Alumni in Training
Matthew Brinton, Director for Advancement for Student Life, University of Washington, Corynn Gilbert, Director of Development, Bushnell University
Students are students for a fraction of the time that they will be alumni yet so little work is done with current students to teach them what it means to be engaged and involved as an alum. Most students-alumni-donor pipeline best practices currently in use were designed for a now-outdated constituency. The world has changed. The demographics of students have shifted, including more first-generation and students from underrepresented backgrounds. We now live in a digital world where online and hybrid opportunities for engagement are no longer outliers, they are practically required. A consumerist approach to education points to a more transactional experience rather than an immersive, developmental one. We must find ways to demonstrate the value of engaged alumni and donors and acknowledge that the student-alumni-donor paradigm has shifted. One-size-fits-all approaches are no longer acceptable. Drawing on findings from their research, Drs. Gilbert and Brinton have put together a toolkit that advancement professionals and campus partners can use to teach Alumni in Training not only the “how-to” but also the “why” of alumni engagement. This interactive session will provide opportunities for attendees to explore the toolkit in action and learn ways to jumpstart a student’s alumni role identity.