Engaging Young Alumni: Building a Lasting Foundation

Transcription

1 Engaging Young Alumni: Building a Lasting Foundation Dave Steadman Director of Annual Giving, St. Albans School 2013 CASE District IV Conference: Education. INVINCIBLE! Fort Worth, Texas March 26,

2 A Little Background Grew up in Massachusetts Lifelong Red Sox Fan Hamilton College Alumnus First job out of college: Wedding DJ Lived in DC since 2009 Completed 3 Ragnar Relays Joined Hamilton s Alumni Relations Office in 2005 and ran regional events program Became the first Director of Young Alumni Giving in 2007 Left Hamilton in 2010 to lead the Annual Giving Program at St. Albans 2

3 The Next 75 Minutes Recent graduates are vital constituency for every school and require a unique approach to volunteerism and philanthropy. At the end of this session, you will learn: The building blocks needed to create, enhance, and maintain a robust young alumni program How to conduct research with recent graduates, build a young alumni council, create targeted events, strategize social media, and market Annual Giving to Millennials. 3

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5 The Plan for Today Who are the Millennials Key Factors for Success What we did at Hamilton (GOLD) Undergraduate Programs Young Alumni Committee Trustee Mentoring Events GOLD Scholars: Putting a face to Annual Giving Working with Young Alumni Volunteers Volunteer Support Tools Social Media 5

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7 The Millennials: What They Want To be inspired To get information quickly To be included To give and serve To engage their minds To have customizable options Authentic & personal relationships 7

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11 Hamilton s Legacy of Alumni Support Continuum of alumni support Without a legacy of support one has to be created Young alumni provide the base for a legacy that grows Where are you on the continuum? If you don't know where you're going, any road'll take you there 11

12 Key Factors for Success It s not about what. It s all about who! Ensure & Maintain top-down support Use data to drive decisions Utilize Jim Collins Hedgehog Concept Do one thing & do it well (keep it simple) High-level, personal service to volunteers Commitment to continuous improvement 12

13 Undergraduate Programs at Hamilton Traditions Program during Freshman Orientation Senior Gift Committee 2-3 Co-Chairs, person Committee Selection of senior gift creates a class legacy Actively solicit classmates Hamilton Alumni Leadership Training (HALT) students, competitive process to join Monthly luncheons with key campus leaders Manages several year-long projects Lifting the tent 13

14 Undergraduate Program Goals Educate and create awareness in students make the case that Hamilton is worthy of their support Celebrate old traditions and create new Instill and foster School pride Class unity/school unity/program unity Steward loyalty to school Engage while on campus and when students leave 14

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17 Undergraduate Programs at UPenn 17

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21 The Handoff: Student - Alumni Transition 21

22 It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Sherlock Holmes 22

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24 Hamilton GOLD: Graduates Of the Last Decade Created the GOLD moniker in the late 70s By 2005, it was a program in name-only Most recent 10 alumni classes represented 25% of all alumni Decline in giving rates/event attendance, despite being an intensely loyal group Not broken, but needed a face-lift Enthusiastic volunteers lack of direction Volunteer Leadership in silos 24

25 Re-branding Hamilton GOLD 1. Conducted a gap analysis of current programs 2. Used results to build consensus with volunteer and school leadership to make GOLD a priority 1. Created a go-to person for Young Alumni 3. Recruited a Young Alumni Engagement Committee 4. Worked with Committee to create online survey 5. Used results to make decisions/affirm understandings 6. Set SMART goals (and shared them broadly) 7. Designed work to achieve goals 25

26 GOLD Engagement Committee member advisory group 2 members from each GOLD class Chair (2 year term), Members (1 year term) Part of the Alumni Council Collaboration with other committees Monthly conference calls and two on-campus meetings a year 26

27 GOLD Engagement Committee The mission of the Committee is to secure the and increase the involvement of the GOLD Group in the life of the College through: Volunteering Unrestricted giving (Annual Fund) Participation in regional and on campus events Enhanced career and social networking 27

28 A Few Notes on Surveys Before you begin, do your homework Research peer and aspirational peer schools Avoid making assumptions Inventory your programs Determine your goals Understand why you re surveying Clarity, timeline and context Be ready to change 28

29 A Few Notes on Surveys Know Your Audience Internal and external Seek partnership opportunities Location, location, location Focus groups, online, in-person, phone It s all in the timing Clear timeline, deadline driven Incentives to participate - raffle? Share your results 29

30 Survey says...? Young alumni want 1. Information and access 2. To know their support makes a real difference 3. To connect and engage with a meaningful network 4. To provide leadership and guidance 5. To be taken seriously 30

31 Re-branding Hamilton GOLD Leadership Trustee mentoring with GOLD classes On-campus leadership summit Events Strategic events (not just Happy Hours) Series of events with College President Career-focused/networking events Philanthropy GOLD Scholars Program: The Power of Many Increased number of volunteers to make the case personally 31

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33 GOLD Trustee Mentoring Every GOLD class paired with a Board member Class volunteers and leadership donors are invited to participate in: Two 30 minute calls a year (after Board meetings) College update News from the Board meeting Q&A Continued dialog throughout year 33

34 GOLD Summit A Weekend of Networking in 2009 & 2010 Held in tandem with existing alumni events Panel discussions with alumni experts Planned and marketed by GOLD Committee, HALT, Career Center and Alumni Office Became a regional event in 2012 Full day program held on a Saturday in DC, NYC, San Francisco and Boston 34

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36 GOLD Presidential Events Underscore Hamilton s commitment to GOLD Highest-level stewardship Events held in key regions (target 6/year) Breakfasts & Lunches hosted by the College s President in central city locations Mix of events targeted to just leadership donors and volunteers and the greater GOLD Group 36

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38 GOLD Scholars Program Endorses both Student Financial Aid & Annual Giving Puts a Face to the Facts Personal Measurable Marketable Long-half-life Simple and easy to replicate 38

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41 A GOLDen Legacy 41

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44 Annual Giving - A Black Hole? Money is restricted operation support for one whole year I don t know where the money goes means an alum does not understand the functions of the institution Influence with core messages: What are they? What are the proof points? 44

45 Working with Young Alumni Volunteers 45

46 Building Your Volunteer Army Create a menu of young alumni volunteer options The Cycle 1. Identify and recruit 2. Support and encourage 3. Assess and steward 46

47 Building Your Volunteer Army Identify and Recruit Use current volunteer assessment to identify gaps Seek out suggestions from development colleagues, faculty and other volunteers Review event, volunteer and giving history Develop recruitment strategy and timetable Position lead volunteer (or staff if needed) to recruit 47

48 Building Your Volunteer Army Support Get mutual agreement on volunteer responsibilities Professional volunteer job descriptions are essential Be specific on goals and length of commitment Offer frequent and short training sessions Webinars, conference calls, online tools, Google Hangouts Individual orientation face to face is best Foster personal relationships 48

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50 Building Your Volunteer Army Assess and Steward Host regular meetings with volunteers and share progress to goals Volunteer feedback is critically important (annual survey) Distribute regular progress reports Especially for AG volunteers Discuss final results with volunteers or volunteer teams 50

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52 Building Your Volunteer Army Steward Your Elite Cadre Deliver the highest-level of customer service Recognize volunteers publicly and regularly Create Young Alumni Service awards and present at events Special awards for Reunions and GOLD retirees Publish stories about volunteers in alumni magazine/online Create a sense of prestige with a special pin or certificate Host a special event for Young Alumni volunteers Know your under-performers and talk with them 52

53 Manage Proactively Typical challenges with young alumni volunteers Over-committed Limited post-graduate connection with the institution Lack of experience and concern about workload Inconsistent volunteer engagement Not as attentive to providing feedback / deadline indifference Lack of personal contact from institution Substituting electronic correspondence for personal outreach What are your challenges? 53

54 Volunteer Support Tools Designated class manager in office High-level of personal volunteer support Clear job descriptions Regular assessments Peer-to-peer support mechanisms Class leader committees Discussion forum on LinkedIn and Facebook Online Tools Volunteer wiki Google Documents In Person Training Regional with groups and/or individually On-campus training - especially for Reunion Classes 54

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58 Social Media Choose Your Tools Wisely Are you solving a problem? Where are your alumni spending time? Go there. Just because you can, doesn t mean you should. 58

59 Know your audience! Put your audience FIRST (then your institution) Millennials = It s About Me Learn what they like Make it special (insiders!) Communicate & Entertain 59

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62 Tell a story Ask a question Appeal to a broad audience Post consistently (daily+) 62

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68 5 Reasons to Prioritize the Mobile Web this Year 1. Mobile Web Will Rule by Mobile is on the Rise 3. Most Social Media Soon to be Viewed on Mobile Devices 4. Group Texting is a Tool Still Unmastered 5. Mobile Giving is the Future 68

69 Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo DaVinci 69

70 Discussion 70

71 @davesteadman 71