Changing the Paradigm: Integrating Alumni Relations and the Rest of the Institution

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Changing the Paradigm Integrating Alumni
Relations and the Rest of the Institution

• Phil Conroy
• Mount Ida College
• Beth Howland
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Rick Ricardi
• Quinsigamond Community College

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Why this session ?

• Conference Committee discussion
• Evolution of integrated marketing communication
• Importance of internal marketing communication
• Speculation on the future of alumni relations

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Paradigm Shift ?

• Use the principles of integrated marketing to
  focus activities of the alumni relations office
• For definition the alumni relations office is
  the organization everything outside of the
  alumni relations office is external.

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What is integrated marketing ?

• An outward focus
• Desire to address strategic problems
  strategically, rather than tactically
• Strategic, organizational and message integration
• Active listening to the customer
• Database dependence
• Source Thinking Outside the Box by Robert A
  Sevier, Ph.D.

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An Outward Focus

• Look outside the organization/operation for new
  opportunities, synergies, relationships, and
  strategic liaisons
• Serve customers and find and serve new customers
• Strategic decisions must recognize and even
  anticipate the needs of the marketplace
• Source Thinking Outside the Box

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Address Strategic Problems Strategically

• Promotion is tactical
• Declining attendance at reunion
• Develop a strategic response and couple it with
  aggressive promotion (tactical)
• Source Thinking Outside the Box

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Integrated Marketing Exists at Three Levels

• Strategic
• Assessment and meeting of target audience needs
  through strategic resource allocation
• Data-based decisions for resource allocation
  (product, price, place)
• Relies on feedback (assessment)
• Source Thinking Outside the Box

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Integrated Marketing Exists at Three Levels

• Organizational integration
• Coordinating resources and sharing goals
• Central to this idea of PARADIGM CHANGE

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Integrated Marketing Exists at Three Levels

• Message Integration
• Messages are consistent and coordinated and
  driven by strategic decisions
• Common look, sound, and feel across various
  mediums over time
• Graphic identity programs focus on message
  integration
• Source Thinking Outside the Box

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Active Listening to the Customer

• Two way communication based on active, aggressive
  listening
• Listening is ongoing
• Used to constantly modify and improve the
  application and use of strategic resources.
• Source Thinking Outside the Box
• Question Who is the customer ?
• Alumni/Alumnae - Colleagues

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Data and Data-base Dependent

• Act empirically rather than intuitively
• Decisions are based on solid research
• Allocation of strategic assets based on
  documented audience needs
• Monitor processes for continuous improvement
• Segment and coordinate messages

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Alumni Relations as the organization

• Subject to boundaries established by the
  institution

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Identifying Customers (Markets) for Alumni
Relations within the Institution

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Traditional Alumni Relations

• Traditional
• Alumni Association
• Club structure
• Events and Reunions
• Services to Alumni

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Integrated Alumni Relations

• Integrated
• Mission driven
• Identify where alumni can serve as well as be
  served
• Cross training at staff level for external events
  and affairs

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Assessment Data Driven

• Increase attendance at events
• Increase in students enrolled (recruitment)
• Hits on website

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Case Studies

• Small Independent College Mount Ida College
• Medium Sized Independent - WPI
• Regional Public
• Flagship Public UMass Amherst
• Community College
• Independent School

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Small Independent College

• Mount Ida College, Newton, Massachusetts
• 1300 co-ed undergraduate 80 bachelor and 20
  associate degree
• Merged institutions former junior college and
  single gender
• Small staff
• Alumni involvement discipline driven

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Medium Independent

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• 22,700 living alumni 4,500 grad alums
• 2700 undergraduate students 1000 grad
• Small staff- integrating development and alumni
  relations
• Other areas on campus

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Regional Public
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Flagship Public

• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 18,000 undergraduates
• 5400 graduates
• 155,000 alumni
• Decentralized development operation
• Centralized alumni relations program with some
  constituent based alumni programming

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Community College

• Quinsigamond Community College
• Mid-sized urban/suburban public 2-year
• Young college with young alumni body
• To date program-driven alumni outreach non
  centralized effort little inter/intra-institution
  activity fundraising not friendraising focus
• To come alumni relations as key component of
  institutional advancement alumni, development,
  media relations hand-in-hand

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Quinsigamond C C

• alumni relations staff with (at least!) two hats
  ? direct involvement in fundraising efforts
• alumni relations working with student services to
  connect with students before they become alumni
• alumni relations working with registrar, IS,
  vendor to maintain accurate alumni data

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Quinsigamond C C

• alumni relations, academic program cooperation
  toward more effective engagement
• alumni relations, alumni association involved in
  institutional planning with development of
  activities serving identified needs

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Independent School
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Best Practices Discussion