Why target alumni?

There may be no better group of supporters than alumni. Alumni know their alma mater and have benefited the most from your institutional offerings—education and social connections. They’ve formed relationships with each other and your faculty and staff. They have a life-long affinity for your school, making them a prime group for successful fundraising. 

Foster the alumni connection

To ensure successful alumni fundraising, you will want to start developing a strong relationship with your alumni from the moment they graduate. Most higher education institutions foster alumni connections with:

• Alumni-exclusive communications—newsletters, publications, social media channels, etc.
• Alumni-only events—Class reunions and other alumni gatherings, lectures by faculty, homecoming, etc.

Alumni fundraising best practices

When working with alumni, there are several best practices: 

Segment your alumni lists: Not all alumni can give at the same levels. Recent graduates are just starting out in their professional lives while much older alumni may have limited incomes. 

Make your fundraising efforts specific for alumni: Whether you host alumni-fundraisers or develop a class giving program, fundraising from alumni should feel specific and special to them. 

Show tangible results of donations: Show alumni the improvements made possible by their contributions. When they see how their money is being invested in specific projects, they will understand the impact their dollars make.

Make giving easy: Contributing should be simple and easy to do.