Donor Participation Project’s Post

Digital Engagement: The Future of Connecting with Alumni? For years, alumni participation rates have been a key metric and rankings factor for higher education institutions. However, with the US News & World Report recently dropping alumni giving from its rankings calculations, schools have an opportunity to rethink how they connect with and engage alumni. According to experts, digital engagement and a broader focus on engagement may be the future. Traditionally, alumni engagement has centered around giving and events. But today’s alumni consume information and connect in digital spaces. Institutions that don’t adapt to digital engagement models risk losing the opportunity to cultivate meaningful, long-term relationships with newer generations of alumni. Dr. Shalonda Martin notes that messaging has already started to shift, focusing more on impact and mission to inspire motivation for participation. Digital campaigns that highlight student and alumni stories are an example of how institutions are changing engagement models by showing the community and networks that exist within the school. Events like day of giving also serve a reputational purpose by demonstrating alumni pride and involvement. Rethinking engagement also means reimagining traditional phonathons. Instead of focusing only on securing annual fund gifts, phonathons could engage alumni in other ways like volunteer opportunities, mentorship, events, and more. This helps shift the mindset that alumni only hear from their alma mater when a donation is wanted. Engaging alumni through listening to their interests and motivations can lead to more impactful contributions and advocacy. While alumni participation as a metric isn’t going away, how institutions approach and measure it is changing. Partnerships across campus can help identify what success looks like. Digital engagement opens opportunities to connect with more alumni in meaningful ways. And broadening phonathons beyond just fundraising can demonstrate to alumni that their time, talent and treasure are all equally valuable. The future of alumni engagement is multifaceted, equitable, and focused on impact. By adapting engagement models, institutions can build lifelong relationships with alumni and a broader culture of philanthropy. The possibilities for connection and mutual benefit are endless.

Engaging Alumni in Meaningful Ways: A Shift from Rankings and Numbers For years, higher education advancement offices have been chasing the metric of alumni giving participation to climb rankings and raise their profiles. However, with the recent US News and World Report decision to drop alumni giving from its rankings calculations, schools now have an opportunity to shift their focus from numbers to meaningful engagement. According to experts Dr. Shalonda Martin and Perry Radford, this change allows advancement teams to develop strategic, impactful alumni engagement plans beyond a single metric. The key is understanding alumni motivations and how to build lifelong connections. “Messaging has gone to a really transactional place,” Radford says, “and I think some of it might change…to other effects that maybe have popped up along the way that can replace the participation rate.” One way to make this shift is reimagining the traditional phone-a-thon. Typically focused on raising dollars for the annual fund, phonathons could expand to cultivate volunteers, event attendees, mentors and more. This helps address the common alumni complaint of “I only hear from you when you want money.” By servicing alumni in meaningful ways, schools build trust and lasting loyalty. Advancement leaders should also evaluate their data and metrics, focusing on qualitative outcomes like alumni experiences, referrals and advocacy instead of just giving rates. Digital engagement may provide more holistic insights into how alumni interact and connect. Partnerships across campus can help share data and understand connections between experiences, philanthropy, and school reputation. The path ahead requires resources and leadership to motivate change. But by broadening the scope of alumni engagement, schools can build a culture of philanthropy that inspires alumni to give, get involved, and spread their support. The ranking chase is over; now the real work of fostering lifelong alumni relationships begins. Focusing on engagement over numbers and dollars is the future of connecting with alumni in impactful ways.

Beyond Metrics: Experts Discuss the Future of Alumni Participation Success comes from relationships, not just rankings. For years, higher education institutions have focused on alumni participation rates as a key metric of fundraising success and a factor in college rankings. However, with the recent news that U.S. News and World Report has dropped alumni giving rates from its ranking methodology, institutions now have an opportunity to rethink how they approach and measure alumni engagement. According to Dr. Shalonda Martin, who participated in a recent discussion on alumni engagement, “Metrics should serve a purpose beyond just existing for the sake of existing.” Rather than chasing participation rates, schools can now focus on using data to benefit their institutions in more strategic ways. For example, understanding donor motivations—like their desire to create impact—and aligning messaging to resonate with these motivations. Fundraising expert Perry Radford believes the shift away from rankings also allows schools to approach fundraising with an “inclusive” mindset. “A lot of schools have pressure to get everyone to the table to give at whatever amount is meaningful to them,” Radford said. Creating a culture of philanthropy where all gifts matter is more meaningful than chasing arbitrary rate targets. To measure success beyond rates, schools may look to tools like CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics which consider factors like alumni satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Digital engagement can also provide insight into how to better connect with younger alumni. Rethinking the traditional phone-a-thon model to focus on broader engagement and volunteering may open more opportunities for alumni to contribute in ways most meaningful to them. The experts agreed alumni participation still matters for demonstrating community support. But rather than “gaming the system,” schools can now authentically build that support through equitable engagement practices, strategic communications about impact, and partnerships across campus. For advancement teams, this shift means an opportunity to realize greater contributions and community impact. Overall, alumni engagement and fundraising stand to benefit when the focus moves beyond metrics for their own sake.

The Participation Cliff: Challenges and Opportunities in Engaging Growing Alumni Bases Alumni participation rates have long been an important metric for higher education fundraising. But with increasing class sizes and more alumni each year, schools face what experts call “the participation cliff”—the nearly impossible task of raising participation rates. This challenge, however, also presents opportunities if schools focus on meaningful engagement over chasing metrics. According to Dr. Shalonda Martin, an advancement strategy expert, “not only is the work itself hard to increase alumni participation…things like this are almost literally impossible to overcome unless we start saying proportionately.” Some schools resort to “gaming the system” by making broad swaths of alumni inactive to inflate rates. But this tactic ignores the real work of building lifelong relationships with alumni. Instead of managing the denominator, schools should focus on the numerator by cultivating meaningful interactions and experiences with alumni. This starts with understanding alumni motivations and priorities, which studies show are more linked to impact and affinity than rankings. Communications and engagement opportunities should highlight the ways alumni can support causes they care about. Rethinking the traditional phonathon model is one way to foster more meaningful connections. As Perry Radford, founder of Rad Philanthropy, suggests, positioning phonathons “not just [as] about giving, but [as] about volunteerism, …events, [and] mentoring” helps schools tap into alumni’s desire to “help in other ways.” This broader engagement leads to greater long-term contributions. Advancement offices should also partner more closely with other university departments to coordinate strategic initiatives. Alumni experiences are shaped by their interactions across the university, not just advancement outreach. Using tools like CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) can help provide insight into the holistic factors influencing alumni perceptions and participation. While rankings and metrics will likely persist in some form, the US News decision to drop alumni giving rates from its rankings gives schools freedom to concentrate on the relationships that truly inspire lifelong alumni participation. By refocusing resources on meaningful engagement over chasing rates, schools can overcome the participation cliff through a culture of philanthropy and shared purpose with alumni. Authentic connections, not metrics, build the most equitable, impactful advancement programs.

🔊 Calling all Fundraising Leaders in Higher Education! Are you struggling to connect with alumni and ramp up your fundraising efforts? You're not alone. The landscape is changing, and it's crucial to adapt your strategy. Here are 5 key trends to watch: - Multi-Channel is King:  Embrace email, social media (think Facebook, Instagram!), and even crowdfunding platforms to reach your alumni where they are. - Staff Up for Success:  Investing in a well-rounded development team is essential.  Look for individuals with digital marketing expertise to help you expand your reach and build stronger connections with donors.  - Understanding: Focus on personalized messaging, highlight the impact of smaller gifts, and prioritize donor retention to cultivate long-term relationships. 🤝 - Engagement is Key:  Combat alumni loneliness by fostering connections through social events, peer networks, and meaningful programs.  Stronger bonds lead to a stronger desire to give back!  ❤️ - Showcase Alumni Achievements:  Don't just talk about potential, showcase the real-world impact your programs have on graduates' lives.  Alumni success stories inspire confidence and attract passionate donors. ✨ Want to learn more about how to identify your most engaged alumni for targeted #fundraising and marketing? Ready to unlock the full potential of your alumni network?  Let's chat! P.S.  Check out the full article for a deep dive into these trends!   #highereducation #alumnirelations #donorengagement

The Power of 20-Year+ Donors: Why One University is Raising Twice as Much As The Other Please understand how similar these universities are: They were founded one year apart Both are residential (students live on campus) Both are more than 175 years old They have very similar missions and curricular configurations Their enrollment levels are very close Their standings, rankings and reputations are neck-and-neck Yet one is raising twice as much as the other, and will continue to do so - for one powerful, overriding reason - University A has more than three times the amount of donors who have given 20 years or more. With this contrast from our Vital Signs Assessment, we were able to dig deeper and see, sure enough, University A had invested much more in its alumni relations for a much longer period than University B. In addition, alumni programming for University A was more plentiful and substantive, offering greater access to faculty and timely, meaty topics. University B had a more robust athletic program and had relied largely on it to engage alumni. Absent this information, imagine what life was like for the advancement folks at University B. "Why aren't you raising as much as University A?" "Maybe we should hire some of their fundraisers or steal some of the fundraising techniques. " "They have a better consultant." "Their fundraising materials are so much better." "They're probably asking more often than we are." No, sorry, University A's huge advantage is the number of donors retained for 20 years or more. That advantage will become even more pronounced as the Great Wealth Transfer unfolds. As I have said, the Great Wealth Transfer is not a tide that will wash evenly across all of our shores, it will favor select inlets and coves, especially those with the attributes of University A. So, what does one advise University B? If you want to close the fundraising gap, you must generate more 'major gift worthy' ideas. You must show donors where and how significant, sustainable differences can be made by giving to and through your university. You must optimize giving potential at the high end and then place more emphasis on democratizing your giving. You must begin investing more in alumni relations, stewardship, and other functions that will build community. And, finally, rather than obsessing on how much you raised this year vis-a-vis last year, you need to orient fundraising to the most powerful metric of all - increasing the number of 20-year+ donors. Oh, and any time one organization achieves a significant advantage over another, you can bet your bottom dollar it has much more to do with community building substance than fundraising style.

This is great insight.

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Aligning Resources and Benchmarking Advancement: Investing in Opportunity For university advancement teams looking to attract investment and accelerate fundraising, benchmarking performance and aligning resources are key. According to Peter Fardy, former head of advancement at Dalhousie University, undertaking a data-driven approach to setting fundraising goals and making a case for support can have significant impact. At Dalhousie, Fardy spent over a decade gathering data on the university’s own historic fundraising performance as well as benchmarking against peer institutions. By analyzing two decades of the university’s fundraising results and expenditures, Fardy found a clear correlation between investing in the advancement operation and securing more philanthropic commitments. On average, for every dollar spent, the university raised six dollars in new donations. Benchmarking against seven other competitor universities provided further insights. Fardy found Dalhousie’s alumni engagement and fundraising costs were higher than average while the budget for communications and marketing was lower. Using this data, the advancement team set a plan to strategically grow areas that would have the highest ROI, specifically the fundraising operation. They made a data-driven case to university leadership to invest more in the overall advancement budget, especially the development team. Within 12 years, Fardy and his team were able to triple the advancement budget and fundraising results through this approach. But undertaking a benchmarking project requires significant investment of time and resources. Fardy advises focusing 80 to 90 percent of your efforts on analyzing your own institution’s data first before tackling intensive benchmarking. Start by looking at the correlation between your advancement costs and fundraising results over the past 3 to 5 years. Then determine how to improve your performance and make a case for aligning resources and investing in opportunity. Benchmarking and setting data-informed goals are not an “algorithm for success” but rather a way to equip yourself to make better judgment calls, according to Fardy. When it comes to securing investment in advancement, facts and evidence can be the difference between growth and stagnation. Overall, the university advancement teams that know their own performance and capacity for opportunity will be best positioned to surpass expectations.

In higher education, traditional alumni relations has expanded to include alumni engagement. The idea is to create interactive relationships in which individuals are more than recipients of messages directed at them. It may include alumni speaking to students, assisting with recruitment, providing career counseling, and serving the institution in other ways. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) collects and reports data on alumni engagement and some campaigns now include engagement targets as well as dollar goals. But many nonprofit organizations in other fields have yet to adopt this approach. The attrition rate of new donors is high and communication is often one-directional. Some have volunteers, who are very much engaged. Others do not. They need to create engagement opportunities. We did a study for a large national nonprofit, which included interviews with selected major donors across the country. This was something like a feasibility study that might be done as part of campaign planning, but there was no campaign on the horizon. It was an engagement study. The purpose was to learn how donors were thinking and feeling about the organization and gain their advice on how to make relationships more meaningful. The insights that individuals provided was valuable and helped the organization enhance donor engagement. The study itself was form of engagement. Individuals appreciated the opportunity to be heard. Periodic surveys can serve the same purpose. Regular virtual meetings with the CEO can enable donors to understand current challenges and provide their insights. Advisory councils and task forces do so as well. Substantive virtual events featuring key staff members and experts talking about issues related to programs can be more engaging than in-person events that just include drinks and a canned speech by the CEO. The purpose of engagement is to develop a sense of community and ownership that may lead to commitment and support. That helps the organization and it is also more rewarding for donors. It is an approach that needs to be adopted by all nonprofits.