Going Where They Are: 5 Tips for Engaging Alumni Online

When I accepted an alumni career development position this summer, I understood the role would look different than my prior work in student career services.

For one, as a university staff member, our alumni are a large and diverse group. No longer could I rely on a preeminent location next to the student union building to lure a mostly captive audience. Alumni are spread across the country, often across the globe, and to identify and meet their career development needs is a unique challenge.

To meet this challenge, the approach in this position has changed from “how do we get them [the students] into the building?” to “how do we get to where they [the alumni] are?” Instead of focusing time and resources on in-person advising and programming, my focus in this role has shifted to creating engaging resources and events alumni can access remotely.

Below are the key takeaways I have learned so far.

Rely on Expertise Not surprisingly, alumni are a bit more skeptical than a typical college freshman. To win them over, it is important to deliver trusted expertise on an in-demand topic. Whether this means recruiting credentialed career coaches to conduct an online resume review, or inviting an accomplished alumni entrepreneur to host a webinar on how to scale a business, alumni are drawn to events that connect them with an expert.

Take Strategic Risks

While there are some drawbacks to not having as much in-person contact with your audience, it also frees up time and resources that do not need to be allocated toward reserving a space, pulling together a panel, or ordering catering. Use this freedom to try something new. When you are programming remotely, the cost of a poorly attended event is often less in terms of both time and money, so it can be well worth the effort to try something new and see if it works. Maybe this involves partnering on a program with another university office or testing out a topic that may have more niche audience.

Leverage Technology

When your audience is scattered and your primary meeting place is online, it is no surprise that harnessing technology is paramount. This doesn’t mean committing activity to every conceivable platform, but instead thinking strategically about the tools that resonate the most with your audience. Also important to consider is that many of these resources require a license and often require a financial commitment. Spending time investigating potential partnerships and co-licensing opportunities with other offices across campus may be well worth your time.

Acknowledge Volunteers and Participants

One of the advantages of recognizing career development as a vehicle for alumni engagement is that it priorities recognition and relationship building. It is surprising the goodwill that results from the small effort of not only sending surveys, but responding to them personally. Of course, alumni offices are famous for their swag closets, so putting a tumbler or padfolio in the mail for a volunteer is also a well-received gesture. Especially when you often do not have the luxury of thanking a volunteer in person, sending a gift and handwritten note or getting on the phone to say thank you is an important way to express your gratitude and keep volunteers engaged.

Market Effectively

Regardless of your audience, having a clear and effective marketing strategy is often a challenge. When your particular crowd represents a seemingly limitless cross section of new and seasoned professionals in a wide array of careers and industries, it can seem especially daunting. Spending time on a well designed newsletter and creating compelling graphics for upcoming events can be good first steps, but especially when your audience may run the risk of email and newsletter fatigue, it can be helpful to consult the office or university communications team to develop a more robust plan.