ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT

www.campbellcompany.com

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY | ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Approach and Methodology ............................................................................................... 3

Context ................................................................................................................................ 6

Benchmarking Summary ..................................................................................................... 8

Top-line Engagement Strategy.......................................................................................... 11

Alumni Programming ........................................................................................................ 17

Alumni Giving .................................................................................................................... 27

Volunteer Leadership ........................................................................................................ 33

Communications ............................................................................................................... 35

Staffing And Systems ........................................................................................................ 40

Appendix A: Assessment participant LIst .......................................................................... 48

Appendix B: Benchmarking Peer Group ........................................................................... 49

Appendix C: Maturity Model and Benchmarking ............................................................. 50

Appendix D: Engagement Scoring Memorandum ............................................................ 57

Appendix E: Master Implementation timeline ................................................................. 61


3

APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

In April 2018, John Carroll University (JCU) retained Campbell & Company to conduct an assessment of its

alumni engagement efforts. This assessment is designed to examine the internal structure and function of the

alumni relations department, determine which alumni relations programming and events afford the greatest

impact, gain an understanding from alumni of what connects them back to JCU, and determine how JCU can

improve based on the success of peer institutions. Findings from this process support a comprehensive

strategy and set of recommendations that will help JCU continue to grow and enhance its alumni engagement

efforts.

ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

The assessment process was structured according to a comprehensive Alumni Engagement Maturity Model

focused on five categories: alumni programming, alumni giving, volunteer leadership, communications, and

staffing and systems. Informed by background materials, extensive feedback supported by surveys and

internal and external interviews, and a peer benchmarking process, Campbell & Company examined the

current state of JCU’s alumni engagement efforts with a focus on identifying where JCU is most successful and

where there are opportunities for continued growth. Factoring in the internal and external contextual factors

most likely to affect JCU’s engagement efforts, Campbell & Company then developed recommendations for

overall engagement strategy, as well as concrete, actionable recommendations aligning with the five key

assessment framework pillars.


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ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

Top-line Engagement Strategy: To be successful, JCU’s engagement efforts need an overarching

strategy, clearly identified goals, and a preliminary timeline that articulates the action-items needed to

reach those goals.

Context: No institution or program exists within a vacuum. Internal factors and external climate set the

context for JCU’s engagement efforts and must be considered with determining strategy.

Alumni Programming: Engagement efforts require a strong tradition of on- and off-campus

programming that supports and maintains alumni connections to JCU.

Alumni Giving: JCU must work to nurture a culture of philanthropy within its alumni programs and

clearly articulate the financial role alumni have in supporting the University’s vision.

Volunteer Leadership: A strong alumni engagement program requires visible alumni leaders willing to

champion the University, make connections, solicit participation, and advise staff on outreach efforts.

Communications: University communications to alumni must be coordinated and consistent across

departments, featuring a clear vision for the institution and alumni impact.

Staffing and Systems: Appropriate staffing and systems must be in place to support volunteer leaders,

track and report engagement efforts, and facilitate staff collaboration.


5

METHODOLOGY

In examining the five elements critical to engagement success, Campbell & Company undertook the following

activities:

PREPARATION

Completed a comprehensive materials review including analysis of current programs, communications,

staffing structure, event strategy and success, donor and advancement efforts, engagement tracking and

key performance indicators.

RESEARCH*

Conducted nine internal interviews with key alumni relations, advancement, and career services staff,

working to understand staff experience of internal structure, understanding of goals, and wishes for

improvement.

Conducted seven benchmarking conversations with peer institutions in order to identify alumni

engagement best practices and understand steps for implementation at JCU.

Conducted twelve external interviews with highly engaged alumni.

Distributed an alumni survey to 22,629 individuals, obtaining a 4.8% response rate (1,089 respondents).

ANALYSIS AND REPORTING

Analyzed findings and developed report.

Gathered feedback from JCU on recommendations and clarify strategy.

Throughout this report, unattributed quotations from interviews are used to highlight key points and share

JCU’s alumni voice.

*See Appendix A for a full assessment participant list; see Appendix B for benchmarking peer group.

Preparation Research Analysis

& Reporting


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CONTEXT

Campbell & Company considered the following internal and external factors that will influence JCU’s

engagement strategy moving forward.

INTERNAL

Under Executive Director of Alumni Relations Dave Vitatoe, JCU has renewed

its commitment to alumni engagement and spent the last seven years

working to provide alumni with beneficial resources and opportunities to

connect back to campus. New programs have been added and efforts are

regularly enhanced as the alumni relations team works diligently to expand

its engagement efforts.

JCU’s alumni relations team is always looking to improve on its work. They

have recently implemented a comprehensive self-study and hired Campbell

& Company to leverage external resources that will deepen their

understanding of best practices in use at other institutions. All of these

actions will help continue moving the program forward.

JCU is currently very well-positioned to pursue expanded engagement work.

The University has recently finished a successful fundraising campaign, raising over $100 million from

almost 22,000 donors—13,407 of whom were first-time donors to JCU—suggesting that the institution

currently has considerable momentum from which to build a broader alumni base. JCU has also recently

welcomed a new President, marking an opportunity to reevaluate program goals and implement

changes that may take advantage of the energy provided by new leadership.

While the alumni relations team enjoys strong leadership and support from a capable staff, the program

can benefit from more intentional planning. In order to create a plan uniquely tailored to JCU, the team

must develop consensus about engagement goals and a commitment to continuous learning. What

works best for JCU will be a combination of tried and true best practices and emerging new practices. It

will require an understanding of industry trends as well as the unique atmosphere in which JCU is

situated.

EXTERNAL

After decades of an unsustainable funding model characterized by rapidly rising tuition costs and

increasing student debt, now more than ever higher education institutions are looking to philanthropy

as a source of sustainable revenue that can slow the rise of tuition that is already prohibitive for many

students.

“I think JCU does a

good job of trying to

connect graduates

with the University.

The Office of Alumni

Relations reaches out

in many ways, and if

one wants to be

engaged, there are

easily accessible

outlets to do so.”


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Generally speaking, traditional models of institutional engagement are

shifting as Baby Boomers age and institutions begin to focus more on

members of Generation X and older Millennials. A rapidly evolving job

market has marked a shift in the expectations individuals have for higher

education institutions: success and effectiveness increasingly rely upon

steady job placement and continued career support and networking for

students and alumni—impacting the type of engagement in which

individuals are interested.

While alumni relation efforts have traditionally focused on using institutional resources to create and

maintain connections between alums (e.g. through alumni directories, set-time event participation, and

class notes or newsletters), alumni now have technological resources that make this type of support less

integral. By using social media and networking sites, alumni are able to stay in touch with one another

with little to no facilitation from their alma mater.

Current trends in alumni relations reflect a focus on meeting people where they are and connecting

them directly to the work of the institution—providing clear volunteer and engagement opportunities

that will further the institution’s strategic priorities while cultivating a strong alumni network and

offering alumni chances for personal and professional growth.

Many alumni relations efforts now include a focus on leveraging alumni connections to access other

target audiences; this includes regular outreach to parents and professionals.

Alumni are a primary source of financial support for their alma maters, and engaged alumni are far more

likely to support their college or university than unengaged alumni. This does not suggest engagement is

only or even primarily about philanthropy, but does indicate that integrating philanthropy with

engagement strategies is an important opportunity for institutions to bolster financial support while

deepening alumni connections.

“The events tend to feel

focused on older alumni. I

enjoyed my time at JCU

but have not found the

alumni events to reflect

the same experience.”


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BENCHMARKING SUMMARY To help inform recommendations on what enhancements can be made to JCU’s current alumni relations work,

Campbell & Company completed a benchmarking exercise that allowed us to compare JCU to peer

institutions’ alumni engagement programs and efforts. Building off of recent analysis completed on best-in-

class alumni engagement programs at small liberal arts institutions, Campbell & Company engaged a seven-

institution cohort in discovery calls and in-person discussions that helped us determine: 1) what these

institutions are doing to engage their alumni, and 2) what efforts are resulting in a particularly strong return

on investment.

These conversations allowed us to tailor our Alumni Engagement Maturity Model to JCU’s cohort and

articulate a baseline measurement for JCU’s alumni engagement work across the five key assessment

categories and their constitutive components. For each key element of the assessment framework, JCU was

placed on a growth continuum from “Under-performing” to “Best-in-Class” relative to its peers.

The detailed maturity model we developed, along with an indication of JCU’s position along this continuum in

each category can be found in Appendix C. The key and scorecard below represent a summary of this

benchmarking work, which will provide context for our findings and recommendations throughout this report.

Key Average Score

out of 10

Best-in-class: Institution has implemented consistent programming that is

regularly assessed for changes and growth and is supported by a well-staffed

structure. School leadership is involved in and/or heavily supports efforts.

9-10

Mature: Institution has some consistent and new programming, but staffing is

not aligned with the new efforts and investment needs to be increased. School

leadership has some involvement in and/or supports efforts.

6-8

Ad hoc: Institution has some programming and staff to support programming but the efforts are not strategic or well-coordinated with school leadership and other departments.

3-5

Under-Performing: There is little to no programmatic vision or implementation and school leadership does not value or cannot support this area.

0-2


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Overall, this benchmarking exercise revealed JCU to have a relatively mature alumni relations program that

especially excels in core alumni outreach, volunteer engagement, and event planning. Given that JCU has only

recently refocused its efforts on alumni engagement, these scores are impressive. This reflects the fact that

alumni engagement is clearly a high priority for the institution and the alumni relations team has been focused

and steady in its efforts to increase outreach.

As always, there are opportunities for JCU to build on the success of the alumni relations team by committing

to continuous improvement in the future. Our findings suggest that JCU’s already considerable knowledge of

alumni engagement and willingness to prioritize it, make a very mature to best-in-class engagement program

possible for the University to attain within the next three to five years; the following set of tactical

recommendations form a strategic alumni engagement plan that outlines the steps JCU will need to take to

reach this goal.

Alumni Engagement Assessment Scorecard

(Suggested score out of 10)

JCU’s Suggested

Average Score JCU’s Maturity

Alumni Programming

On-campus Programs (7)

Alumni Chapters (5.5)

Digital Programming (2)

Career Services (4)

4.5 Ad Hoc

Alumni Giving

Culture of Philanthropy (3)

Reunion Giving (5)

4 Ad hoc

Volunteer Leadership

Board Priority (7)

Chapter Leadership (6)

6.5 Mature

Communications

Outreach (7)

Philanthropic Case for Alumni Support (5)

6 Mature

Staffing and Systems

Institutional leadership (7)

Collaborative Staff Approach (5)

Data Capture, Tracking, and Analysis (5)

5.5 Ad hoc


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A NOTE ON BEST-IN-CLASS PRACTICES:

Throughout this report, we will invoke “best-in-class” practices as both references that give our

recommendations context, and as targets for JCU to consider. These best-in-class practices have been

identified through this benchmarking exercise, previous benchmarking efforts, Campbell & Company’s

experience working with higher education institutions across the country, collective volunteer experience, and

secondary research.

Importantly, these sections are not intended to put forth one strategy, tactic, or method as the absolute best

way for JCU to move forward. Instead, they are intended to call out trends within higher education and to

provide examples for JCU to consider as it continues to tailor its approach to alumni engagement to match the

unique needs of its alumni.


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TOP-LINE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

It is important to focus on engagement as a means to an end and not an end in and of itself. Strong alumni

relations programs not only sustain institutions’ lifelong engagement with their former students, but positively

impact support for the school across a broad range of categories—as reflected by the breadth of the

engagement maturity model.

In order to take its engagement program to the next level, over the next three years, JCU must focus on

identifying opportunities alumni have to support the University’s current vision and priorities, and then tailor

engagement efforts to facilitate this broader participation. Throughout this report, recommendations will be

accompanied by implementation timelines that outline steps for JCU to take in order to achieve best-in-class

practices.

CURRENT PRACTICES AT JCU

JCU’s alumni relations team is currently narrowly focused on alumni in a strict

sense—an appropriate focus for a team with the word “alumni” in its title.

Invitations to events are sent to alumni only, and alumni who elect to engage

with the University through avenues separate from direct alumni engagement

efforts often struggle to fully connect. JCU does not have a parent engagement

focus, or a robust corporate/industry-specific engagement strategy, though the

team has recently started to reach out to corporations in more meaningful

ways, starting a new, corporate chapter program.

BEST-IN-CLASS PRACTICES

Benchmarking suggests that institutions that are excelling particularly well in alumni engagement are

leveraging alumni to begin outreach to other audiences. They actively engage parents, including them in

invitations to events, giving days, and cultivation events. Best-in-class institutions are creating industry-specific

engagement strategies that utilize alumni networks and employment, while segmenting communications to

create tailored messaging for parents, corporations, and other key audiences, ensuring each group feels they

are being genuinely sought out. Through this approach, alumni engagement becomes a broad strategy for

creating an informed, committed community—one in which people understand both the institution’s mission

and vision for the future, as well as the opportunities they have to make an impact and participate in it.

RECOMMENDATION 1: IMPLEMENT A THREE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT PLAN THAT WILL INCREASE THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF JCU’S APPROACH TO ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT.

“There is significant

room for growth in

reaching out to parents.

I’ve been engaged

through a parents’

council and it was a

great program. We felt

included in our child’s

experience at the

school.”


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KEYS TO BROADER ENGAGEMENT:

Open all events, including chapter events to parents and friends of JCU; segment invitations and

other communications to begin outreach to groups connected to alumni (i.e., parents, industry-

specific professionals).

Identify key targets for expanded engagement and consider adding a parent relations staff member

to the alumni relations team. This position would be responsible for: establishing a parent-outreach

strategy, creating and implementing parent-specific program additions, helping to segment alumni

outreach messages, and working with the major and annual giving teams to ensure all appeals to

parents are specifically tailored.

Develop and implement a comprehensive parent engagement plan that is integrated with alumni

engagement efforts and reinforces alumni engagement goals.

There are many forms of engagement that contribute to an alum’s overall sense of connection to their alma

mater—and different individuals will gravitate towards different means of engagement. Having experienced

the fullness of an institution’s efforts—via academics, athletics, social events, volunteering, etc.—alumni know

their alma mater well and their relationships with it are often deep and complex. While one alum may be

disinterested in offering internships to current students, another may find this to be one of the most

rewarding and productive actions they can take in support of an institution’s mission. While some alumni may

be sensitive to philanthropic appeals, others will see this as a natural extension of their relationship with the

school and be eager to learn about opportunities to financially support its goals. Alumni interests are

dependent not only on past experience of the institution, but current circumstances and personal

temperament—it can be difficult to create an alumni experience that balances interests as varied as the many

individuals an institution graduates.

As a result, successfully creating the comprehensive, integrated engagement experience many of today’s

alumni seek requires a team that is as agile and knowledgeable as possible. Formalizing and strategically

increasing collaboration across an institution in support of alumni engagement is one way to leverage existing

resources in support of the broad, comprehensive alumni outreach many alumni seek—ensuring as many of

the unique opportunities that alumni grew to love on campus as possible are accessible to them in some way

now that they’ve graduated. For many institutions, this begins with a focus on integrating and coordinating

alumni relations efforts with career services and annual giving.

RECOMMENDATION 2: BUILD STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN ALUMNI RELATIONS, CAREER SERVICES, AND ANNUAL GIVING. STRENGTHEN JCU’S CULTURE OF STRATEGIC COLLABORATION AND CREATE A FULLY INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT.


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CURRENT PRACTICES AT JCU: ALUMNI RELATIONS AND CAREER SERVICES

Historically, the alumni relations and career services teams at JCU have had a relatively low level of

partnership. Career services has experienced significant staffing turnover and it

has been difficult to sustain a consistent relationship. The longest tenured

member of the career services team has been at JCU for only three years.

Under Director Dave Vitatoe’s leadership, the alumni relations team has begun

to actively seek partnership opportunities with career services. Along with the

addition of the corporate chapter program, alumni relations and career services

are working together to mobilize the Alumni Association Board for career

networking and workshopping potential opportunities for further collaboration.

The collaborative relationship between these two teams is not yet sufficiently

strategic in focus or formally established by leadership—joint work is informal

and, as a junior member of the career services staff, the liaison between career services and alumni relations

does not currently have the power to act on collaborative decisions or implement new programs—but JCU is

laying groundwork for more deliberate efforts involving career services and alumni relations in the future.

BEST-IN-CLASS PRACTICES

Best-in-class institutions place a heavy emphasis on increasing collaboration between alumni relations and

career services. For some, this consists of intentional, regular meetings between alumni relations and career

services directors and staff, and for others it results in fully embedding career services within advancement.

Collaboration is focused on specific programs and information-sharing. In particular, both alumni relations and

career services are reliant upon networking efforts and can streamline their efforts by combining networking

resources via LinkedIn groups.

Some institutions have taken alumni relations and career services collaboration to a new level of integration,

establishing a full-time Director of Alumni Careers. This position is charged with overseeing alumni career

resources, organizing monthly career webinars, establishing volunteer-driven career affinity groups, and

liaising directly with the institution’s career services team. This has resulted in strong shadowing and

internship programs that allow students to intern for alumni. These programs facilitate direct, impactful

engagement from involved alumni. This level of commitment has also helped schools to develop a

comprehensive database of alumni who are willing to serve as mentors for both fellow alums and current

students.

KEYS TO INCREASED COLLABORATION WITH CAREER SERVICES:

Begin by aligning alumni engagement and career services strategies and developing joint goals.

Work to identify and clearly articulate the potential benefits of increased collaboration for students,

faculty, alumni, and JCU’s professional/corporate communities. This might include reference to:

“Career services needs to

be more visible and

accessible to alumni.

There are many alumni

who would like to offer

internships but don’t feel

like they have support.

This is a major

opportunity.”


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Student access to alumni networks that will advance their professional opportunities

Increased alumni engagement through participation in career services (e.g. mentorship, hosting

internships, leveraging networks, etc.) will facilitate increased connection to the University

Establish structured collaboration by creating quarterly meetings between the Executive Director of

Alumni Relations and Executive Director of Career Services; identify staff members on both the

alumni relations and career services teams who will serve as designated inter-team liaisons. These

staff members will be responsible for regularly communicating on shared objectives and working to

develop opportunities for further collaboration.

Build on the programmatic collaboration begun through these staff liaisons to establish larger, more

strategic joint initiatives and continue to grow programmatic offerings.

Roll out a comprehensive set of joint services for alumni:

Leverage career services to engage both parents and professional alumni. Both of these

constituencies regularly express interest in investing in current students and recent alumni

through hiring and/or career mentorship. This effort provides a way to engage these two groups

without a fundraising ask and will increase affinity for the University. Visit key, Cleveland-based organizations that have hired multiple JCU alumni. Build on efforts to

create company-specific affinity groups as part of the corporate chapter program. Partner with

career services to identify opportunities for career services staff to advance relationships and

deepen the JCU alumni professional network.

CURRENT PRACTICES AT JCU:

ALUMNI RELATIONS AND ANNUAL GIVING

Alumni relations and annual giving work together on select activities, including JCU’s reunion and certain

communications. Annual giving information appears on select alumni relations materials, but JCU’s overall

approach is not integrated; the team does not, for example, actively collaborate on donor or chapter

solicitation strategies or segmented messaging. While annual giving once reported directly to the Director of

Alumni Relations, the two teams do not currently have a strong joint focus—consistently operating

independently even during reunion planning.

At the same time, our assessment work indicates that there is a strong potential for deepened engagement

through collaboration between these two teams. A majority of alums within each graduating decade feel

“somewhat” or “not connected” to the University, while a majority of alumni at every level of giving feel

“somewhat connected” or better:


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How would you describe your current relationship with JCU?

This discrepancy in feelings of connection, with those that give feeling more

strongly connected to the University than their peers, suggests that alumni giving,

though it may result from a certain level of engagement, may also cultivate and

reinforce a feeling of connection. JCU has an opportunity to immediately upgrade

engagement levels and increase alumni connection by pursuing more strategic

giving efforts.

BEST-IN-CLASS PRACTICES:

For some best-in-class institutions, collaboration between these teams is achieved by merging them together.

For others, embedding at least one member in both alumni relations and annual giving ensures ideal levels of

autonomy while facilitating communication. Throughout Campbell & Company’s benchmarking conversations,

it became clear that formalizing the relationship between annual giving and alumni relations facilitates more

strategic and targeted fundraising efforts. Across the board, best-in-class institutions set specific alumni

fundraising goals with the help and support of annual giving staff.

KEYS TO INCREASED COLLABORATION WITH ANNUAL GIVING:

Begin structured collaboration by establishing quarterly meetings between the Executive Director of

Alumni Relations and the Assistant Vice President of Development overseeing annual giving.

Develop a shared plan that outlines how alumni relations and annual giving will work together and

that formalizes collaboration.

This plan should include: recognition of instances of program overlap, combined annual giving and

alumni engagement goals, and a clear articulation of both team’s responsibilities.

2

2

8

21

155

241

88

1

228

92

72

6

7

14

19

70

107

22

4

4

7

6

33

66

$100K+

$50K - $99K

$25K-$49K

$10K - $24.9K

$1K - $9.9K

Less than $1K

None

Somewhat connected Not connected

Connected Very connected

“I give twice a year

and feel encouraged

when I do.”

10

Alumni by Giving Level

102

97

86

75

80

77

36

29

20

40

47

22

55

40

38

22

39

51

16

12

16

24

26

36

Before 1970

1970 - 1979

1980 - 1989

1990 - 1999

2000 - 2010

After 2010

Somewhat connected Not connectedConnected Very connected

Alumni by Graduating Decade


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Identify a staff member that will dual report to annual giving and alumni relations. This staff

member will work to execute initiatives in the teams’ shared plan and should have autonomy to work

with both teams on implementation.

Establish and maintain a more strategic, nuanced approach to alumni fundraising through alumni

engagement with consistently implemented, coordinated annual giving strategies.

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE:

Recommendation Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Broadening Engagement

Open all events to broader audiences

Identify key engagement targets; consider staff capacity

needs

Develop a parent engagement plan

Building Strong Partnerships

Begin structured collaboration between directors; Identify staff

liaisons

Develop shared goals and plans; build on collaboration with strategic programmatic

offerings

Roll-out comprehensive joint alumni/career services; establish and maintain a

strategic approach to alumni fundraising through annual

giving


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ALUMNI PROGRAMMING Alumni programming is at the heart of all alumni engagement. It includes both on campus events and regional

and digital outreach, and whether programs occur in person or remotely, these events are often the first point

of contact between alumni and their alma mater. These efforts make deeper engagement possible, so it is

important to constantly evaluate effectiveness and overarching events strategy. The following

recommendations are intended to sharpen JCU’s already strong alumni programming, giving the alumni

relations team a clear path forward as they look to expand their reach.

Increasingly, alumni are seeking strong digital options for engagement.

Whether they have ready access to campus or not, many alumni are limited

in their participation with JCU due to its heavy focus on on-campus events,

which can require more time or financial resources for many alums to access.

While alumni no longer need an institutional intermediary when working to

connect with one another, technology also affords colleges and universities

an opportunity to connect with their alumni in new and interesting ways—

whether it’s feasible for an alum to attend on-campus events or not.


JCU alumni appreciate the variety of events JCU offers to them and the care the alumni relations team puts

into creating its programming. Event attendance has remained relatively static for the last three years, though

overall it has trended downward since 2014:

RECOMMENDATION 1: CREATE AN ADAPTIVE DIGITAL OUTREACH STRATEGY FOR ALUMNI.

40584278

3226

38583440

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Event Attendence Over Time

“I am still working full

time and at quite a

distance from Cleveland.

The time and distance

constraints make

engagement difficult.”

“JCU has a very diverse

group of events—we are

not just meeting at bars,

which I appreciate. Events

contribute to my

engagement big time.”


18

JCU’s large, signature events are not growing, and slowly falling attendance overall indicates that fewer alumni

are interested in events as a primary means of connection:

While JCU holds strong chapter events in some regions and places considerable emphasis on reunions, its

current events strategy is no longer exhibiting the level of growth and involvement JCU is seeking. When asked

why they do not attend JCU events, a majority of alumni survey respondents respond either that the events

are inconveniently scheduled or that they feel there are limited opportunities in their area:

0

200

400

600

800

1000

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Signature Event Attendance

Alumni Awards Golf Classic Homecoming

Breakfast with Santa Founders Day Alumni Travel

Alumni Couples

Choose the reasons why you do not attend JCU events or are not involved with alumni programs.

(Check all that apply)

132

279

101

293

16

78

149

190

Other

Limited alumni events in my area

I'm not aware of alumni events

They are invoncenitent for my schedule

They are not family friendly

Cost

I don't feel connected to JCU

My peers do not attend


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Given the significant number of alumni identifying these kinds of accessibility issues as barriers to

engagement, JCU has a clear opportunity to think strategically about what kind of events best further its

engagement goals. Though effective in stewarding already engaged alumni and some new graduates, JCU’s

current on-campus-focus offers relatively expensive, slow growth. Considering ways for alumni to engage on

their own time and from long distances will be key. JCU’s A.C.E.S. (Alumni Continuing Education Series) adult

learning program is an example of a strong first step upon which JCU can build as it works to grow and focus

long-distance and engagement efforts. Looking for opportunities to involve JCU faculty and research efforts

will help connect alumni to the work of the University, even if they cannot make it to campus.


Best-in-class institutions are focused on meeting alumni where they are through innovative uses of technology

and unique program offerings. They have clear social media strategies that increase awareness and broaden

overall engagement, and that are focused on helping alumni, as well as broader,

engaged audiences (e.g. parents, community members, etc.) re-experience on-

campus opportunities through web-based platforms. These can include: classes

hosted by faculty of interest and based on their areas of study and expertise as

well as alumni-hosted webinars, unique, practical learning opportunities on

financial planning, resume building, and networking.

Overall, these institutions are focused on creating a wide variety of events and

opportunities for alumni to engage. They strive to make sure digital events are

focused on experiences alumni are most interested in—contacting them to gauge

interest in possible opportunities and to influence planning. Events are regularly

scheduled throughout the year and create a unified alumni experience even without the benefit of in-person

contact.

KEYS TO STRONG DIGITAL OUTREACH:

Evaluate program needs and interests of alumni and identify opportunities to use University

resources (i.e. faculty, staff, engaged alumni) to offer these programs.

Because they are so central to student and alumni experience on campus, faculty can play a large

role in engagement. Consider offering online classes taught by faculty members and/or virtual

book clubs hosted by faculty.

JCU can also utilize engaged alumni to broaden its reach. Consider offering an alumni-driven

webinar series on networking, job transitions, and financial planning. These offerings also present

an opportunity to collaborate with career services.

“There is an

opportunity to do

more events like

financial planning,

cooking classes, etc.

You will appeal to a

different group of

alumni with these

types of events.”


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Create an annual, digital outreach plan.

Promote two-way engagement via social media by developing content that sparks conversation

rather than simply building awareness or sharing information. For example, leading up to the

reunion, ask people to share their favorite memories of JCU.

Leverage Alumni Association Board members, chapter leadership, and other close-in alumni as

online ambassadors—using social media and digital outreach as an opportunity to increase

engagement between both alumni themselves and alumni and JCU. Consider kicking off a digital

conversation, sharing specific content (e.g., regular spotlights on alumni, students, and their work,

articles highlighting student and alumni connections, internships, and successful mentorships

stories, etc.), and inviting others to engage. Identify possible ambassadors with a strong

connection to JCU and connections to a broad alumni network.

Create digital events, including: webinar and workshop series and digital programming to

accompany signature events (i.e., a cross-chapter volunteer day that is captured on social media).

Include opportunities for digital experiences at events (i.e., Facebook live, “like” drives, and real-

time updates and engagement between those at an event and those attending remotely).

Fully implement digital outreach strategy and continue to evaluate opportunities for new and

innovative program formats and topics.

Overall, these digital strategies should complement the in-person strategies already in place, merely extending

the JCU on-campus experience into the digital sphere.

A robust alumni chapter program is key to organizing alumni outreach efforts. Chapters facilitate volunteer

engagement and lend focus to both local and regional engagement.


JCU’s alumni relations team is working to expand its chapter program and many of its chapters are relatively

new. JCU now has a strong program that has grown to span 19 cities, and many of those involved speak highly

of JCU’s staff and its support for their chapter. With limited staff capacity and

aggressive growth, however, JCU has been unable to fully leverage the strengths

of this program.

Chapters have not yet been fully integrated into JCU’s overall events strategy, and

some volunteer leaders have expressed interest in more direction. While chapters

have a general framework with five core components for programming, there is

no set calendar, plan, or budget for chapter events and JCU’s role in supporting

chapter efforts varies from region to region.

RECOMMENDATION 2: COMPLETE A CHAPTER EVALUATION AND DEVELOP A UNIFYING PLAN FOR CHAPTER ENGAGEMENT

“I work mostly with

Eric. He is great and

supportive, and

doesn’t micromanage,

but it might be helpful

to have more direction

and clarity on budget.”


21

Associate Director of Alumni Relations Eric Eickhoff established a Founders’ Day event in 2016 that includes a

focus on chapter-based engagement. Programming for this event occurs in 14 different cities, and is heavily

focused on activity in Cleveland. Given the number of engaged alumni located in Ohio, this focus is

appropriate, but JCU has opportunities to broaden regional emphasis and grow its engaged alumni base. Of

those responding to Campbell & Company’s alumni survey as a part of this assessment process, just under 55

percent were from Ohio—including less than five percent of respondents from Cleveland itself. This indicates a

significant population of alumni beyond not only Cleveland, but outside of the state of Ohio.

With its flexible and cooperative approach to chapter leadership and support, the alumni relations team has

demonstrated a clear interest in trying new engagement strategies as they build out this program. Now is a

perfect time to evaluate what kind of structure is needed to increase efficiency and create more capacity for

this creative engagement. With a strategic focus on evaluating current practices and streamlining chapter

programs, JCU will be able to fully integrate its chapters into regular alumni engagement efforts.


Best-in-class institutions rely heavily on volunteer leadership and support to manage their chapter programs,

supplying a clear vision for chapter structure and volunteer roles vs. institutional roles and responsibilities. In

several instances, volunteers are asked not only to come up with most of their own program ideas, but are

required to develop their own funding in support of these efforts.

Overall, the most successful institutions include both parents of students and alumni and friends of the

institution in chapter outreach. They require commitment to 2-3 signature events and integrate their chapter

and reunion outreach efforts—using reunions to recruit new chapter membership and leadership, while

leveraging highly engaged chapter members in support of reunion engagement.

KEYS TO STRATEGIC CHAPTER ENGAGEMENT:

Streamline staff support and chapter structures in order to support further growth.

Ensure staff support and chapter plans reflect a broad range of

engagement opportunities (e.g. volunteering, event attendance,

giving, etc.) and articulate the value proposition of engagement in a

balanced, holistic way.

Create annual chapter plans that clearly outline: the minimum

number of events the chapter will put on, how many will be

supported by JCU and in what ways, which signature events the

chapter will be required to participate in, and the budget for other

events. These plans will help volunteer leaders to understand their

roles and focus their efforts to support the University and fellow

alumni.

“I think alumni

chapters really help

with connectivity, but

it is a challenge to find

stable leadership in the

regions. The chapters

cannot just rely on one

person to execute all of

the events.”


22

Consolidate chapter communications into a single Facebook page. Use this page to highlight

particularly interesting and effective local opportunities, alongside signature, unifying events.

Maximize accessibility of needed information by ensuring that this page is regularly updated and

consistently shared through other communications efforts.

Integrate chapter engagement with JCU’s overarching events strategy. Ensure not only that there is

consistent regional accessibility via streaming, but that there are local versions of 2-3 signature,

annual gatherings (e.g. Giving Day, Volunteer Day, and networking events).

Bring all chapters together for at least 1-2 events per year. This will create cohesion in JCU’s alumni

community and clearly connect all alumni chapters back to the University, ensuring JCU remains a

central focus for chapter members.

Continue to expand JCU’s regional presence and national network by expanding the number of

chapters. Encourage unique, local events and support them when possible, but rely on chapter

volunteers to execute.

For most institutions, reunions form the heart of alumni relations event strategy. Reunions appeal to alumni,

bring people back to campus, and naturally facilitate networking efforts. Reunion planning can be logistically

complex and time-consuming, placing a considerable burden on staff. It is important to constantly evaluate

both reunion planning and programming to ensure these large-scale events continue adapting to alumni

needs while remaining effective engagement tools.


JCU’s reunion is the biggest line item in the alumni relations budget. The team is committed to this event, and

programming stays relatively consistent from year to year. The reunion has seen some growth since 2016,

marking a healthy program that is still attracting alumni interest.

RECOMMENDATION 3: CONSISTENTLY EVALUATE AND ADJUST REUNION PROGRAMMING ACCORDING TO ALUMNI INTEREST.


23

Many survey respondents, though generally favorable of the reunion, state that the quality of programming

could improve. Respondents feel there is too much dead time and attendees from Cleveland are not

interested in the more tourist-focused events. More varied programming and strategic staff engagement will

help JCU sustain its current level of reunion engagement and encourage steady growth.


Best-in-class institutions have weekend long programming that is consistently tweaked and reviewed based on

attendance and support. They look to customize the reunion weekend experience through affinity gatherings

and class-specific panels or programs. These affinity gatherings and class-specific efforts are driven by highly

engaged class agents and committees.

KEYS TO STRONG REUNION PROGRAMMING:

Consider creating optional academic programming, hosting Jesuit-

oriented religious retreats and mass, and continuing to be inclusive of

families throughout the weekend.

Examine and adjust programming regularly to ensure reunions

continue to meet the range of interests attendees have and that it

continues to be a marquee event for JCU.

“My classmates and I don’t

want to take a tour of

Cleveland, so I often end up

planning something for my

friends that is outside the

official reunion activities.”

“I’d love chances for more

networking, educational

opportunities, and a chance

to mingle with JCU

leadership and current

professors.”

762

665

508538

606

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Reunion Attendance Over Time


24

Because events are so integral to all alumni engagement efforts, it is easy for alumni relations teams to focus

almost exclusively on planning and executing them, putting comprehensive analysis of event effectiveness on

the backburner. Establishing key performance indicators for successful events and regularly tracking them can

help a team analyze efficiency and adjust strategy in real-time, allowing them to be more responsive as they

create alumni experiences. After a team takes the time to develop and agree on key performance indicators

and implement consistent tracking practices, return on investment assessments require relatively little extra

staff time while providing invaluable data. Many alumni relations and development operations struggle to

implement an efficient, effective tracking system and rely mostly on qualitative impressions without collecting

or really using data.


JCU is committed to creating diverse event opportunities for its alumni and has

expanded many of its offerings—tending to add events and activities without

lessening other commitments and without expanding staff capacity. While the

alumni relations team regularly debriefs about event success, JCU does not

currently have a comprehensive system of metrics that would allow it to compare

success across years, compare effectiveness of one event to another, or analyze ROI. Analysis of what is and is

not working relies primarily on personal impression, and there is limited use of data. This makes it difficult to

make strategic decisions about which events to focus on and continue if resources or staff time are limited,

and how overall events strategy might be improved.


Though ROI is frequently considered a financial measure above all else, alumni engagement goals expand

beyond giving. It is important to factor broad engagement—effectiveness in creating, sustaining, and

deepening alumni connection to the institution—into analysis of event success. Best-in-class institutions are

consistently tracking key data points and evaluating event effectiveness based on a number of factors. These

can include: number of first-time attendees, number of returning attendees, total giving, and volunteer sign-

ups.

As a part of targeted goal setting, many of these institutions embed soft asks as speaking points or messages

within event communications once specific engagement goals are identified. These asks may touch on

traditional fundraising appeals, or instead be focused on other engagement goals: i.e., increasing attendance

and participation by activating alumni networks, asking for alumni support on other initiatives (including

career and internship support for other alums and current students), etc.

RECOMMENDATION 4: BEGIN REGULAR ROI ASSESSMENTS OF EVENTS, BALANCING COST OF HOSTING AND FACILITATING WITH EFFECTIVENESS IN ACHIEVING BROADER ENGAGEMENT GOALS.

“I attend most events

and am on campus all

the time, but JCU may

have more events than

they can handle.”


25

KEYS TO IMPROVED EVALUATION OF EVENTS:

Develop key performance indicators for events; integrate ROI assessments with alumni engagement

score tracking and evaluate events based on their effectiveness in increasing these scores.

Adjust events strategy based on this analysis. A strong events strategy creates opportunities to

engage new alumni as well as cultivate and deepen relationships with already engaged individuals;

understanding what kind of response and engagement specific events facilitate is key to creating a

comprehensive event strategy and plan.

Implementing this analysis may include tracking how many first-time contacts an event/activity

creates and which events inspire continued attendance (e.g. a webinar series) or regular

engagement.

Ensure JCU’s events strategy targets alumni at all engagement levels. This will require that the team

create a slate of events designed with different audiences in mind. Examples include:

Building on success with regional chapters by implementing easily accessible, low time

commitment events designed to engage alumni that haven’t previously been involved

Cultivation events targeting already engaged alumni and designed to inspire a higher level of

participation with specific, philanthropic or volunteer asks (e.g. mentorship opportunities).

Support these cultivation efforts with examples and stories of alumni impact. Use individual

testimonials that demonstrate the power of alumni engagement to make a concrete difference in

the larger University mission.

Reunions, annual giving days, etc. that can be used to engage broad swaths of alumni all at once,

supplying opportunities for low key attendance as well as more involved volunteer leadership and

direction

Not all events need to include a volunteer or fundraising “ask” that reinforces the potential roles alumni

have in the University community or increase traditional ROI. JCU will need to think strategically about

when straight engagement is most helpful in terms of cultivating initial alumni buy-in.


26



Digital Engagement

Evaluate digital outreach needs and alumni interests

Create an annual, digital outreach plan

Fully implement digital outreach strategy

Chapter Program

Streamline staff support and chapter structures; consolidate chapter

communications to one Facebook page

Integrate chapter engagement with overarching events

strategy; Bring all chapters together for 1-2 signature

events

Continue to expand JCU's chapter program

Reunion Programming

Add new and innovative programs

Examine and adjust programming regularly

ROI Assessment

Identify key performance indicators; Integrate ROI

assessments with engagement goals

Adjust events strategy based on ROI analysis; ensure strategy targets alumni at all engagement levels


27

ALUMNI GIVING While clearly not the only means for alumni to participate in and improve the University community, alumni

giving provides a very concrete way for interested alums to support the University’s mission. Alumni giving

reflects the confidence of those closest to an institution and can be leveraged to

inspire larger commitments from major individual and corporate donors.

Commitments from alumni show the JCU community that graduates are thankful

for and proud of their education and invested in sustaining and improving it for

future students.

Many institutions fear that consistently asking their alumni to participate in

philanthropy will create donor fatigue that ultimately lowers engagement levels,

but if pursued strategically, philanthropy becomes an inherent part of the

University’s culture, and a role those who are deeply engaged are happy to

participate in.

Alumni are often an institution’s most ardent supporters and

advocates. And while it is important to focus on mobilizing

alumni support through annual giving, cultivating a strong

culture of philanthropy amongst alumni has a reach that

extends far beyond direct alumni fundraising. Alumni

networks and connections—to key individual donors,

corporations, and foundations—can open up doors to

significant and transformative giving and engagement from

other sources.

A strong culture of philanthropy extends far beyond simply

increasing fundraising efforts. Instead, it considers

fundraising as a tool for strengthening an entire community

and mission. A strong culture of philanthropy ensures: 1)

giving efforts are fully integrated and aligned with an

institution’s mission, organizational priorities are clearly communicated, and community-members have an

opportunity for meaningful impact; 2) fundraising is understood as a means of engagement and connection; 3)

individuals and teams throughout an organization share responsibility for engagement and cultivation; 4) the

organization is ultimately focused on creating strong, sustained relationships with community members and

potential donors. In this context, giving is an engagement tool as much as it is an end goal.

RECOMMENDATION 1: USE ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS TO EXPAND JCU’S DONOR COMMUNITY AND CREATE A MORE INTEGRATED CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY.

“JCU gave us so much

of what we have, both

personally and

professionally. For us,

it’s a no brainer to give

back financially, but

giving isn’t at the

forefront of current

alumni programming.”

Shared Responsibility

for Development

Integration and

Alignment with Mission

Focus on Fundraising

as Engagement

Strong Donor Relationships

Source: Beyond Fundraising, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund


28


While JCU clearly prioritizes alumni giving to the annual fund, efforts have not yet focused on cultivating a

broader culture of philanthropy amongst staff and alumni. Giving is often

considered a necessary evil rather than an engagement opportunity or tool,

and thus it is not fully integrated into alumni relations efforts. Annual giving

appeals and other opportunities to give are occasionally included in alumni

relations communications, but this is not consistent or strategic. There is, for

example, very little current emphasis on fundraising through JCU’s chapter

programs. Outside of a chapter book award offered in some regions, staff

have been reluctant to attach philanthropic appeals to engagement efforts.

JCU’s tracking of alumni engagement and participation between FY2016 and FY2017 show rising totals in

overall alumni giving, but no consistent increase in total number of alumni giving. This indicates that JCU is

upgrading existing donors, but has not yet developed a process for effectively engaging new alumni in

fundraising. While JCU has successfully increased the size of gift given per individual alumni donor, the

percentage of alumni giving has remained relatively static between 2016 and 2018. JCU’s 12 to 13 percent rate

of alumni giving participation is low compared to its peers, and the University has an opportunity to pursue

significantly increased giving by focusing on new-donor outreach. Given philanthropy’s rising importance to

sustainable funding in higher education, these efforts are critical to the health of the University.


Best-in-class institutions integrate philanthropy into all University outreach efforts, including alumni giving.

They share and coordinate their alumni communications calendar with cross-campus groups including

athletics, annual giving, and career services and look for opportunities to use alumni passion and commitment

to drive philanthropic interest.

$4,747,805

$7,013,044

$9,174,271

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Total Giving by Alumni by Year

13%

12%

13%

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

% of Alumni Donors

“I know it can’t always be

about the money, but we

need to strike a balance of

always communicating the

need and appreciation for

donations.”

5,026

4,844

5,237


29

In particular, best-in-class alumni relations efforts begin stewarding students and educating them about the

importance of their philanthropic role before they graduate. With a focus on class gift participation and

targeted cultivation during their first year after graduation, these institutions attempt to ensure new

graduates are engaged as quickly as possible. They strive to support recent graduates in their career search,

give them access to alumni networks, and help them understand the many ways alumni can support one

another as well as the institution itself—giving them clear opportunities to use these resources and contribute

to them. Across the board, raising alumni participation in giving is a clear strategic focus for best-in-class

alumni relations efforts.

KEYS TO STRENTHENING JCU’S CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY THROUGH ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT:

Share JCU’s philanthropic case for support regularly as a part of alumni communications. Clearly

articulate philanthropy’s impact on students and create a narrative that shows alumni what their role

is in the fundraising process. Early and consistent engagement with the realities of fundraising,

starting with participation in a class gift effort while still enrolled, will deepen JCU’s culture of

philanthropy amongst alumni and encourage later participation.

Broaden fundraising efforts through alumni to include parents and industry-specific professionals.

Include these groups in fundraising outreach efforts, expanding language and event invitations to

give them the opportunity to participate.

As broad outreach opportunities that attempt to engage alumni as comprehensively as possible, reunions

offer a prime opportunity to implement group-focused philanthropic appeals and create a culture of

community giving.


Though reunion attendance has begun to slowly increase since dipping to 508 people in 2016, JCU has

struggled to elevate reunion-based giving. Total reunion giving has declined since 2016, and attendees are

giving significantly less per person than they were previously:

RECOMMENDATION 2: INCLUDE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES AND GOALS AS A PART OF CLASS REUNION OUTREACH.


30

Data indicates that JCU has experienced a 54 percent decrease in reunion giving between 2016 and 2018, with

attendees giving 61.5 percent less per person on average.

This is in part because limited staff capacity presents a challenge to fully focusing on, and building up, reunion

giving.


Best-in-class institutions consistently partner annual giving and alumni relations to solicit reunion giving. They

set joint attendance and giving goals for these teams and establish a dual planning committee. Planning begins

well in advance of the reunion and includes a strategic communications plan: one that focuses first on

encouraging attendance, and then turns to emphasizing opportunities to give as the event grows closer. In

staffing structures where a team member from both alumni relations and annual giving are not able to

support the reunion committee, the alumni relations team member is trained to lead the class reunion

fundraising effort.

KEYS TO MOBILIZING REUNION GIVING:

Form a dual committee of alumni relations and annual giving staff who can set both class giving

(annual giving) and attendance (alumni relations) goals and track progress towards success. Planning

should begin a year in advance if possible, and early emphasis should be on getting alumni to come

back to the University for their reunion.

$1,017,231$1,214,840

$2,256,175$2,105,948

$1,036,605

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Reunion Giving Over Time

Year Number of Attendees

Total $ Given $ Giving Per Attendee

2014 762 $ 1,017,231.00 $ 1,334.95

2015 665 $ 1,214,840.00 $ 1,826.83

2016 508 $ 2,256,175.00 $ 4,441.29

2017 538 $ 2,105,948.00 $ 3,914.40

2018 606 $ 1,036,605.00 $ 1,710.57

“Giving is passively

included in reunion—you

can give when you

register. I think one or

two classmates should

really own the class gift

initiative.”


31

Use multi-digital communications strategies, and begin focusing on fundraising messaging during the

second half of the year. Leverage five-year reunion increments, and place special emphasis on years

10, 25, and 50.

Though fueling alumni giving is certainly a core reason many institutions pursue intensive alumni engagement,

giving can also be an engagement tool in and of itself. For those who love JCU and want to support its mission,

opportunities to give provide a reason to come together and engage with the University. Giving is a concrete

and practical action alumni can take to impact their alma mater and it’s a way for them to take an active role

in its work, no matter where they live. Giving days are one way to facilitate this broad engagement in the

University’s mission.


While JCU has established a Founders’ Day event, it is very explicitly not associated with philanthropy. The

University does not currently have a giving day and has very few events that involve all of its engaged

community, both on-campus and off.


Best-in-class alumni relations programs establish a giving day that is integrated with all departments and

outreach efforts on campus. The day has a clear theme and isn’t merely focused on alumni or on the annual

fund. Instead it is a broad engagement opportunity during which the alumni relations team can pursue

targeted alumni engagement and solicitation.

These institutions utilize technology like “Give Campus” to involve departments throughout the school and

work to engage both current students and recent graduates. They collaborate with individual academic

departments to communicate with these students and graduates and supply key messaging and collateral (e.g.

videos and written appeals) for these departments to use in alignment with the day’s theme.

KEYS TO ESTABLISHING AN ALUMNI GIVING DAY:

As with reunion planning, make this a shared project to be owned by both alumni relations and the

Annual Giving team and create both participation and fundraising goals to track. Success should

increase year to year as both attendance and giving increase. Ensure broad interest by focusing

fundraising on the Carroll Fund.

Begin marketing, both on-campus and off, well in advance of the actual day. This should include

print, online, and social media efforts, educating not only potential donors, but those faculty and

staff who might help with student and recent graduate outreach.

RECOMMENDATION 3: ESTABLISH AN ALUMNI GIVING DAY


32

Obtain and use technology that allows outreach throughout campus and beyond. Invest in a service

like “Give Campus”, a digital fundraising and management platform specifically designed for higher

education institutions.

Consider leveraging regional chapters to extend reach. Make this giving day a signature event that

occurs both on campus and off. Coordinate with chapter presidents to create opportunities to give

and/or volunteer locally.

Provide ways for engaged alumni and high-capacity alumni to lead through special giving

initiatives. This can include challenge and matching gifts.

Reach out to potential challenge leaders and match donors early and secure funds in advance.

Challenges or match initiatives can focus on individual classes or on the entire alumni community,

but should always articulate a clear, specific need for alumni to get behind. Efforts like this can

give donors different and exciting ways to make an impact.



Culture of Philanthropy

Share philanthropic case for support; integrate into alumni engagement communications

Broaden fundraising efforts through alumni; include parents and industry-specific professionals

Reunion Giving

Form a dual alumni relations/annual giving committee for reunion

planning

Develop and execute a joint communications and engagement plan for reunion outreach

Alumni Giving Day

Form a dual alumni relations/annual giving

committee for Giving Day planning; establish a Giving

Day plan

Execute Giving Day Leverage regional chapters

to extend reach


33

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP Alumni outreach efforts rely heavily on volunteer leadership from already deeply engaged alumni. This is not

merely because staff don’t have the capacity to execute large-scale engagement on their own, but because no

person is better at reaching out to and mobilizing alumni than a fellow alum. Alumni leaders are essential to

organizing and implementing engagement strategy, and to achieving institutional priorities like improved

career supports, strong networks, and increased giving.

While they are key, informal members of the alumni relations team, volunteer leaders can be difficult to

manage. Articulating clear roles and responsibilities for leaders, especially chapter and reunion volunteers, can

go a long way towards streamlining staff efforts.


Overall, JCU has established a strong volunteer culture; the University has volunteer leaders for each of its

chapters and chapters feed into a capable Alumni Association Board. All leaders have direct contact with the

alumni relations team through either Associate Director of Alumni Relations Eric Eickhoff or Alumni

Engagement Assistant Chelsea Gerken, but leadership structure and roles are not consistent across these

chapters.

Despite direct connections with alumni relations staff, communication between

these leaders and the University can be weak. There is currently a regular

conference call that leaders participate in, but many do not feel it is particularly

effective. Chapter and reunion leadership structures at JCU do not intentionally

feed into one another and reflect an ad hoc level of collaboration. Integrating

alumni voices into higher levels of leadership will demonstrate JCU’s

commitment to meaningful alumni engagement and attract further

participation.


Institutions with particularly strong volunteer leadership practices begin with a focus on creating a strong

alumni association structure and board. They clearly articulate responsibilities for leaders and emphasize the

potential alumni have to impact the institution from these positions. Responsibilities may include: attendance

at a set number of board meetings and events, service on a set number of committees, and active

engagement with fellow alumni. This commitment to clear communication and a strong leadership structure

extends to the institutions chapter program as well.

RECOMMENDATION 1: SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER LEADERS AND CONSIDER ADDING A YOUNG ALUMNI VOICE TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

“I think JCU needs to

reach out to younger

alumni and get them

involved in leadership

track positions.”


34

In order to cultivate young alumni leaders and inspire further participation, these institutions often include an

alumni position on the Board of Directors. They formalize and share the process by which interested alumni

can pursue this seat and leverage this opportunity to encourage participation in other leadership positions.

Adding an alumni voice to high-level administrative decisions through both an Alumni Board and the Board of

Directors can ensure that an institution receives adequate input and advice from its alumni community—

improving engagement efforts and sharpening focus for all involved.

KEYS TO STREAMLINED VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT:

Add a young alumni position to the Board of Directors. Formalize and publicize the process by which

interested alumni can pursue this seat.



Board Leadership

Add a young alumni position to the Board of

Directors


35

COMMUNICATIONS Alumni relations communications efforts include two main foci:

1. Basic outreach and preliminary engagement. This can include efforts to increase event attendance and

chapter participation and is primarily focused on making and maintaining contact with alumni.

2. Cultivation and appeals for deeper participation in the University’s mission. This can include a focus on

giving, volunteer leadership, mentorship, and more significant networking.

In both cases, communications are most effective when a team has set clear goals for contact or cultivation

and is targeting specific audiences.


Assessment findings indicate that with every new generation of graduates, alumni are less likely to express

interest in engaging with the University in order to keep up with and connect with classmates. Instead, they

demonstrate an increasing interest in keeping in touch with faculty and in receiving career advice.

87

93

107

103

126

148

133

106

110

99

137

140

16

23

17

38

71

94

41

54

71

82

113

127

4

10

19

34

72

30

37

41

48

73

97

7

14

14

21

30

39

24

28

38

42

60

90

Before 1970

1970 - 1979

1980 - 1989

1990 - 1999

2000 - 2010

After 2010

Alumni by Graduating Decade: How would you prefer to engage with the University?

By attending events Keeping in touch with classmates Keeping in touch with faculty

Networking with other alums Receiving career advice Mentoring students

Mentoring other alumni Volunteering for alumni programs

RECOMMENDATION 1: SEGMENT MESSAGING TO MAGNIFY JCU’S REACH AND INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUTREACH.


36

At the same time, however, donors at all giving levels currently express particular interest in both event

attendance and efforts to keep up with classmates:

While this could indicate that those who are more likely to give are most interested in opportunities to attend

events and sustain classmate connections, it is also likely that this is a result of JCU’s current engagement

efforts. Because JCU is primarily focused on hosting events and connecting classmates with one another, those

alumni already predisposed to these interests feel the most engaged and are therefore most likely to give.

It is important that JCU continue to use messaging to leverage these individuals’ interest in presence and

connection in order to sustain and support current outreach efforts. However, adding a messaging focus on

career advice, mentoring, and networking will reflect growing alumni interests, especially in younger

generations. This will certainly help JCU increase overall engagement and is also likely to help expand its donor

pool.


Best-in-class institutions use communications as an opportunity to connect specifically with a broad set of

target engagement audiences. They segment messaging according to age, geography, professional interest, or

even engagement scoring and strive to cultivate deeper engagement with strategic communications.

Fundraising messages call back to the clear role of alumni giving at the school and can emphasize participation

and engagement over giving itself; broad fundraising calls to action are concrete with a demonstration of

impact. Best-in-class institutions regularly deploy fundraising activities and calls to action that emphasize

participation over large gifts, such as alumni giving or matching challenges for new alumni donors, to broaden

the alumni giving pool.

8

12

18

29

173

321

10

11

21

28

195

336

4

4

3

5

44

130

3

4

7

14

111

254

1

9

83

2

3

8

12

63

177

2

1

3

3

22

67

2

5

5

15

58

156

$100K+

$50K - $99K

$25K-$49K

$10K - $24.9K

$1K - $9.9K

Less than $1K

By attending events Keeping in touch with classmates Keeping in touch with faculty

Networking with other alums Receiving career advice Mentoring students

Mentoring other alumni Volunteering for alumni programs

Alumni by Giving Level: How would you prefer to interact with the University?


37

KEYS TO IMPROVED MESSAGING SEGEMENTATION:

Identify key messaging groups. These can include generational, geographical, industry, and

engagement splits.

Evaluate key messaging interests. Possible messaging foci include:

Generational: For messages to those who graduated before 1990, leading with an emphasis on

classmate connections. For those graduating in 1990 and after, include messages referencing

career opportunities and faculty connections.

Geographical: For those who live in and around Cleveland, emphasize Cleveland pride and

community messaging. For those who are long-distance, consider broader messages—not only

about what’s happening on campus, but about the way JCU is making an impact all around the

country—through students, faculty, alumni, etc.

Giving: Focus on the impact and role of alumni giving. Emphasize participation over size of gift.

Use individual stories and testimonials to illustrate the power of alumni giving for both the alumni

involved and the students, faculty, staff, or program a gift may have impacted.

Implement segmented messaging strategies in all alumni relations communications, including event

invitations and fundraising appeals. Focus on engaging and activating new audiences.


After temporarily being asked to focus mainly on enrollment and student

marketing efforts, JCU’s marketing and communications team has very

recently been moved back within the advancement department. While

marketing and communications were absent from advancement, both alumni

relations and annual giving staff stepped up to develop marketing and

communications materials, which took away from time they had for other

responsibilities. Now that this form of support is more accessible, it is

important to ensure that these teams become full partners once more.

RECOMMENDATION 2: ASSIGN A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM MEMBER TO SPECIFICALLY SUPPORT ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS. ENSURE UNIVERSITY MESSAGING TO ALUMNI IS FOCUSED AND CONSISTENT BY CREATING AN ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT MESSAGING MATRIX.

“We get a lot of conflicting

messages… is there one

point of contact for

communication or is it

spread out among staff

inside and outside of the

Alumni Relations office?”


38

Several assessment participants, from both the survey and interview

pools, feel that JCU’s alumni communications are disjointed and

inconsistent. Participants questioned staffing structure, capacity, and

coordination not only within alumni relations and advancement, but

throughout the University. This indicates that JCU may lack an

overarching messaging platform that can be readily shared and applied

across departments, as well as the communications capacity to ensure

messaging alignment across the University.


Best-in-class institutions ensure alumni relations and annual giving have designated communications support.

This allows them to focus on consistent, adaptive messaging and segmentation to better connect with key

audiences. At the same time, these institutions regularly call on an overarching messaging platform and

communications strategy. Departments share communications plans and coordinate efforts.

KEYS TO INCREASED COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT:

Assign a marketing and communications team member to specifically support alumni engagement

efforts. This person will coordinate with alumni relations, annual giving, and career services as

needed and work to understand alumni engagement goals and strategy. They will support alumni

engagement in creating messaging and implementing communications tactics, including messaging

segmentation and message development. Specific support tasks may include working with alumni

relations and career services to:

Increase intentional digital outreach

Support additional online programming (like faculty-led classes/webinars)

Collaborate on creation of a giving day and helping to facilitate it

Support communications about career services-based programming that can reach a bigger group

of alums

Create an overarching messaging matrix for alumni engagement that outlines messages by target

audiences, each with a specific goal (e.g., awareness, engagement, education, fundraising). The

matrix will serve to implement a cohesive alumni engagement communications strategy, with clear

implications for advancement, alumni relations, and marketing/communications teams. It will ensure

messaging is coordinated and intentional and alumni experience of communications from JCU are

consistent.

Tie this matrix to specific engagement goals to ensure cohesion between JCU’s communications

strategy and overall alumni engagement strategy. Audiences referenced within the matrix might

include splitting alumni by association, motivation for giving, capacity to give, level of

engagement, etc.

“Things appear disjointed or

disconnected, and impact isn’t

clear. It’s confusing and doesn’t

appear to be aligned around a

strategy, or the strategy is not

communicated. What does JCU

need to focus on?”


39

Staff across departments will use this matrix to pull core content for all communications efforts,

including digital and print collateral. This effort will require marketing or communications staff

that work closely and collaboratively with alumni relations, career services, and annual giving to

understand alumni engagement goals.



Messaging Matrix

Assign a marketing/communications

team member to support alumni relations

Create and implement an alumni engagement messaging matrix

Messaging Segmentation

Identify key messaging groups; evaluate interests

Implement segmented messaging strategies


40

STAFFING AND SYSTEMS The alumni relations staff must have the capacity to sustain collaboration across departments while engaging

alumni through various outreach strategies and managing volunteer leaders. Ensuring adequate systems are in

place to track and report engagement efforts is key to supporting the team’s work. This will look different

depending on school size and the nature of their alumni community.

The table below represents key staffing metrics for the benchmarking cohort used for this assessment. While

what is ideal for another institution may not be ideal for JCU, this data provides context for JCU to reference

as it moves to implement the recommendations in this report.

Staffing Data from the Benchmarking Exercise

Institution # Alumni

of Record*

Total # of Alumni

Relations Staff

Relationship w/Annual

Giving

Relationship w/Career Services

Reunion Class Committee Structure

Support

Boston College (Chestnut Hill,

MA)

183,383 35 Somewhat collaborative

Collaborative Dual committee with engagement & giving

focus, staffed solely by Alumni Relations

College of the Holy Cross

(Worcester, MA)

37,503 6 Very collaborative

Very collaborative (Career Services

position is housed within the Alumni Relations team)

Dual committee support from Alumni Relations &

Annual Giving

College of Wooster

(Wooster, OH)


Collaborative Alumni Relations runs reunion committee and

there is no giving requirement, but it is

encouraged

Gonzaga University

(Spokane, WA)

52,203 8 Collaborative Collaborative Dual committee support from Alumni Relations &

Annual Giving

John Carroll University

(Cleveland, OH)

43,870 5 Somewhat collaborative

Collaborative Alumni Relations runs reunion committee and

there is no giving requirement, but it is

encouraged


41

Staffing Data from the Benchmarking Exercise

Institution # Alumni

of Record*

Total # of Alumni

Relations Staff

Relationship w/Annual

Giving

Relationship w/Career Services

Reunion Class Committee Structure

Support

Ohio Wesleyan University

(Delaware, OH)


Very collaborative (Career Services is housed under the

Advancement division)

Collaborative effort from both Alumni

Relations & Annual Giving

Santa Clara University

(Santa Clara, CA)

86,919 15 Collaborative Somewhat collaborative,

working toward collaborative

Collaborative, reunion celebrations are run out

Advancement & not Alumni Relations

University of Dayton (Dayton,

OH)

-- 11 Very collaborative

Collaborative, working toward

very collaborative

Dual committee support from Alumni Relations &

Annual Giving

*data for FY18 VSE

Of particular note in this dataset, is the emphasis on collaboration for smaller alumni relations teams. These

institutions rely upon collaboration to create a robust and integrated experience for alumni without

overtaxing their alumni relations teams. This includes close relationships with annual giving staff in both

regular engagement and reunion planning.

This data also indicates that JCU is operating with fewer alumni relations staff than its peer institutions. While

the average number of alumni of record per alumni relations staff member for this cohort is 5,204, JCU’s

alumni relations staff are serving 8,774 per staff member. This indicates a need for increase alumni relations

support, but JCU must be strategic about staffing additions—considering additional alumni relations-focused

FTE in other departments and ensuring added capacity serves strategic engagement goals.


42


JCU’s alumni relations team is responsible and hardworking. They

maintain a very robust program despite the size of their team and are

committed to giving alumni the best experience possible. With a part-

time coordinator, JCU’s alumni relations team has faced limitations to

the amount of time it has been able to devote to reunion planning and

execution. Many interviewees called out this late start in 2018 as an

obstacle that was difficult to overcome, creating barriers to innovation

and change to the reunion program.


Best-in-class institutions ensure staff capacity allows for collaboration between alumni relations and annual

giving when planning for reunion events. Some rely upon a special events team that focuses on the logistics of

the reunion weekend, allowing alumni relations staff to focus on building relationships with alumni and

growing outreach.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FULL-TIME COORDINATOR:

Continue to plan and execute the alumni reunion weekend, class agent process, and golf classic.

Lead efforts to evaluate reunion success with data and adjust accordingly. Use planning process to

think innovatively about new programming and engagement opportunities during the reunion

weekend.

RECOMMENDATION 1: EXPAND THE ROLE OF THE ALUMNI RELATIONS COORDINATOR OVERSEEING REUNION EFFORTS TO 1FTE.

“Dave’s team works incredibly

hard. He must need more staff

to support all they do. Everyone

wants to work with the alumni

relations team because they

make it so easy.”


43

In order to support collaboration between alumni relations and annual giving and ensure staff can continue

building upon fundraising as one of many means to alumni engagement, the annual giving team will need

increased capacity. This will ensure that the alumni relations team is not responsible for specialized alumni

fundraising efforts, but has a partner specifically focused on coordinating with them to meet these goals.


JCU currently has only 2.5FTE on the annual giving team, but have requested all annual giving employees be

full-time, bringing the team to 3FTE. However, even with three full-time positions, JCU’s staff-capacity is low in

comparison to peer institutions. This places significant limits on both JCU’s alumni engagement and annual

giving capacity, limiting opportunities for collaboration and a nuanced alumni giving strategy that works to

further overarching engagement goals.


Staff at best-in-class institutions are equipped to contribute to culture of philanthropy, events strategy, giving

days and other signature event execution, through increased collaboration with multiple departments. In

many cases, the main barrier to reaching this level with staff has merely been capacity. Supporting staff with

increased time and a culture of evaluation, innovation, and collaboration helps drive the institution’s larger

engagement goals.

KEYS TO INCREASING CAPACITY FOR COLLABORATION:

Consider adding 1FTE to annual giving; assign this person as liaison to alumni relations.

Responsibilities will include: participating in development of the joint alumni relations and

annual giving plan, supporting implementation of joint initiatives, managing digital outreach

(Giving day, email solicitation, electronic stewardship, etc.) and helping to create alumni focused

giving strategies and collateral

Cross-referencing information about extent of biographical data capture, event interest/attendance, and

volunteer participation and giving, alumni engagement scores create a continuum of engagement from

passive to active upon which individual alumni can be placed. Quantifying engagement in this way encourages

staff members to think of alumni engagement as a means of cultivating deeper alumni participation in the

University’s larger vision.

RECOMMENDATION 2: CONSIDER ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT IN ANNUAL GIVING TO ENSURE COLLABORATION BETWEEN ALUMNI RELATIONS AND THE ANNUAL FUND.

RECOMMENDATION 3: CREATE A MORE NUANCED ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT SCORE THAT CAN FACILITATE GOAL TRACKING AND PROVIDE INSIGHT ON PROGRESS.


44


JCU’s engagement scoring focuses on event attendance, volunteerism, campus visits, online engagement, and

donor participation. JCU assigns a point for any one of these activities and then designates alumni either

“engaged” or “not engaged.” This binary approach limits the data JCU has on different levels and types of

alumni engagement and makes it difficult to use this data to adjust strategy. Taking time to carefully consider

engagement goals, the data that might best measure those outcomes, and the best means of capturing and

tracking it will allow JCU to create a more dynamic engagement scoring process.


Engagement scoring can be complicated to implement effectively, and many institutions are still working to

develop ideal processes. In many cases, institutions have an engagement or affinity scoring process, but staff

express a lack of understanding about how best to use the data. Other institutions feel their score is over-

simplified and are working to create something more nuanced, and some are still in the first few years of

piloting a new engagement score system.

Overall, best-in-class institutions are striving for a comprehensive system that allows them to rank depth and

type of engagement. One institution is using its system to successfully segment messaging according to

engagement score and all are focused on establishing further integration of these analytics in their day-to-day

operation. JCU has an opportunity to join peer institutions in establishing best practices here while also

improving everyday coding and tracking processes throughout the annual giving, career services, and alumni

relations teams.

KEYS TO ENGAGEMENT SCORING AND CONSISTENT TRACKING:

Identify the key elements of engagement JCU wishes to track and consider how best to capture that

data.

Efforts to track this data will involve participation from across teams and departments. Alumni

relations will need to work closely with advancement services to ensure name, contact

information, and employment data are tracked. Career services will need to contribute contacts

to the alumni database and ensuring both teams use the same data capture and entry methods

will simplify contact-sharing.

Institute consistent data-capture and management practices, ensuring all members of the team are

equipped to contribute to this effort.

See Appendix D, Engagement Scoring Memorandum, for specific implementation

recommendations. Integrate this approach to engagement scoring into alumni relations practices

and track these scores on an ongoing basis.

This revised scoring mechanism will provide a more nuanced look at the breadth of JCU’s alumni

community and their differing means of engagement and interests. It will help identify new


45

opportunities for engagement with alumni audiences while simultaneously quantifying JCU’s

current strengths and successes.

Use this engagement score in regular report outs to staff, as well as university and volunteer

leadership—leveraging it as a clear metric for the broad impact and importance of alumni relations

work.

It is important to note that the current alumni relations staff is working at capacity. The team cannot sustain a

significant increase in responsibilities or tasks without additional staffing support. While it may become

necessary for JCU to grow its alumni relations team in support of engagement growth, our current

recommendations are focused primarily on streamlining and refining alumni relations efforts made by current

staff—zeroing in on the most efficient and effective processes possible before JCU considers targeted staffing

additions.

Including adjustments to event strategy, additional support from the marketing and communications and

annual giving teams, and an expansion of the alumni relations coordinator role, our recommendations are

guided by two primary goals:

1. Emphasizing and increasing JCU’s overall capacity for and pathways to collaboration—

ensuring expertise outside of the alumni relations team is leveraged in support of alumni

engagement efforts and JCU’s alumni benefit from a fully integrated experience with their alma

mater

2. Using quantitative analysis and regular data tracking to identify JCU’s most effective

practices and guide the alumni relations team in efforts to increase efficiency—emphasizing

and adjusting some current practices and events, while de-emphasizing or removing those that

may be less effective in meeting identified goals

As JCU begins to implement the recommendations contained within this report, it will be important to

continue evaluating overall staff capacity for alumni engagement tasks—including whether or not additional

annual giving and communications support from teams working in collaboration with the alumni relations staff

is sufficient, and the extent to which targeted and consistent application of data tracking allows current staff

to maximize efficiency. While JCU should begin by making recommended staffing and systems adjustments, it

must also work to identify gaps in support as it refines its current approach to alumni engagement, making

sure that alumni relations and adjacent teams have the bandwidth necessary to fully actualize these

recommendations and drive continued growth. During this three-year plan JCU can:

RECOMMENDATION 4: AS THE RECOMMENDATIONS DETAILED IN THIS REPORT ARE IMPLMEMENTED AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS BECOME BROADER IN FOCUS, REGULARLY EVALUATE STAFF CAPACITY AND ASSIGNMENTS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE ALUMNI RELATIONS SUPPORT.


46

Conduct an annual evaluation of implementation progress, specifically assessing staff capacity and

potential need. Focus on ensuring:

The time and flexibility needed to support continued and deepening collaborative efforts across

departments, with a particular focus on alumni relations, career services, annual giving, and

communications.

Adequate database management, tracking, and scoring support

As represented by recommendations in this report, securing adequate staff capacity as implementation

progresses may involve assigning alumni relations support responsibilities to staff on other teams to facilitate

an integrated approach to engagement as well as eventual hiring additions.



Staffing Additions Expand the Alumni Relations

Coordinator role to 1 FTE

Invest in additional annual giving support

Engagement Scoring

Implement scoring model, and institute consistent data-

capture and management practices

Apply the new engagement score to the alumni database

Pursue and track key benchmarks

Implementation and Staff Capacity

Evaluation

Conduct an annual evaluation of implementation progress, specifically assessing staff capacity and potential need.


47

CONCLUSION

JCU is dedicated to continuing to build a very strong alumni engagement program. Engagement has risen

consistently since 2009 and, given JCU’s clear interest in creating the most connected, supportive alumni

experience possible, this trend is likely to continue. As JCU moves into this next phase of growth in its alumni

engagement efforts, it will be important for the University to remain adaptive to rapidly changing alumni

needs and committed to showing alumni the many opportunities they have to impact JCU.

Broadening overall engagement efforts to include groups outside of Cleveland and beyond alumni themselves

will allow the University to create new and productive connections within its community—strengthening not

only alumni experience of JCU, but the institution itself. This will require a staff that continues to be open to

inventive, collaborative work across departments and that consistently sets and evaluates goals driven by both

qualitative and quantitative analysis. With the recommendations in this report, JCU has a clear path to success

and the opportunity to develop best-in-class innovations of its own.

GRATITUDE

Campbell & Company extends our sincere gratitude to Vice President of Advancement Doreen Riley, Executive

Director of Alumni Relations Dave Vitatoe, Assistant Vice President of Development Richard Day, Executive

Director of Advancement Services Pat Harris, and others for their engagement, hard work, and thoughtful

attention during the assessment process.

JCU is a valued partner of Campbell & Company and it has been our pleasure to work with its outstanding

team and enthusiastic community of volunteers and supporters once again. We look forward to continuing

our work JCU in the future.

NOVEMBER 2018

P E T E R F I S S I N G E R

PRESIDENT & CEO

E L I Z A B E T H S U F F R E D I N B O Y L E

SENIOR CONSULTANT

C A I T L I N B R I S T O W

CONSULTANT


48

APPENDIX A: ASSESSMENT PARTICIPANT LIST

INTERNAL INTERVIEWEES:

Vice President of Advancement, Doreen Riley

Executive Director of Alumni Relations, Dave Vitatoe

Assistant Vice President of Development, Richard Day

Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Eric Eickhoff

Associate Director of Annual Giving, Amita Frawley

Career Advisor, Kate Jensen

Alumni Relations Coordinators, Sue Lender and Carla Gall

Alumni Engagement Assistant, Chelsea Gerken

ALUMNI INTERVIEWEES:

Doug Ennis ‘93

Jack Hearns ‘61

Missy Kisthart ‘85

Christine Kramer ‘86

Alisa LaPlante ‘05

Kyle Reynolds ‘99

Jennifer Rome ‘03

George Sample ‘02

David Short ’14 and Zia Marinzel ‘14

Cara ‘04 and Matt Sulzer ‘04

SURVEY PARTICIPATION:

1,089 Survey Respondents

Survey distributed to 22,629 individuals

Total response rate: 4.8 percent


49

APPENDIX B: BENCHMARKING PEER GROUP To help inform recommendations on what enhancements could be made to JCU’s current alumni relations

work, Campbell & Company completed a benchmarking exercise to determine how JCU compares to its

peers. Together, Campbell & Company and JCU compiled a list of peer colleges and universities who have high

alumni engagement rates.

Boston College

Lindsey Thorne-Bingham – Senior Associate Director, Alumni Chapters

Tricia Woodward – Director of Alumni Engagement

College of the Holy Cross

Kristyn Dyer – Director, Alumni Relations

Santa Clara University

Kathy Kale – Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations

Ohio Wesleyan University

Katie Webster – Director of Alumni Relations & Engagement and Interim Director, Career Services

The College of Wooster

Tom McArthur – Assistant Vice President for Alumni & Parent Engagement

University of Dayton

McKenzie Morin – Assistant Director, Alumni Communities

Amy Williams – Assistant Director, Alumni Relations & Class Reunion Programs

Gonzaga University

Crissy Benage – Assistant Director of Events, Gonzaga Alumni Association

Whitney Franklin – Director of Special Events, Donor Relations, University Advancement


APPENDIX C: MATURITY MODEL AND BENCHMARKING

Alumni Engagement Maturity Model

Under-performing 0-2

Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Alumni Programming

On-campus Programs

Institution has not developed regular on-

campus events and events that have been executed

have not been well attended.

Institution has recently focused attention on

developing a series of on-campus events for alumni, but

attendance is not yet consistent.

Institution has a solid tradition of on-campus programming

and attendance is either relatively consistent or

growing.

Institution has a strong tradition of on-campus

programming for alumni including homecoming,

reunions, retreats, conferences, etc. and has strong attendance at the

events.

7

Alumni Chapters

Institution does not have a regional chapter program

and regional events are not well attended.

Institution has a chapter program but the chapters lack

leadership structure and consistent programming.

Event attendance is inconsistent.

Regional chapters have a clear leadership structure,

programming is well-defined and attendance is consistent.

Chapters participate in 1-2 signature events every year and are well-supported by

staff.

Regional chapters have a clear leadership structure,

programming is well-defined, and attendance is

strong. Chapters participate in 1-2 signature events

every year and are given a framework for event

programming outside of these events. They have a clear understanding of the school's support for these initiatives and there is an opportunity for regional

chapter leadership to return to campus on an annual

basis.

5.5


51



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Digital Programming

Institution has not invested in technology to facilitate

innovative ways for alumni to connect off-campus. Programming is entirely

almost in person.

Institution offers digital events and outreach, but

programming is not comprehensive or varied.

Digital programming efforts may be a new initiative and lack adequate technological

and staffing support.

The institution offers a range of digital events and outreach.

Programming includes online workshops and webinars and

the institution uses a web platform to engage both its

entire community--on-campus and off-- in 1-2 signature

events.

The institution offers a comprehensive and

strategic line-up of digital events and programming. Programming efforts are unique and responsive to

alumni interest, coordinating both

institutional and alumni resources. Engaged alumni,

faculty, and staff are involved in creating and

hosting digital events including: webinars,

workshops, book clubs, etc. The institution uses a web

platform to engage both its entire community in 1-2

signature events and equips all departments to

participate.

2


52



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Career Services

Students do not have opportunities to connect

with alums and there is not a system for alums to

connect with each other after graduation.

Students are encouraged and have the opportunity to

connect with alumni, but the institution does not provide a

formalized program to support these efforts, does

not proactively offer opportunities for this kind of

engagement, or does not consistently follow through

with interested alumni.

There is a formalized program to connect students to alumni while on campus but there is

not an emphasis on connecting alums to each other post-grad.

The institution is responsive and proactive about career-based alumni engagement.

There is a formalized program to connect

students while on campus and off campus to alumni in the same field. There is also

emphasis on connecting alumni to alumni after

graduation through affinity groups by industry or

profession. Established culture of "taking care of

your own."

4

Alumni Giving

Culture of Philanthropy

Philanthropy is not a priority in alumni

engagement. Alumni do not understand their role in

philanthropy, and may not understand the role of

philanthropy in supporting the institution at-large.

Alumni are occasionally asked to participate in philanthropy for specific initiatives, but are

not integrated into annual fundraising efforts. A class gift program exists, but may not

be central to student experience.

Alumni are regularly asked to give to the institution as part of

an annual giving program. Alumni may understand their

role to be special initiative focused and may not have a full

understanding of alumni impact on philanthropy. A fully

actualized class gift program exists and students regularly

participate in it.

Alumni are regularly asked to give to the institution as a

part of an annual giving program. Alumni

understand their financial role in supporting the

institution's vision. Giving is considered an engagement tool as well as goal. A fully

actualized class gift program exists and students regularly

participate in it.

3


53



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Reunion Giving

Institution does not have a formalized and consistent class reunion fundraising

program. There is no collaboration on reunion for alumni relations and annual

giving staff.

Institution has a class reunion fundraising program, but it is

not an organized effort throughout the year; the

institution has not secured consistent volunteer leaders and staff is not organized to

support fundraising outreach.

Institution has a class reunion fundraising program that is

organized throughout the year; alumni relations and annual

giving work collaboratively to coordinate fundraising efforts

tied to reunion events.

Institution has a strong, class-based fundraising program and staffing

infrastructure to support its success. Alumni relations and annual giving form a dual planning committee

that includes staff from both teams and execute reunion

planning together.

5


Board Priority

Alumni engagement is not a strategic priority. The

institution's leadership has not defined goals for

engagement and there is no Alumni Association Board.

Alumni engagement is a new strategic priority and goals

have not been set. The Alumni Association Board exists but is

not active.

Alumni engagement is a strategic Board investment. Young alumni occasionally

serve on the Board but this is not consistent. There is an active Alumni Association

Board.

Alumni engagement is a strategic Board and

investment priority. Young alumni serve on the Board of Trustees and there is a formal policy to reserve

spots. The institution has a developed and active

Alumni Association Board.

7

Chapter Leadership

Institution does not have a chapter volunteer program. All chapter management is

accomplished through staff.

Institution has chapter volunteers, but their roles and priorities are unclear and staff

coordination is limited.

Institution has chapter volunteers with clear roles and

priorities. Staff work closely with volunteers to coordinate regional efforts, but chapter volunteer structure may vary and is not tied to class agents

and reunion programming.

Institution has active, well-coordinated chapter

volunteers with clear roles and priorities. Staff work closely with volunteers to

coordinate regional efforts. Chapter volunteer and

reunion volunteer structures feed into and support one

another.

6


54



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Communications

Outreach

Communication strategy is not clear. Alumni

engagement communications are

irregular and are not tied to the larger institutional messaging platform.

Outreach to alumni is relatively regular, but

messaging is unfocused and not tied to the larger

institutional messaging platform.

The institution has a clear communications strategy for connecting alums back to the institution. Staff capacity for

implementation may be limited and alumni relations may not

coordinate strategy with other departments. Outreach efforts may be limited to alumni only.

The institution has a clear communications strategy for

connecting alums back to the institution. Messages are coordinated with the

larger institutional platform and segmented to engage with other audiences (e.g.

parents, corporations, etc.). Alumni relations

coordinates strategy with departments across the

institution.

7

Philanthropic Case for Alumni Support

The institution has not developed a case for alumni support in recent years and

has not integrated philanthropy into alumni

communications.

The institution has a case for alumni support, but it does

not fully articulate the impact of alumni giving. Messages are

not segmented and are inconsistently shared with

alumni.

The institution has a strong case for alumni support that is

regularly incorporated into alumni outreach. Messaging

clearly articulates the impact of alumni giving, but may not be segmented by alumni groups.

The institution has a strong case for alumni support that

is frequently featured in alumni outreach. Alumni

relations and advancement have segmented their alumni prospects and

defined a clear vision for alumni giving. Messaging

clearly articulates the impact of alumni gifts and

the role alumni have in furthering the institution's

mission through philanthropy.

5


55



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU


Institutional leadership

Alumni engagement is not a strategic priority.

Institution's leadership has not defined goals and leadership does not participate in alumni engagement efforts.

Alumni engagement is a new strategic priority and goals

have not been set. Leadership occasionally participates in

engagement efforts, but is not consistent.

Alumni engagement is a strategic priority, but goals are

not consistently defined and may not be collaborative across

departments. Institutional leadership is invested in alumni

engagement and is willing to participate in alumni events.

Alumni engagement is a strategic priority and clear, collaborative goals are set

for all related departments. Leadership holds

departments accountable to these shared goals and

makes an effort to participate in alumni events

and outreach. The institution’s president and

top-level administrators make frequent trips to

regions with large numbers of alumni.

7

Coordinated Staff

Approach

There is little communication and no collaboration between career services, annual

giving, and alumni relations.

Career services, annual giving, and alumni relations

communicate regularly but there is no active or formal

collaboration between these departments.

Career services, annual giving, and alumni relations

collaborate and communicate consistently. An alumni

relations team member is given direct career service

responsibilities. Annual giving efforts are coordinated through

alumni relations and career services.

Alumni relations, career services, and annual giving

partner through direct collaboration. Annual giving

and career services have team members embedded within the alumni relations team. Teams set joint goals

and develop shared implementation plans.

5


56



Ad hoc 3-5

Mature 6-8

Best in Class 9-10

C&C’s Score

for JCU

Data Capture,

Tracking, and Analysis

Alumni relations has not identified key performance

indicators for events or engagement. There is no process for data capture,

tracking, or analysis.

Alumni relations has identified basic key performance

indicators. Data capture and tracking may be inconsistent

and the team does not set data-driven goals or

undertake regular data analysis.

Alumni relations has identified key performance indicators and

has established a system for data capture and tracking. Staff

are trained and held accountable for database management. The team

occasionally analyzes data to track progress or make

adjustments, but practices are not as robust and may be

inconsistent.

Alumni relations has identified a nuanced set of key performance indicators and has a clear system for data capture and tracking. The team sets data-driven

goals and regularly analyzes data to track progress. Staff

are trained and held accountable for database

management and encouraged to use data

analysis to regularly adapt and adjust events and

programming.

5


APPENDIX D: ENGAGEMENT SCORING MEMORANDUM Date: November 14, 2018

To: Doreen Riley, Vice President for University Advancement

Dave Vitatoe, Executive Director for Alumni Relations

From: Campbell & Company

Re: Engagement Scoring

BACKGROUND

As part of the Alumni Engagement Assessment we conducted on behalf of John Carroll, we examined current

engagement scoring practices and looked at ways to significantly expand the way JCU tracks their

engagement, with the goal of creating a new model that more precisely captures alumni engagement efforts

and interactions. Our scoring also takes into account our recommendations for increased collaboration with

other departments and divisions such as Annual Giving and Career Services. We see these partnerships as a

tremendous opportunity for the Alumni Relations department to strengthen and grow alumni engagement

moving forward. Current scores may be artificially low due to missing information that JCU likely tracks but

was not provided. As JCU begins to expand its data capture efforts and institute consistent tracking

methodology, these scores are likely to rise quickly and become a more accurate representation of

engagement throughout JCU’s alumni community.

FINDINGS

In order to determine how engaged alumni were with JCU, the Alumni Relations team developed a score

where alumni would receive a “1” if they engaged with JCU through many channels such as attending an

event, liking JCU on social media, volunteering to serve on a reunion committee or chapter leadership, came

to campus for a visit, submitted a prayer intention or gave to the annual fund. If they did not engage in some

way with the University they would receive a “0.” JCU has been tracking this engagement on a regular basis

and has seen an increase in engagement based on this scoring over the years. All metrics included in the

engagement score are reset in the beginning of the fiscal year except for “volunteering” which rolls over

unless the alum opts out of their volunteer role or leadership changes.


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RECOMMENDED ENGAGEMENT SCORING PROCESS

The scoring system JCU has in place is a good starting point to measure alumni engagement. We took a deeper

dive into the information JCU tracks to create a multi-dimensional engagement score that JCU can consider

using moving forward. To create this new engagement score, we collected data on all alumni from JCU which

included:

- Basic Bio: Name, Address, Spouse - Constituent Code and Education Information (School, Degree, Grad Year) - Summary Giving: First, Last and Largest Dates and Amounts: Total Giving - Bequest Amount and Data - Capacity Ratings: Internal and Vendor - Relationship Management: Manager, Unit, Start Date, Stage - Last Visit Date - Proposal: Amount, Date, Status - Transactional Giving FY12+ - Transactional Actions FY15+ (which includes information on event attendance and volunteering)

In order to develop a score to be assigned to all alumni we looked at three categories:

- Accessibility (not included in this data but likely collected) - Involvement (based on current FY) - Giving

7,604

9,448 9,501 8,912

9,830

10,842 11,491

11,958

22.2%

27.0% 26.7%24.7%

26.9%

29.7% 30.5%31.4%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Alumni EngagementCount and Percent

Count Percent


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We then assigned “points” to each of the sub categories that support accessibility, involvement and giving.

Accessibility attributes are not currently included in the scoring we completed, and we believe these should be

included and may slightly increase engagement scores of some alumni. However, the three points that could

be potentially added will not materially change the scores from those seen in these initial results.

Attribute Points

Accessibility (not included in this example, but likely collected)

Business Information (1)

Email Address (1)

Phone (1)

Involvement (Based on Current FY) 50%

Engaged with JCU as Volunteer 4

Constituent Engaged with JCU 3

Attended Event 2

Attended 3+ Events 1

Engaged via Digital Media 1

Giving 50%

Gave this Fiscal Year 5

Gave Last Fiscal Year 4

Gave Two Fiscal Years Ago 1

Increased Giving between Last and This FY 1

Total (Note: This will be 25 when Accessibility Attributes are added) 22

IMPLEMENTATION

After we developed engagement scoring methodology, we analyzed each alumni record and assigned a score.

The initial scores for FY16-19 are shown in the table below. Please note that FY19 is only a partial fiscal year.

According to the data we received, almost 70% of the alumni population are not attending events,

volunteering or giving, which (without the accessibility data points) gives them an engagement score of zero.

And relatively few fall into the “highly engaged” group (15+), although there was a group of 126 in FY18.

Engagement Range Engagement Score FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19

High 20+ - 11 10 -

15-19 32 93 116 -

Moderate 10-14 2,379 2,379 2,275 501

5-9 2,889 2,872 2,771 2,738

Low 1-4 7,421 7,419 6,942 5,990

None 0 27,924 27,871 28,531 31,416

Total 40,645 40,645 40,645 40,645

The chart below does not include those alumni who have a zero engagement score. Among those with any

engagement, we found the average engagement score among alumni from FY16-FY18 is 4.69 out of 22 points.


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In general, this means that alumni are not both giving and volunteering or attending events regularly. There

are many engaging in one of these ways, as evidenced by the large group (almost 20%) in the 1-4 range. There

are also a group that looked like they had moderate engagement. For example, if someone gave three years in

a row and increased their giving last year but had no volunteering or event attendance, they received an 11.

OPPORTUNITIES MOVING FORWARD

There is an opportunity for JCU, as the team works to implement our recommendations, to increase

engagement and increase the types and number of metrics that are included in the engagement score.

For example, JCU should consider tracking:

- Additional biographical information including: business, phone and e-mail (this is already tracked and

just needs to be added to the data)

- Season ticket holder information (sports, theatre, etc.)

- Volunteering: roles and hours spent

- Degrees of social media involvement (commenting, following on multiple platforms, etc.

- Current relationships with faculty and staff

- Interactions with career services (resume review, advice from staff, etc.)

- Open and click through rates for e-communications

If JCU implements additional engagement opportunities as outlined in our full report and enhances the

number of metrics influencing the score, the score should increase significantly.

4.62 4.70 4.75

3.17

-

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19

Engagement Score by Year*


APPENDIX E: MASTER IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

JCU Alumni Engagement Assessment: Master Implementation Timeline


Top-line

Broadening Engagement

Open all events to broader audiences Identify key engagement targets Develop a parent engagement plan

Building Strong Partnerships

Begin structured collaboration between directors; Identify staff liaisons

Develop shared goals and plans; build on collaboration with strategic programmatic offerings

Roll-out comprehensive joint alumni/career services; Establish and maintain a strategic approach to alumni

fundraising through annual giving

Alumni Programming

Digital Engagement Evaluate digital outreach needs and alumni

interests Create an annual, digital outreach plan Fully implement digital outreach strategy

Chapter Program

Streamline staff support and chapter structures; consolidate chapter communications to one

Facebook page

Integrate chapter engagement with overarching events strategy; Bring all chapters together for 1-2

signature events Continue to expand JCU's chapter program

Reunion Programming Add new and innovative programs Examine and adjust programming regularly

ROI Assessment Identify key performance indicators; Integrate ROI

assessments with engagement goals Adjust events strategy based on ROI analysis; ensure strategy targets alumni at all engagement levels

Alumni Giving

Culture of Philanthropy Share philanthropic case for support; integrate into

alumni engagement communications Broaden fundraising efforts through alumni; include parents and industry-specific professionals

Reunion Giving Form a dual alumni relations/annual giving

committee for reunion planning Develop and execute a joint communications and engagement plan for reunion outreach

Alumni Giving Day

Form a dual alumni relations/annual giving committee for Giving Day planning; establish a

Giving Day plan

Execute Giving Day Leverage regional chapters to extend reach


Expectations and Board Leadership

Add and a young alumni position to the Board of

Directors

Communications

Messaging Matrix Assign a marketing/communications team member

to support alumni relations Create and implement an alumni engagement messaging matrix

Messaging Segmentation

Identify key messaging groups; evaluate interests Implement segmented messaging strategies


Staffing Additions Expand the Reunion Coordinator role to 1 FTE Invest in additional annual giving support

Engagement Scoring Implement scoring and institute consistent data-

capture and management practices

Apply the new engagement score to the alumni database

Implementation and Staff Capacity

Evaluation Conduct an annual evaluation of implementation progress, specifically assessing staff capacity and potential need.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT

Documents

Transcript of ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT