This document provides principles and best practices for building a thriving alumni community. It discusses common obstacles such as keeping track of alumni and engaging alumni at different stages. It recommends applying community organizing models rather than mass marketing by focusing on relationships, empowering alumni as leaders at different levels, and meeting alumni where they are. NationBuilder is introduced as a tool that can help address obstacles by mapping alumni, facilitating events, and providing an accessible central data repository.

1. HOW TO BUILD
from principles to practice
A THRIVING ALUMNI COMMUNITY
Dana Saydak
David Hsu, Ph.D.

2. is a community building platform used in 98 countries.

3. How alumni communities use NationBuilder:
DIGITAL
CAMPAIGNS
DIGITAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
CHAPTER
INFRASTRUCTURE
AMBASSADOR
PROGRAMS

4. WEBINAR GOALS
• Spark ideas for building your alumni community.
• Introduce strategy and tools for getting it done.

5. community: an unusual sense of belonging.
definition

7. BUT IT’S NOT EASY

8. COMMON OBSTACLES
1. It’s hard to keep track of alums.
2. Alumni want different things at different stages.
3. Existing engagement strategy alienates alums.
4. There’s a lot of turnover with alumni leaders.
5. Resources are already stretched thin.

9. OBSTACLES PRINCIPLES
BEST
PRACTICES

10. MASS
MARKETING
COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
What models do we work from?

12. striving to put your best resource
—humans, connected—
at the center of everything you do.
definition
community organizing:

13. • Put relationships at the center.
• Every action has a purpose.
• Empowerment is the goal.
principles of
community organizing:

14. Title Text
Title Text
MODELS OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
MASS
MARKETING
COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
Interaction: Institution to Alumni
Emphasis: List+message-building
Goal: Brand loyalty
Alumni to Alumni
Relationship-building
Empowerment

15. It’s hard to
keep track
of alums
Use data to
help alums
connect
Map alums
and meetups
OBSTACLE PRINCIPLE PRACTICE

16. Start with the alumni you do know.

17. Make it easy for alumni to find and submit events.

18. Make it easy for alums to share and recruit within their network.

19. Your alumni community map informs your digital infrastructure.
CALI CLUB
SAO PAULO CLUB
ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION
SHANGHAI CLUB
SYDNEY CLUB

20. Alumni want
different things
at different
stages
Meet your
alums where
they’re at
Get all your
data in one
accessible
place
OBSTACLE PRINCIPLE PRACTICE

21. Why do we want to meet alums where they’re at?

22. Get all your data in one accessible place.
Contact / Demographic / History of Engagement / Social Media Interaction / Relationships

23. davidhsu04 @gmail.com
David Hsu
31 year old male
davidhsu04@email.com
Facebook message • Tweet
Duke ‘04, foodie, SoCal chapter
id: 15 nb: @MrAlpenglow
Matched David Hsu to Facebook
Matched David Hsu to Twitter
Matched David Hsu to Linkedin
Emails automatically matched with social media.

24. Now listen, learn, and segment accordingly.

25. Engagement
strategy
alienates
alumni
Create various
ladders for
taking action
Every action
gets an
appropriate
follow-up
OBSTACLE PRINCIPLE PRACTICE

26. What paths can alumni take to get involved?

27. Donate
Donate
Donate
Donate
Attend Event Retweet
Volunteer for an Event
Recruit other Volunteers
Host and Event
Social Media
Ambassador
Club Officer
Create various ladders for taking action.

28. Segment based on engagement level.

29. Every action gets appropriate, targeted asks.
IN PERSON

30. There’s a lot
of turnover
with alumni
leaders
Empower
leaders at
different
levels
Identify and
equip your
influencers
OBSTACLE PRINCIPLE PRACTICE

31. Who to ask? A lesson from Virgin Atlantic.
CALI CLUB
SAO PAULO CLUB
ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION
SHANGHAI CLUB
SYDNEY CLUB

32. Video: Identifying social media influencers in your community.

33. WEBSITE
Dynamic profiles of all your
people, with info captured
from anywhere. Includes
followups & targeting.
COMMUNICATIONS
Email & text blasting, free phone number with
voicemail, and deeply integrated social media.
FINANCES
Customizable secure
donation pages with goal
tracking, social sharing, and
personal fundraising.
PEOPLE
Dynamic profiles of all your
people, with info captured
from anywhere. Includes
followups & targeting.

35. Resources
are already
stretched thin
OBSTACLE PRINCIPLE PRACTICE
The outsized
ROI of building
relationships
Demonstrate
the value of
peer to peer

36. Alumni Ambassador Programs

37. Crowdfunding and Personal Fundraising
Annual Fund

38. Days of Action

39. WEBINAR GOALS
• Spark ideas for building your alumni community.
• Introduce strategy and tools for getting it done.

40. Demonstrate
value of
peer to peer
Identify and
equip your
influencers
Every action
gets an
appropriate
follow-up
Get all your
data in one
accessible
place
Map alums
and meetups

41. BUILDING A LADDER OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Tuesday, March 24 same time
RSVP nationbuilder.com/workshops
next week
Dana @DSaydak
dsaydak@nationbuilder.com
David @MrAlpenglow
dhsu@nationbuilder.com