The document discusses setting up and managing an effective alumni office. It addresses why alumni offices are important in engaging former students and promoting the institution. It provides examples of vision statements from various universities. An ideal alumni office structure includes a faculty team and student volunteers to support activities while focusing on key areas like communication, engagement, career services and maintaining alumni data. The document also discusses budgeting, creating an annual calendar of events, and utilizing alumni data and communication strategies to better connect with alumni.

1. Alumni Office Essentials
For higher education institutions
Alumni Relations Conference- India

2. 1.What is the organizational structure of our
Alumni Office or Alumni Association?
2.What are the top 3 focus areas for your
Alumni Relations Conference- India
office/association?
3.What are the 3 major challenges that the
Alumni office has been facing?
4.What are your measures of success for
the Alumni Office?

3. Why set up an alumni office?
• Provides direct link between alumni and their alma
mater
• Engage alumni with their alma mater and with each
other
• Promote alumni participation in development of the
institution
• Engage alumni for the development of the current
students
• Increase brand recall through showcasing alumni
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4. Alumni
Development –
The Lifecycle
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5. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Institutional Office
Vision/Mission
HR (Student & Faculty
Team)
Calendar of activities
Budget
Alumni Affairs Foundation

6. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Vision & mission
What is the vision of the Alumni
Office at your institution?

7. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Examples
Stanford Mission
• The Stanford Alumni Association seeks to reach, serve and
engage all Stanford alumni and students; to foster a lifelong
intellectual and emotional connection between the University
and its graduates; and to provide the University with goodwill
and support.
IIM Bangalore Mission
• The IIMB Alumni Association aims to link the alumni to the
institution, develop synergistic plans to support the institution
and achieve its vision, and to enable the institute to add value
to all its stakeholders.
BITS Vision
• Maximize the potential of BITS-ians and BITS Pilani

8. HR for Alumni Office
Part- time Full-time
Student
volunteers
An ideal model of employing HR for the alumni office (with
limited resources) includes forming a faculty team to support
various projects of the office along with a student team for
running daily operations.
Alumni Relations Conference- India

9. Benefits of having Student teams
• Experiential learning program
• Better connect with the Alumni network
• Better soft skills
• Taking responsibility at a early stage
• Leadership roles in the Alumni Office
• Decision making
• Job readiness
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10. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Calendar of
Activities
Plan & communicate
early to increase
engagement
Columbia University

11. University of Santa Clara
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12. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Budget
• Must cover the developmental and enhancement
related costs for the Alumni Office
• Is used to generate support in
• Building alumni sentiment
• Networking forums
• Advancement activities
• Special events (fundraising/fairs)
Always remember- A little investment over a period of
time can get exponential returns in a longer period.

13. Examples of investment
• HR
• Website/portal
• Infrastructure & its maintenance
• Post cards
• Learning forums
• Homecoming galas
• Alumni career fair
• Memorabilia of university
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• T-Shirts
• Mugs
• Pens
• Diaries

14. Pillars of Functional Alumni Office
Data Communication Engagement
Alumni Relations Conference- India
Career services/
Placement
synergy
Lifelong connect
with the alma-mater

15. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Alumni Data
Alumni Data
Basis to
reach out
Means to
engage
Data
Analytics
Value
Creation

16. Alumni Relations Conference- India
What to track?
Type of data that you should track:
Contact
Information
Professional
Information
College
Information

17. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Utilizing your Data
Set up
monthly
meetings
with faculty
for data
utilization
Study trends
of alumni
giving back
through
data
Placement
boost –
Identify
alumni
across
industries
Bring alumni
of common
interests
together

18. Alumni Relations Conference- India

19. Communication with Alumni
Why?
When?
How?
Alumni Relations Conference- India

20. What to communicate
Alumni Relations Conference- India
About Alma mater
Rankings
Achievements
Student achievements
New developments*
Events
About Alumni
Achievements of fellow alumni
Chapter events
Alumni success stories
About Alumni Office
Vision & Mission
Upcoming events
Reports
Career Services
Membership
Giving back

21. Alumni Relations Conference- India
Planned
approach in
communication
can lead to
extensive
engagement

22. Alumni Offices in U.S. – part of Advancement
(Central)
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VP
Advancement
Head of AR
Program
Officers
Sevrice
Officers
Head of
Development
Fundraisers
Characteristics:
• Central budget
• Central management
• Mission alignment
• Annual Fund
collaboration

23. Alumni Offices in U.S. - Independent
Organizations
Alumni Relations Conference- India
Executive Director
AR
Program Officers
Marketing/Comm
Officers
Alumni
Services/Membershi
p
Sr. Director
Operations
Characteristics:
• Membership
dues
• Marketing
• Budgeting
• Services Stressed
• Public vs. Private