Transcript Slide 1
ALUMNI RELATIONS & FUNDRAISING The challenges and the successes WHY HAVE ALUMNI RELATIONS? Alumni Relations can play key role in underpinning your institutional effort Alumni are ready and waiting to be engaged – a wonderful time, advocacy and funding resource The more alumni feel engaged and in touch the more inclined they are to donate and to open their networks KEY INGREDIENTS Know and understand your audience – (research and data, data, data!!) Have a plan to keep alumni in touch It’s all about being flexible and thinking laterally – can’t do it all in isolation Have a balanced programme – events, communications, volunteering, benefits and services THE ALUMNI COMMUNITY 150,000 alumni who live in 180 countries. This will rise to c.175,000 by 2015. Two thirds of alumni live in the UK. It is estimated that UCL is in touch with 70% of all living UCL alumni Over 50% of all alumni graduated within the last 15 years. Top three largest departments – Faculty of Laws, Faculty of Built Environment and School of Life and Medical Sciences CONTACTABLE ALUMNI BY DECADE OF GRADUATION 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s ALUMNI CONNECTIONS Myriad of different motivating factors that drive ongoing alumni connections to UCL These factors range from a connection to courses/departments, clubs and societies, halls of residence and classmates through to academic staff. EXAMPLE: STUDENT / YOUNG ALUMNI ACTIVITY To develop a supportive alumni community you need to start with the student experience and develop a habit of involvement immediate after graduation Dominant aim is to weave alumni and alumni relations into the fabric of student life Experience has shown that success in this area is derived from providing tangible benefits to the student community ALUMNI RELATIONS & FUNDRAISING It is a two way relationship – both need one another to be a success Interest, involve and commit - the more engagement alumni feel the more inclined they are to give money/time to an institution It’s a long-term business Team work – shared objectives and goals – Alumni team needs to consider fundraising as part of their activities and fundraisers must think about alumni and wider school activities EXAMPLES Fundraising messages are integrated into UCL alumni communications and events Academic speakers at events will ask alumni to consider donating to UCL Alumni contacts can provide opportunities to engage key donors and prospects Alumni can also identify ‘lost’ class mates who may be good prospects NETWORKING Clubs and societies Award-winning professional networking events Alumni-led reunions Departmental events International events COMMUNICATIONS Redesigned ‘UCL People’ backbone of printed communication which all alumni receive Alumni email newsletters, the Alumni Web Community, Alumni Website, Social networking presences and Online Surveys VOLUNTEERING Careers mentoring – over 300 alumni currently act as a careers mentor and speak at UCL events (e.g. graduation ceremonies) 250 alumni act as International Contacts – involves them in acting as a local contacts for alumni, organising local alumni groups and assisting with student recruitment REGULAR GIVING Why engage alumni? To translate engagement into multiple levels that includes giving to your university But why do alumni give? What motivates giving Pride Acknowledgement for what they gained from their experience at UCL Desire to protect what they value Commitment to social mobility and how education is the key to this Commitment to the transformational impact of education A Case Study Ralph – donor, volunteer and son studying at UCL today Initially identified by regular giving as a donor with capacity to give more Engaged by alumni relations as a mentor Asked to sign appeal letters and attend a CASE event to provide a donor testimonial Started giving £40 pm – now giving £2K per year Fundraising is telling stories We use students and key members of staff to tell stories to our alumni about the need for their support (using the hooks of what we know motivates giving) Ask multiple times throughout the year – telling different stories and using different signatories People give to people – for us we have found that students receiving scholarships and key academics generate the most response from alumni What is your university’s story – where do the key relationships with alumni lie? Get them while they’re young Donor age group - change by financial year 800 700 600 500 2008-09 400 2011-12 300 200 100 0 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 over 70 unknown QUESTIONS?