A recent survey conducted by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education shows that fostering relationships with alumni is advantageous for community colleges. Not surprising, one of the principle obstacles community colleges face is the lack of available funding to support alumni programs. Are there benefits that warrant reconsidering such investments?
Benefits to engaging community college alumni:
One benefit to increased alumni outreach is to work with locally based alumni to develop apprentice and internship opportunities for students. A study conducted by the Council for Resource Development shows that 70% of community college alumni live within 50 miles of their alma mater. Local alumni benefit by partnering with their alma mater to source an educated workforce.
A second benefit is philanthropy. Government funding reductions has caused community college leaders to think creatively about generating new revenue streams.
Questions for community college leaders to consider:
- How does my institution currently engage with alumni?
- Are there opportunities to extend existing resources and programs to increase interaction with alumni?
- What benefits can be offered to alumni? Support with job search? Provide opportunities to give back to institution through providing mentorship or apprenticeships for students?
- What communication strategies (such as social media campaigns) can be augmented to include messaging that targets alumni?
- What metrics will be used to measure the return on resource investment?
Are you interested in having a conversation about how your institution can maximize alumni relationships? Contact me at dianna@sadlouskos.com.
photo credit: Alumni Relations via photopin cc
