Is it Time to Focus on Engaging Your Alumni?

If you are a school, college or a university who is thinking about starting an alumni engagement program, this article will give plenty of food for thought. 

If you are an institute who has recognised the importance of alumni engagement, however hasn’t taken action, our intent for you is to be inspired and take action. 

If you are an institute who not only recognises the importance of alumni engagement, but has a robust program around it, you can validate the points made here and add your thoughts in comments for every one to learn from your expertise. 

In life, an individual can have multiple careers, working at multiple companies, starting multiple businesses, however their school and college education is a once in a life time experience. While life long learning continues, where we go to school and college has as a special place in our hearts. 

We reviewed the Mission and Vision statements of 100+ premiere educational institutes across India. The central idea can be summarised as: 

Institutes are on a mission to build a nation: which thrives on innovation, operates with integrity, is transparent and inclusive in its approach, where communities are sensitive to the environment and socially responsible. They want to nurture leadership in students to help the country achieve this vision. 

If your Mission & Vision statement comprises of any of the above goals, alumni engagement could be the missing ingredient in helping you achieve your goals. 

A successful alumni engagement program can take years to build. However building clarity of goals and setting alumni engagement as an institutional priority can move you in the right direction. The consistency of your efforts will define the pace of your success. 

Here are three reasons why Alumni Engagement becomes invaluable to any school, college, or university?

#1: Brand Ambassadors

Nothing in the world speaks for your brand more than your end product. For institutes its your graduates, who hold the mantle of your values. These alumni act as your brand ambassadors in their local communities where ever they go. Their success or failure is reflection of your success or failure. 

Over the years, for an institute, their alumni become the largest stakeholder in the community. An engaged alumni audience will create an eco system where the quality of success achieved by alumni community will not only enhance the value of their own degree but also increase the aspirational quotient among prospect students looking to get admitted to your college / university. 

#2: Learning for Current Students

Experience is one of the best teacher, it's even better, when you are able to learn from some one else’s failures, or be inspired by someone’s success. 

Engaging alumni can provide an opportunity for your current students to learn from the experiences of their predecessors. Hearing from an alumni who was once in their shoes at the same institute adds a lot of credibility. How they carved their way to success can be a handy playbook for a lot of students. 

#3: Alumni Leverage 

Graduates continue their journey beyond college and over the years become successful entrepreneurs, professionals, civil servants, et. al. 

Enlisting alumni to serve on institute board, help interviewing prospective students, counsel current students for career choices, and facilitate internships are some of the ways an institute can harness the power of its alumni for the betterment of the institute. 

This is the magic of alumni leverage, where an institute benefits from the skills, knowledge, expertise, and the position of power alumni build over time since leaving campus.

Building a successful alumni engagement program requires patience and a willingness to experiment. Although there may be no "right" approach to engaging your alumni, however we will do our best to give you tips on how to best engage alumni in future articles. 

Please leave your comments on why you believe every college and university needs to invest in building a robust alumni engagement program