We Can Hear You Now: Engaging Alumni Online in a Post-Zoom World
The COVID-19 global pandemic changed many things about our lives, especially how we interact with each other, by creating greater reliance on online communication. And as a direct result, alumni engagement blossomed with new opportunities to reach alumni outside of established regional groups and into the far corners of the world. But how do we maintain those connections when two-plus years of Zoom have left us fatigued and screen-adverse? At the University of Richmond, we saw record highs in the number of alumni engaging with us during the pandemic and a new breadth of diversity in the types of programs we offered. But as we’ve emerged from the pandemic haze, we have experienced a decline in attendance for Zoom-based events. With a desire to continue offering programming that was accessible to alums all over the world, we have refurbished our programming to offer a suite of “digital” events that can be accessed by any alum, anywhere and on their own time. During this session, we will highlight the elements that make for successful digital events that meet constituents where they are and the positive impact on alumni engagement objectives. We will also share details about the University of Richmond Alumni Office’s most successful online endeavors, including social media strategy, and how we have maintained greater engagement by digitally reaching beyond our regional concentrations of alums. Our digital events focus on telling our alum’s stories and highlighting relationships that span generations and time zones, demonstrating that this web of connections is what defines the strength of our university community. If alumni relations or communications professionals are looking for ways to enhance engagement by diving into the world of digital opportunities, this session is for them!