From the Nominator

"As part of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University's (RSM) 50th anniversary, we wanted to find an exciting way to engage our global alumni community. We decided to celebrate with #RSM24. On 24th June 2021, we embarked on a journey around the world with (almost) 30 events in 24 hours. This experience was possible with a significant input from our alumni chapters.  

With an increasing number of foreign students, our school’s alumni network is becoming more and more international, with 25% of alumni living abroad. Especially during the times of limited travel, it was essential to connect with the graduates outside the Netherlands. We wanted to give them all an opportunity to celebrate our school’s birthday. This was a combined effort of RSM staff and our international volunteers. We supported them as much as possible, making sure the events would have a consistency, while at the same time we respected their cultural and COVID-19 safety specifics.   

On one day, RSM hosted 29 events with the same purpose in 29 different locations: 17 in-person, 11 online, and one hybrid. The activities ranged from a golf tournament in Iceland, a panel debate in Shanghai, and an online get-together in Canada. We engaged with 800 RSM global alumni. It was a great way to re-connect with the chapter communities in the times of uncertainty, ensure continuity in the network, and increase pride toward our institution."

From the Judges

This entry demonstrated ingenuity in working literally around the world to bring alumni together and promote the institution. The variety of engagement platforms adds to the value of the one day experience and shows the flexibility of the organization and the genuine desire to connect. The model of simultaneous events in multiple formats is scaleable and reproducible and shows creativity at an uncertain time. The anniversary celebration was well leveraged to reinforce connection with alumni. Engagement goal was clear and exceeded expectations. Idea of decentralized planning with central budget support is a great model for volunteer engagement. This excelled at leveraging the celebratory day to ask for more from alumni.