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Alumni Sessions

Secondary emphases are indicated in parentheses.

Please confirm the session times and locations in the program book you will receive when you arrive at the conference.

Sunday 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Rejuvenating Your Community College Alumni Program

Sheraton Ballroom I

Is your alumni program in a rut? Need some fun, cheap ideas to get your alumni more engaged, or at least to pay attention to your program? Worried that you don't have enough staff, or volunteers, to make your program grow? Bring your ideas and concerns to this interactive presentation...and be prepared to think out-of-the-box!

— Jennifer Gilmore, Director, Alumni, Communications & Annual Fund, Vincennes University

Using Affinity Reunions to Draw Your Alumni Back to Campus

Sheraton Ballroom III

Enticing alumni to return to campus is a goal we all share, but class year reunions don't seem to hold the same appeal they did in the past. We'll share some of the successes we've had over the last couple of years, including a marching band/dance team/cheerleader Homecoming reunion featuring the alumni performing with our current students during the game and a resident assistant/housing staff event which allowed the alumni to spend the weekend in our residence halls. The largest such event we've held was a reunion of former female student-atheletes from the '40s through the '80s during which we presented varsity letters to the attendees. As was the case on most campuses across the country during this time period, only the men on our campus received varsity letters so we created a significant amount of goodwill for the athletic department, the Alumni Association and the University as a whole. At the end of our presentation, we'll also ask attendees to share ideas that have worked at your institutions.

— Chelsea Frederick, Assistant Director, Alumni Services, Eastern Illinois University

— PJ Thompson, Alumni Events Coordinator, Eastern Illinois University

Sunday 2:00-3:30 p.m.

(Development)

Data that Works: Developing a Model for Measuring Alumni Engagement

Sheraton Ballroom I

Overwhelmed by data? Learn how to use the data you have in ways that matter to you and your institution. This session will use two existing models (from both a public and a private perspective) to track and predict alumni involvement and engagement. Discover the basics of developing your own model to provide a statistical picture of your alumni. This will allow you to strengthen the link between alumni relations and development, and to broaden your base of support by identifying new donors, volunteers and emerging leaders.

— Mindy Kalinowski Earley, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations, Grand Valley State University

— Scott Travis, Director, Alumni & Parent Relations, Hope College

Pump up the Value: Leveraging Student Resources, Innovative Partnerships and Social Networking Tools to add Value to Your Alumni Program

Sheraton Ballroom III

Like many small alumni relations operations in today's economy, we have learned how to work smarter and more efficiently to deliver quality programming and networking opportunities to our University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh alumni. Well share our three-pronged approach to extending our reach and pumping up the quantity and the quality of our alumni offerings. By building a strong team of student employees, we have revamped and maintained our alumni website, increased the number of alumni success stories we share across multimedia platforms and revitalized our Student Alumni Ambassador program. We also have taken advantage of new partnership and collaborative opportunities as they become available, including local, regional and even national initiatives. Finally, we have put our own twist on social networking tools, including a student/alumni mentor network on LinkedIn.

— Christine Gantner, Alumni Relations Director, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

— Natalie Johnson, Alumni Communications Director, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Monday 9:00-10:00 a.m.

(Communications and Web)

Communication With Staff and Constituents During a Natural Disaster

Sheraton Ballroom I

In March of 2011 the NIU Alumni Association landed in Tokyo 30 minutes before the most devastating earthquake in Japan's history. The events that followed the earthquake tested all procedures, skills and knowledge of the NIU Alumni Association staff to coordinate an evacuation from Japan. Days away from a hotel and after relentless attempts to book flights home, they finally were able to travel to Hawaii and then home to Chicago. Learn what documents to have on hand, how to communicate with families, staff, travel companies and the media when a disaster happens around the world.

— Joseph P. Matty, Assistant Vice President - University Advancement/Executive Director NIU Alumni Association, Northern Illinois University

— Patricia A. Anderson, Director, NIU Office of Alumni Relations, Northern Illinois University

Alumni Mentors

Sheraton Ballroom III

Laura Matthews, Lake Forest College, and Monica Spencer, University of Evansville, shed some light on how to develop, maintain and grow alumni mentor programs. Bring your questions and ideas for this interactive panel discussion.

— Laura Matthews, Internship and Alumni Programs Coordinator, Lake Forest College

— Monica Spencer, Assistant Director, Alumni and Parent Relations for Career Development, University of Evansville

—

Monday 10:30-Noon

Are You Maximizing Your Online Results?

Sheraton Ballroom I

When developing a complete online engagement strategy, it is essential to know when, where, and how often to connect with your constituents. Join Lori Fan from Bradley University, Timothy State from Lake Forest College, and Geoff Knue from iModules to hear how Bradley and Lake Forest Alumni Relations developed their online marketing strategies and enhanced their programming to maximize technology. In addition, gain ideas on leveraging email marketing, social media, event promotion, and a strong website. See how an integrated online strategy has helped these two institutions achieve online results.

— Lori Fan, Executive Director, Alumni Relations, Bradley University

— Geoff Knue, Vice President of Enterprise Accounts, iModules Software

— Timothy State, Associate Vice President of Alumni Programs, Lake Forest College

(Advancement Services)

New Programs For Cultivating Relationships With Up-and-Coming Alumni

Sheraton Ballroom III

Efforts focused today toward engaging and cultivating relationships with current students and recent graduates - your up-and-coming alumni - can yield long-term success for your institution's financial future. The Arizona State University's Alumni Association is coming off a record year of participation from its up-and-coming alumni as a result of several newly introduced, innovative programs developed for building relationships with this key constituency. Hear from the former board chair and a member of the staff on how these programs were developed and championed, gain tips on both what went right and pitfalls to avoid, and discover how to recreate this success at your institution. Examine four of ASU's programs for up-and-coming alumni that helped propel its success for recording its best year of participation: 1. Senior Year Experience 2. Student Alumni Association 3. Innovative Scholarship Programs 4. Arizona State Young Alumni

— Jenny Holsman, Executive Director of Operations, Arizona State University Alumni Association

—

Monday 1:30- 2:30 p.m.

Advancement Partnership Models

Sheraton Ballroom I

You cannot have one without the other! Without friends, how can you raise funds? And without funds, how can you have friends and fun? Learn how your peers work to synchronize fun-, friend-, and fundraising to maximize achievement.

— Mike Worley, Executive Director, Development for Regional Projects, Washington University, St. Louis

Fresh Powder: Engaging Young Alumni Through Travel Programs

Sheraton Ballroom III

Young alumni are not always prepared or willing to make an investment many alumni travel programs require. In 2002, Northwestern University began promoting a young alumni ski trip that mirrored a popular undergraduate experience. In 2011, the trip had 225 participants. This session will discuss the specifics of making a trip like this work and how to leverage it for long-term participation and engagements.

— Matthew Herek, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations and Development, Northwestern University

Monday 3:00-4:00 p.m.

(Development)

Flipping the Funnel on Alumni Relations: Collaboration Wins!

Sheraton Ballroom I

Turn students into loyal alumni! How can the Alumni Office collaborate with other campus offices to benefit students and alumni? Find out how the Southwest Minnesota State University Alumni office collaborates with Residence Life, Student Activities, Career Services and Athletics to develop successful programs and services.

— Tyler Bowen, Director, Alumni & Development, Southwest Minnesota State University

— Tara Anderson, Director of Alumni Relations, Chicago-Kent College Law

(Communications and Web)

Evolve: Seven Steps to Rethink the way you do Alumni Marketing Research

Sheraton Ballroom III

Most of us have heard for years that alumni love everything about our alumni magazines. Do they really? Lose that dated comment card in the back of the magazine and take a more systematic and scientific approach to marketing research. We did, and we learned where the sharks were lurking before jumping in head first to a redesign. This year the IU Foundation and the IU Alumni Association have begun partnering more closely on all major marketing activities. Look at one of our first collaborative research projects: the audit and evolution of the most valued and tangible benefit of alumni membership, the Indiana Alumni Magazine. This case study will explore how we approached the project, including how we balanced the opinions of internal leaders across campuses with those of external alumni; managed to keep alive the elements that alumni members love but added new elements and technologies that prospective members would appreciate more; structured and used focus groups to explore creative concepts; balanced interest in print, online and mobile versions; and how the magazine will evolve in the coming year.

— Angela Tharp, Manager of Marketing Research, Indiana University

— Sherri Knieriem, Manager of Marketing Operations, Indiana University

Tuesday 9:15-10:15 a.m.

How a Small Shop Can Reach/Engage its Alumni, Part II

Sheraton Ballroom I

Back by popular demand, Part II (though if you didnt come to Part I, wed love to see you anyway!) of our series about reaching and engaging your alumni (and improving your alumni/student connection) from a small shop setting. In this interactive session, we will share new creative ways to host events, talk about how weve been reaching our alumni and discuss smart tips for long term alumni engagement. Most importantly, well ask you to share your 90-second snapshot of a usable tip you have learned in your own shop  maybe it was an event or a program that was a great success; maybe it didnt go quite so great. Either way, well all want to know what you learned and what tips you can share. Our goal is for everyone to take away concrete ideas while having some fun!

— Juliana Nelligan, Director, Alumni Relations, Benedictine University

— Mary Jo Kathman, Dean, Students/Alumni Services, Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science

— Tish Bruemmer, Coordinator, Alumni/Advancement, Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science

Reaching Young Alums Through Partnerships

Sheraton Ballroom III

How do we engage young alums and eliminate the barriers to participation? Strategic partnerships with other institutions and young professional organizations are keys in maximizing limited resources and meeting your goals. Young professionals want to learn how to network and obtain professional development opportunities but there are barriers to participation. These include lack of communication, events that are centered in cities/metropolitan areas, not enough interesting choices, they volunteered but there was not follow-up, notified too late to plan, not sure they would know anyone, involvement in other organizations, costs and time. Discover how the presenter's institution addressed this. At the end of the session you will be able to identify five institutions/organizations with you whom you can develop partnerships. Attendees will also be asked to share their success stories to learn from each other.

— Landrum Beard, Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs, State University of New York College at Buffalo

Tuesday 10:45-12:15 p.m.

Young Alumni: Closing the Engagement Gap

Sheraton Ballroom I

When analyzing alumni engagement with our institutions, it is often found that alumni are not engaged immediately after graduation. By not meaningfully engaging alumni until their mid-to-late 30's, we are not capitalizing on the mutually beneficial relationship with our young alumni as volunteers, members, advocates, and potential donors. This presentation will examine recent literature focusing on young alumni engagement and this generations characteristics. It will also review results of benchmarking for young alumni groups, focus group results of young alumni, and strategies and best practices for young alumni engagement. Session attendees will share experiences working with young alumni and identify key takeaways to positively impact their work at their respective institutions.

— Leigh Pifer, Program Manager, Student Programs, The Ohio State University Alumni Association

— Josh Harraman, Director, Student Programs, The Ohio State University Alumni Association

Presenting Online Alumni Career Services: Wherever they live and whenever they want

Sheraton Ballroom III

Alumni want access to jobs and contacts and they need to learn how to use these resources and others effectively to transition successfully. However, few alumni live close enough to our campuses or visit campus often enough so that available onsite resources and services would meet their needs completely. The University of Illinois Alumni Association is utilizing online alumni career services to reach alumni where they are with resources that are available at times that make sense to them. This workshop will profile job boards, webinars, online resource pages and other tools being used by alumni career services centers in various institutions while sharing tips and cautions based on the University of Illinois Alumni Associations experiences. The workshop will include guidelines for those institutions looking to start alumni career services or others who are looking to expand their offering.

— Julie Hays Bartimus, Vice President, Alumni Career Center, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION