The document summarizes a webinar about engaging young alumni. It discusses the results of young alumni surveys at the University of Guelph and McMaster University that showed lack of awareness of alumni programs and benefits. It also summarizes presentations from a conference on engaging young alumni about using new communication strategies and focusing on relationships. Examples of successful young alumni programs from various universities are provided, as are best practices for engagement.

1. Secrets of Planned Giving
CCAE Webinar April 1, 2015
Erin O’Neil (@erinlauraoneil)
Alumni Officer
Ryan Brejak (@ryanbrejak)
Alumni Advancement Manager

2. April Fool’s!!!

3. Engaging Young Alumni
CCAE Webinar April 1, 2015
Erin O’Neil (@erinlauraoneil)
Alumni Officer, Young Alumni
Ryan Brejak (@ryanbrejak)
Alumni Advancement Manager, Young Alumni & Students

4. Today
• Young alumni review - who are these people anyway?
• Results from young alumni surveys at Mac, Guelph, others
• Insights from Engaging Young Alumni conference in November 2014
• Top programs & best practices

5. Who are young alumni anyway?

6. Guelph’s young alumni survey - 2014
• Survey sent to grads in the last 10 years born after 1981
• 1,026 respondents
• Updated alumni contact information
- 447 updated addresses
- 492 updated phone numbers
• More than 300 alumni provided responses to open-ended questions

7. Why this survey?
• To ask young alumni what they want
• To prospect for potential donors
• To help shape young alumni programming
• To follow-up and educate
• Action items
• Follow-up to survey respondents/all recipients with some FAQs
• E-appeal to those who indicated they planned to donate in the future
• Forever a Gryphon ambassador program for those who indicated interest in volunteering
• Individuals calls/meetings booked with those who already donate or are highly engaged

8. Do you plan to financially contribute to the University in the
future?

9. Do you support any charities or non-profits with a financial
contribution?

10. If you were to attend an alumni/U of G event, what would it
be?
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11. Reflecting on responses…
• “At one point I thought I would donate
when I came to a point where my personal
financial circumstances allowed me to do
so. As that transition occurred, I largely
lost touch with the university despite
having been very involved on campus
during my undergraduate. I don't feel
highly motivated to give at this point.”
• “In general, more outreach to young alums like me would be
appreciated. I may not be able to donate yet but I want to stay
connected, and I plan to donate in the future.”

12. McMaster’s young alumni survey - 2014
• Sent to all emailable young alumni
• 1500 respondents
• Three major learnings:
1. Not enough awareness of alumni services/benefits/website
2. Not enough awareness that McMaster is a charity
3. Not enough awareness of young alumni program specifically
• These and other FAQs from survey added to mac10.ca

15. 65% of respondents did not
know that McMaster is
a registered charity

16. I would give to McMaster if or when…

17. Engaging Young Alumni Conference - November 2014
• Breakout sessions on advancement, alumni relations, communications, crowdfunding,
integrated alumni & annual fund programs, and alumni volunteer management.
• Key takeaways from Andy Shaindlin’s keynote:
• Young people expect different communications, customization of experiences,
choice, clear benchmarks, gamification.
• We can’t ignore the climate of increasing tuition and increasing competition in
job market. It comes down to relationships, passion, shared experiences.
• Universities have an edge: their alumni networks. Provide easy access to this
community, positioned as continuation of the value of their university degree.
Young Alumni Networking Group
www.engagingyoungalumni.com

19. Engaging Young Alumni Conference - November 2014
• Key takeaways from JP Rains’s keynote:
• When pitching senior management on new digital approaches, use their
language and not yours (tie to institutional goals). Start small. Prove it works.
• Facebook can be integrated with other channels. Use data files to find alumni
on Facebook. Keep track of who clicks on links, who takes action on your
pages.
• When engaging online, be authentic, simple, creative, relevant, and
generous (share user-generated content).
• View Storify and keynote presentations on website.
Young Alumni Networking Group
www.engagingyoungalumni.com

20. McMaster humble brag - Mac10Giving
• Reworked in 2014 to focus on a specific ask: student bursary
• Solicitations through e-mail, social media & event registrations
• Separate script created for young alumni called by phone program
• One postcard sent with minimal response
• Enough raised for three to five bursaries to be awarded in 2015
• Making our young alumni ask specific, visual, relevant, fun

22. McMaster humble brag - Mac10Giving

23. McMaster humble brag - Mac10Giving

24. McMaster humble brag - Mac10Giving

25. Guelph’s humble brag
• Student clubs - work with student clubs to establish scholarships
with any excess funding, and then solicit past members of the
student clubs to contribute to that award.
• Face-to-face visits - engage groups of alumni who work at the same
company and host a coffee break or lunch-and-learn to connect a
larger group in one meeting.
• Convocation booklet - educate, update contact info, inform about
events, etc.

26. Ryan’s Top 3 Programs
• University of Buffalo young alumni council
https://alumni.buffalo.edu/youngalumni
Lehigh University young alumni council
http://mylehigh.lehigh.edu/s/1127/interior-3col-hybrid.aspx?
sid=1127&gid=1&pgid=528
• McMaster Gilmour Society - consecutive giving
http://impact.mcmaster.ca/donor-recognition
• Ryerson convocation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjRQyLQu8EA

27. Erin’s Top 3 Programs
• yPenn
http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/s/1587/gid2/index_sticky.aspx?
sid=1587&gid=2&pgid=410
• UBC Dialogues
https://www.alumni.ubc.ca/events/dialogues/
• Ohio State University young alumni academy
http://www.osu.edu/alumni/services/young-alumni-academy.html
University of Northern Omaha young alumni academy
http://unoalumni.org/unoyoungalumni

28. Best Practices - 10 Things You Just Gotta Do
1. Start engaging alumni early, even before grad events.
2. Treat young donors like all donors (ignore gift value).
3. Don’t be shy about asking for money. Seriously.
4. Provide value added - networking, career opportunities, info sessions, mentoring.
5. Be transparent and honest about why you want to engage young alumni.
(Starts by internally defining why you want to engage them…)
6. Focus on your edge as an alumni organization: affinity & connections.
7. Offer clear options for engagement. Don’t over-complicate communications.
8. Expand the definition of engagement. Digital expressions of affinity (likes, shares) are important to track.
There are now four T’s in alumni engagement: Time, Talent, Treasure and Technology.
9. Look at your data and learn from it. Data mining & analytics will only get more important.
10. Have a personality - be funny, engage, don’t be a boring institution online.

29. Thank you!
Erin O’Neil (@erinlauraoneil)
Alumni Officer, Young Alumni
oneilel@mcmaster.ca
Ryan Brejak (@ryanbrejak)
Alumni Advancement Manager, Young Alumni & Students
rbrejak@uoguelph.ca