In early January we’ll be launching a brand new, streamlined design. The new design is easier on the eyes, more professional looking, and better accommodates those organizations with darker colors. Take a sneak peek!
Academic Impressions creates an environment specially suited to discussions about emerging trends in higher education. As part of their vision, they offer many traditional and web-based conferences. Below are just a few that I thought would be of interest to you . . . Continue reading
Overview:
February 7, 2008, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST
Join Academic Impressions for the Reaching Alumni with Social Networking, Media Sharing & Web Tools web conference for a survey of creative uses of social networking, media sharing sites, and other web tools by professionals in marketing and communications, alumni relations, and annual giving at a variety of institutions. You will receive tips on what to consider before planning to use similar tools at your school.
Overview:
Do you want to help your organization take donations online, but aren’t sure how? This session will tell you what you need to know in order to choose a tool and get started. We’ll touch on some of the strategic aspects of online donations, but our focus will be on the tactical: What online donation tools are available? How do they work? How do you know which one is right for your organization? We’ll close by looking more closely at some of the specific tools that are available, such as Network for Good, PayPay, Click & Pledge, Groundspring DonateNow, eTapestry, MemberClicks, AuctionPay, and more.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 2:00-3:30 PM ET
We hear the terms “Generation X” and “Generation Next,” but what do they mean and how do they apply to annual giving? Who are these people, and what are their needs and priorities? Should you solicit and steward them in the same way you reach out to other constituencies?
Given the constant pressure on the annual fund to increase the institution’s rates of alumni participation, this seminar focuses on the most effective methods for maximizing the annual giving potential of young alumni. Explore the characteristics that define these generations, and how we need to design our programs accordingly.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.case.org/onlinespeaker/OSS_Jan_16_08/default.cfm
Young Alumni and Student Programs
November 26-27, 2007
Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, Baltimore, MD
Regional Strategies for Engaging Alumni
November 28-29, 2007
Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, Baltimore, MD
CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) is an international association of alumni relations, communications and marketing, and fund-raising professionals at universities, colleges and independent schools.
In this article, from Fundraising Well, Robert Burdenski explains how to benefit from “connecting” your fundraising efforts and shows us what information we should really be tracking about donors. While aimed specifically at alumni programs and annual giving, the following tips apply to fundraisers from all areas.
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:
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:
Unofficial Alumni Web Sites and Their Effect on Alumni Relations
November 18 – 19,
Diocese of Metuchen
St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, NJ
Today our twenty-four membership sites collectively got to 25,000 registered alumni! We’re looking forward to more growth as we launch into different sectors outside of public schools (Catholic schools, independent schools, etc.). We’re also looking to update our look-and-feel and add new options such as support of photo galleries, surveys, and additional demographic data.