, Jennifer had to look into email strategies to prevent people from pressing unsubscribe on their emails. She wanted to provide enough communication, but also did not want to overwhelm the audience with emails. Initially, this was hard to balance.

“Instead of doing four or five individual registrations, we did it as a series. Even though we didn’t have the information for the latter part of the series, we had people save the date and they could register for it upfront. And then as the information became available, we only sent it to the people who had already expressed interest.”
– Jennifer Chambers

Similarly, Serena tried to organize a social media campaign with a series of interactive posts and challenges; however, this did not receive much participation as she hoped due to the lack of information about the details. This was a learning moment, where she adjusted her mode of information delivery for the future.

Consider the Variety of Platforms and Tools

With the multitude of platforms and digital tools available, it is important to evaluate what will be best for your organization to elevate your engagement strategy. For Veronica, it took some trial and error, but they found success using Zoom for their upcoming webinar series for their grad studies program. For virtual trivia , Kahoot has been a favorite.

Jennifer has implemented a Lifelong Learning Youtube page for the Duke Alumni Association. Through Youtube, it’s been possible to compile all the generated content and curate playlists based on topics. They also placed many of their courses on Coursera to further engage with the alumni community.

Other alumni associations are turning to tools like Graduway and PeopleGrove to better manage their alumni engagement strategy.

With all the tools at your disposal, there’s many new opportunities for connecting with alumni!

Alumni associations have had to quickly adjust to the new normal with the switch to digital resources. Although the in-person events are on pause, many associations are keeping engagement high with digital resources. By learning from successes and failures, collaborating with peers, and experimenting with all the virtual platforms available, you can be well on your way to weathering this pandemic.