The Library frequently receives questions about alumni student mentoring programs, particularly on how they are structured and managed and on best practices emerging from successful programs. In light of these requests, we have developed this resource collection with accompanying sample material.

In August 2020, the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, launched ChangeMakers, a strategy to encourage UQ’s alumni across 190 countries to engage with the university and fellow alumni from anywhere in the world. The ChangeMakers alumni community hosts events, fosters mentorship relationships, and encourages volunteerism. More than 70 alumni have become ambassadors to help spread the word.

Remember the last time you saw an old friend? Perhaps you spent the first hour laughing at fond memories and reliving the past. But then the conversation moved to the present: How's your job? Where are you going on vacation? What books have you read lately? Your relationship is rooted in the past, but it takes common bonds and current interests to inspire more dinners and drinks.

The CASE Library developed this resource collection on alumni relations in community colleges in conjunction with the Engaging Community College Alumni: A Virtual Conference held on March 25–26, 2014.

CASE recently announced the winners of its 2021 Platinum Awards, which recognize best programs and practices in educational advancement around the globe.  

Edited by John A. Feudo

(CASE 1999)

In 2011, the Alumni/ae Council at St. Paul Academy and Summit School in Minnesota was nearly nonexistent. Other than holding monthly meetings and a lackluster fundraising phonathon, the council sponsored no programs or events; it did not follow its bylaws and had no reporting structure or processes for recruiting new members. Most of the 11 council members were suffering from volunteer fatigue, particularly the president. Few members attended meetings, which were unproductive. The council frequently discussed the need to recruit new members but never developed an action plan.

In fall of 2016, the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations created the Alumni Engagement Metrics Task Force to address the need for an industry-wide framework to measure alumni engagement. The result was the Alumni Engagement Metrics survey, CASE’s first truly global survey. Now, with results from three years of AEM, advancement professionals who work in alumni relations are benefiting from measuring their results in four areas: volunteerism, experiential, philanthropic, and communication. The ability to document positive outcomes is already elevating the profession. In this article, we hear from CASE members who participated in AEM and how it is changing their work for the better. 

In 2021, 365 institutions from 19 countries, grouped into five regions, participated in the CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) survey. Respondents submitted data for their most recently completed fiscal year. This report presents findings by region, type of institution, and whether the institution is public or private.

Are some of your alumni more interested in turning through chapters than in leading them? Institutions have begun offering virtual and in-person fixes for the book addicts among their graduates. Most of the programs are no- or low-cost, easy to manage, and attract new pockets of alumni.