Building Alumni Communities

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Building Alumni Communities

Mr. Sahil Dewan, FuturEdMr. Rishabh C. Sharma, The Doon

School

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School

ParentsStudents

School Ecosyste

m

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What happens when students graduate?

School Ecosyste

m

School Ecosyste

m

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Alumni: Mutually beneficial relationship?

• Schools select students for admission

• School invests resources, time

and energy educating students• Students

graduate; now they are alumni

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Introducing Alumni in the Ecosystem

How does you school define an Alumnus?

• What is your schools’ expectation from its Alumni network?

• How does the School envision to serve the Alumni network?

Role of Alumni

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Revised Ecosystem

School

ParentsStudents

Alumni

Role of Alumni

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Admits

Students

Alumni

Build a visible

culture of Alumni

Involve & Engage Alumni-Students

Track Alumni before they leave school

Alumni Engagement

Integrating Alumni in the School ‘Culture’

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What do Alumni expect from School

• Different things at different times – a young graduate vs. a mature alum

• An opportunity to help and support current students and the school, not just give away Cheque(s)

• Keep in touch with the news, updates and growth of the school

• Opportunities to interact with fellow alumni

Know what

Alumni want

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How can the School Engage Alumni

• Need an Alumni Office/Team/Staff/Volunteers• Define basic engagement models• Use schools calendar to fit in alumni engagement• Communicate effectively how alumni should

serve the school - Annual Day, Founder’s Day, New batch/session, Mentorship, Talks

Start

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The Relationship Trajectory Start

Connected

Happy

Proud

Inspired

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Alumni Associations Paradox

AlumniAssociatio

n

School/College Alumni Office

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Clarity of PurposePurpose:

- Generate a feeling of connectedness among alumni community

- Propagate a sense of pride whenever Alumni engagement happens through events and other forums.

The harsh reality:

- They do not have time to be end responsible for doing things for their Alma Mater; they can’t manage Alumni Office operations.

- They need nurturing, someone needs to be responsible to guide and inspire them, consistently.

AlumniAssociat

ion

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Clarity of PurposePurpose:- To seek knowledge about where their alumni are

and what they are doing.- To track and manage alumni networks in an

‘Organized & Professional’ manner.- To generate value for Alumni and encourage

stewardship for the development of the institution.- To harness the value that alumni networks could

bring to the long term goals of the institution.

The harsh reality: - Institutions may not be not prepared to invest time,

resources and HR towards the ‘Alumni’ stakeholder segment.

- Alumni network management may not feature in the priorities of the institution

- Institutions may not have an understanding about how to approach alumni relations.

School Alumni Office

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Examples of Alumni Membership ModelsThe two alumni-centric models are:

The Membership Dues Model: Alumni choose to pay annual or life member dues, in exchange for a set of benefits and privileges not available to non-members.

The Inclusive Model: All alumni have equal access to the same set of programs and services provided by alma mater via the alumni office.

There is also a fundraising-focused offshoot of this: The Donor Benefits Model: Individuals (including non-alumni) who donate at least a specified amount of money to the institution receive exclusive benefits for their contribution.

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Key Principles- It is not a short term activity. Alumni should not perceive it an

outcome of over-enthusiasm or anxiety. There needs to be a plan.- Be Patient, results will take time- Alumni Association should be involved and meetings should be

planned to clarify the roles and intentions of the school office- Recruiting/Managing Volunteers (Motivated Alumni) is the key. - Decentralize activity through volunteers, chapters – will only

happen if the school is taking the lead and showing the direction- It’s a lot about content, stories, nostalgia and IMPLEMENTATION