Classmates, MySpace, Facebook and others may be stealing your alumni and the longer they are away, the harder it will be for you to get them back.

We would like to draw your attention to a report by the IAC that outlines how a new breed of commercial Web site has jeopardized the historical relationship between alumni associations and graduates.

Although originally written in 2000 for colleges and universities, the report is just as relevant today to schools in the K-12 arena (public and private).

IAC’s report has been compiled to expose alumni professionals (and school administrators) to a paradigm shift that is moving forward and gaining speed. The report is based on a thorough review of information publicly available on the Internet.

Armed with a better understanding of the Internet as well as alumni needs, these commercial sites have secured upwards of $20 million to develop engaging, interactive Web sites of interest to alumni of hundreds of colleges and universities, both public and private. And now, K-12 schools and other organizations are being targeted.

The premise of this report? That alumni associations (and parent organizations) who do not build a more relevant official Web site and vigorously promote it, will find their alumni frequenting myriad unofficial sites, and as a result, will:

• Lose the ability to communicate frequently and effectively with an increasing number of their own alumni
• Experience a painful and protracted loosening of the common bonds that alumni share with their alma mater and some classmates
• Sustain a diminished role in a variety of otherwise “official” activities such as reunions, mentoring, career development and merchandising
• Suffer a decline in alumni contributions

Unofficial alumni Web sites with concerns poles apart from alumni associations are cherry picking alumni each day. Officials at institutions of higher learning are urged to respond swiftly.

Over two years ago, Merrill Lynch advised their clients, “Get online or perish.” This report urges educational institutions and their affiliated alumni associations to act now, or risk relying on investor-supported commercial Web sites to access fundamental information about their own graduates.

Who should read this report:

• Principals/Presidents/Chancellors/Heads of School
• Advancement Staff
• Alumni Personnel
• Business Managers
• Assistants

Unofficial Alumni Web Sites and Their Effect on Alumni Relations