Alumni Relations
Many of our speakers have submitted their presentations for downloading. For the full list of downloadable presentations, click here.
Relationship Matters: Growing a Professional Alumni Association
Nancy Fike, Director, Alumni Relations and Development, Gonzaga University, School of Law
Brooke Ellis, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, Gonzaga University School of Law
Thursday, February 24th, 9:15am – 10:30am
Gonzaga University School of Law is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2012 – a great engagement opportunity – but without an alumni association. Starting with 10 founding members, Gonzaga Law will describe how they have grown to well over 400 active alumni.
Through mentoring, recruiting, placement, development and networking committees, the new Gonzaga Law School Alumni Association is adding value and engaging alumni in the life of the school. The School of Law has noticed a measurable impact in many areas, including alumni engagement and dollars raised. Hear our success stories and lessons learned.
Fundraising and Alumni Engagement: Leveraging One Another’s Outreach Opportunities
Denise Callahan, Senior Director of Alumni Relations, Willamette University
Dori Sonntag, Director of Development Operations, Gonzaga University
Thursday, February 24th, 1:45pm – 3:00pm
Often, alumni cultivation is seen as a means only to the end gift. “If you get alumni in the room, be sure to ask them for a gift,” has been the main focus for engaging alumni at all. Now, many institutions are realizing that a focused alumni engagement strategy has its own rewards: higher volunteer recruitment, increased reputational standings, more robust community awareness, etc. And, an engaged alumnus is more likely, down the road, to donate.
This session will help define the new relationship between development and alumni engagement, provide examples of how one can leverage the opportunities inherent in each departments interactions with alumni, and how to improve your cross-functional relationships by showing the ‘value-add’.
Situation Critical: Engaging Alumni When the Going Gets Tough
Mike Teskey, Director, Alumni & Parent Relations, Reed College
Robin Tovey, Assistant Director, Alumni & Parent Relations, Reed College
Thursday, February 24th, 3:30pm – 4:45pm
When your institution is front page news, it helps to have your alumni rally in support – especially when the news isn’t flattering. Utilizing social networking, electronic communication and a strong plan, overcoming negative publicity can be accomplished.
Find out how one institution handled being on the front page of the New York Times when it didn’t want to be, and how alumni and parents rallied to help overcome a potentially damaging headline.
The Power of Podcasting: Creating Compelling Content that Brings Alumni Back Again and Again
Christopher Davenport, Owner, 501 Videos, LLC
Friday, February 25th, 9:15am – 10:30am
We have the tools: LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook … and podcasting. We also have the stories of our alumni, community and institution. Combining these elements into a powerful, compelling and viral way to engage and delight donors and alumni is not only easy, it’s incredibly effective. With hands-on tools and step-by-step guidance, you’ll learn how to develop your own plan for creating podcasts that bring alumni closer to your institution.
Student Alumni Associations – Strategies for Maximizing Student Voices & Resources
Keni Campbell, Alumni Relations Manager, University of Alaska Southeast
Lynne Johnson, CFRE, Director of Development & Alumni Relations, University of Alaska Southeast
Friday, February 25th, 10:45am – 11:45am
Engaging students during college and keeping them involved beyond graduation can be a challenge. Find out how one small school has taken on the challenge with great success – creating a Student Alumni Association to impact post graduation alumni participation and ultimately turn alums into lifetime donors. Tracking of progress over seven years demonstrates the return on investment of building an association with “Alumdergrads!”
From Vision to Practice: Defining and Measuring Alumni Engagement in a Public Campaign
Mark Sollis, Director, Alumni Services, University of British Columbia Alumni Affairs
Dianna DeBlaere, Project Manager, University of British Columbia Alumni Association
Friday, February 25th, 1:45pm – 3:00pm
Reaching beyond the standard capital focus, the University of British Columbia is about to enter its first dual public campaign, one which includes ambitious financial and alumni engagement targets.
Before committing to a public goal, UBC Alumni Affairs had to embark on a multi-month exercise to 1) define engagement to meet alumni, institutional and Association objectives, 2) identify strategic pillars and conduct an operational review to focus the program; and 3) reform a performance management system incorporating a broad array of metrics to support unique units and activities.
In this session, we will highlight the steps the department undertook to refine the target and focus of a public alumni campaign, and share in detail the story of its approach to conducting an organizational review and implementing meaningful metrics. (Tentative: Dianna and Mark will be joined by a representative from the UBC Alumni Association Board who will describe the benefit and implications of this work from an alumnus/board member’s perspective).
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