CHERRY HILL, N.J. – Alumni Channel, a web provider of online alumni communities for schools and other non-profit organizations, announced today that Institute of Audio Research of New York, New York, is relying on the company’s online community solution to develop closer relationships with its alumni.
Toby Dobson, Alumni Coordinator, made a commitment to begin implementation of the Alumni Channel for their online alumni community. Institute of Audio Research Alumni Network represent an alliance of thousands of IAR graduates across the United States and worldwide. With a growing base of graduates, the school wanted to cultivate stronger bonds with and among alumni that would lay the foundation for fundraising in support of critical programs such as scholarships and the endowment. IAR needed a technology solution that would enrich its existing Web site while reducing costs associated with direct mailings. This would enable the school to provide an interactive, customized experience for each visitor, including opportunities to connect with each other, view school and class events, and eventually make online donations.
To this end, IAR deployed the services of Alumni Channel for online community building. The school now has a single point of entry that allows alumni to self-maintain their profile information which can then be used to update the master donor database.
“Schools face a real challenge in keeping connected with alumni who, after graduation, scatter throughout the world,” said Chris Gehringer, president of Alumni Channel. “IAR is taking a leadership position in how it uses technology to give its alumni – regardless of whether they live in the area or the Far East – an easy way to stay involved. Having a professional appearance to your alumni organization is just one more step in building lasting relationships with alumni/donors.”
Empowering Graduates through Alumni Channel
With Alumni Channel, IAR will be able to replace a static Web site with an interactive online community and enhanced electronic communications. Like most other organizations launching a new Web site, getting people to visit the site is a key step. With only a few email addresses on file for its alumni, the school will embark on an integrated marketing campaign to increase awareness and introduce the benefits of registering on the new site. Included in IAR’s service is a new web site address that can be used on all marketing to promote use of the site. Through this effort, the number of contacts will increase over time.
To visit the Institute of Audio Research Network’s Alumni Channel, go to IARnetwork.com.
About Institute of Audio Research Network
Now in its fifth decade, the Institute of Audio Research continues to be a leader in providing technical training targeted to the specific needs of the professional audio industry. Starting as a seminar program providing continuing education courses for working engineers, IAR’s program today is a 900-hour course that efficiently and effectively exposes the student to every facet of modern recording technology. The program’s focus reflects those areas of knowledge and hands-on skills that are in highest demand by today’s industry employers. It is designed to ensure maximum opportunity for graduates to work successfully and to continue to grow as audio technicians, recording engineers and music producers.
About Alumni Channel
The Alumni Channel online alumni system is designed to increase alumni connections through a secure online alumni directory that will help connect an organization’s entire membership. Alumni Channel offers alumni a community of their own to contact each other, plan reunions, share stories and photos, and it enables the parent organization/school to maintain and build an alumni database providing with valuable alumni contact information. Schools have the ability to not only announce upcoming events and campaigns on the site itself, but also customize and send mass e-mails, run reports, export data and distribute surveys. Founded in 1998, Alumni Channel is headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.alumnichannel.com.