In uncertain times, people tend to look to their various communities for comfort and support. Educational institutions are in the unique position of being able to build and foster this type of community for their alumni. The shared school experience, nostalgia, and belief in common causes can unite alumni, regardless of their current stage of life, age, or location.

Of course, with the busy (and heavily digital) lives that people lead today, other organizations are constantly competing for your graduates’ attention. Staying on top of trends and best practices in alumni relations ensures that your team can keep alumni inspired, engaged, and active in your institution’s community this year and beyond.

Here, we break down the latest alumni engagement best practices, ideas, and strategies to set you up for success in 2024.

1. Personalization Is Key

It’s no surprise that personalization is key in alumni engagement. People across all generations have come to expect personalized engagement and messaging from retailers and service providers. They expect the same when being contacted by their alma mater.

Today, it’s not only possible but the standard to use technology (often leveraging artificial intelligence) to easily customize communications and target the message directly to the recipient—and do so at scale.

 

2. It’s All About Mentorship and Career Services

In times of economic unease and uncertainty, career advice and job-seeking support may be the top resources that people seek from their fellow alumni. Alumni offices have a prime opportunity to use alumni engagement technology to upgrade their mentorship and career services offerings.

An alumni network platform makes it easy for interested alumni to sign up to be mentors and for mentees to search for the right mentor who fits their needs.

Interested in building a successful mentoring program? Download Gravyty’s free guide.

 

3. Engage Young Alumni

Generation Z—those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s—are undoubtedly the most digital generation of alumni yet, with 64% of Gen Z students saying they prefer to learn via technology-driven tools.

This means keeping your youngest alumni active and inspired requires a digital-first approach to engagement. As an alumni relations professional, you have both a golden opportunity and a challenge. By taking your alumni networking activities online, you’ll be able to meet the Zoomer generation exactly where they are—on their mobile phones and computers.

For more tips on how to engage young alumni, download Gravyty’s guide.

 

4. Cut Through the Noise With Video

In a digital age, it’s crucial to use different mediums like video to catch your alumni’s attention. A great way to do this is through personalized video messages that you can send directly to alumni through email, WhatsApp, text, or your alumni platform.

Get creative when thinking about alumni engagement ideas that use video. You can do things like send video invitations to reunions or other events, personalize video messages for birthdays or other milestones, and encourage alumni to create and share their own videos. Video messages are a great way to make alumni feel appreciated and special.

 

5. Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Most universities offer career services to their students to help them find their way in the world after graduation. Unfortunately, many universities are failing to offer genuinely inclusive career and alumni services, and these students miss out on vital support in the post-university years.

One way to foster a welcoming and equitable alumni engagement program is to establish alumni networks or affinity groups that cater to specific demographics or shared interests. These groups can provide a community for alumni of different backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientations, and genders to connect with, network with, and support each other. Provide resources accessible within your alumni engagement platform to help these groups thrive.

Alumni Engagement Success in 2024

Your institution’s alumni are one of the strongest assets when it comes to being ambassadors and garnering support for the school. Investing even a little bit in providing the best possible alumni engagement experience will pay off in dividends. You’ll end up with a thriving community of alumni who may be located all over the world but who are united in their support of each other and of their alma mater.

Gravyty empowers organizations to deliver best-in-class digital-giving strategies, build thriving communities, and fundraise more effectively. Learn more at gravyty.com.