From the Nominator

Our alumni community is extremely important, and the Lost Alumni Campaign was fundamental in increasing both our database of contactable graduates and their awareness of alumni offerings at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Alumni are key to achieving our strategic priorities, particularly student opportunity and success. Through our alumni case studies and stories of our graduates' journeys, we can encourage our current students that anything is possible and that they're "Always part of UCLan." We have a mixed alumni group from all walks of life and hope to inspire future generations, transforming lives and enabling students to achieve their potential. Following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, UCLan lost touch with a considerable number of alumni. It’s known that around 60,000 alumni didn’t open the email that was sent to gain GDPR consent, and therefore these alumni were deemed lost. This had a significant impact on the university, as we lost the ability to connect and engage with and recruit from our pool of alumni. There were also thousands of historical alumni, dating back to the 1940s, that we only had a postal address for and from whom we wanted to gain more useful contact details and consent preferences. To reengage this group of alumni, raise brand awareness, and raise awareness among UCLan staff, the Lost Alumni Campaign was born. The campaign generated a 41% increase in contactable alumni and allowed us to create a wealth of marketing materials and stories for future promotion.

From the Judges

This campaign was a great way to bring a big initiative to life! The materials grabbed the attention of alumni, making it a great campaign. Judges appreciated the use of LinkedIn and the incentive for alumni to join the list. The campaign was well thought out and strategically executed, showcasing a clear plan and effective implementation. It's a great example of a successful campaign that achieved its goals.