This document provides strategies for engaging and delighting alumni. It discusses building a robust alumni database, creating an online and offline communications strategy using newsletters, social media, events and more. The document also discusses tailoring engagement strategies to different alumni generations and their interests, such as networking, legacy, memories and pictures. It emphasizes involving alumni in current happenings, celebrations and planning through social media contests, photos, questions and features in newsletters. The goal is to provide alumni with a sense of community, belonging and opportunity to support their alma mater.

1. How to Engage and Delight your
Alumni
Lynne M. Wester
Donor Relations Guru
@donorguru

2. AGENDA
• How can you engage alumni in your program?
• Prioritization of Activities
• Creating a communication plan
• Strategies for successful engagement
• Questions

3. Activity

4. Ideal Scenario

5. Alumni Engagement

6. Data is Key
• Building database information that is robust
• Telling a story of who the alum is, not just if
they give

7. Alumni Communications Strategy
• Offline
– Press Release
– Events
– Business Cards
– Postcards
– Networking
• Online
– Newsletters
– Online Registration
– Facebook
– Twitter

8. Events
• Reunions
• Regional Events
• Virtual Events
• Family Interactions

9. Activity

10. What Can We Offer Our Alumni?
• Memories
• Friends
• Networking
• Legacy
• A Place to Belong and Invest in

11. Alumni By the Generations
• 7 to 25
(Young Aumni) Where are my friends now?
• Summer jobs or mentorships
• Travel and School
• 25 to 40
(Career) Family: Camp for kids or family camp
• Single: Looking for other singles
• Opportunity for camp-like community
• 40 to 75
(Mid-Life) Stories about staff/friends who made an impact on me
• Proud parents want pictures of their campers
• Proud alumni who support camp
• Camp's Strategic Vision
• 70+
(Seniors) Legacy
• History and old photos
• Continuity of people and traditions
• Grandchildren and pictures of them at camp

12. Social Media and Engagement

13. Celebrate Your Alumni

14. Putting Alumni at the Center

15. Involve Alumni in Planning

16. #TBT

17. Involve in Current Happenings

18. Involve and Delight

19. Social Media
• Photos First
• Then Questions
• CONTESTS?
– Post old pictures from camp on Facebook- whoever
can name the people in the picture are entered into a
raffle for a prize.
– Best camp memory or photo - they can be featured in
a future newsletter.
– Register the most new alumni for the camp
eNewsletter - the person who recruits the most new
alumni wins!

20. Activity

21. Closing Activity

22. Thank You!
• Lynne M. Wester
• @donorguru
• Connect with me!
• www.donorrelationsguru.com
• lynne@donorrelationsguru.com