Alumni Office and Alumni Association- The Paradox

Alumni Relations Conference- India

Alumni Office and

Alumni Association –

The ParadoxMrs. Nidhi Reddy, Director Alumni Relations, ISB

Mr. Sahil Dewan, FuturEd


Current Scenario

AlumniAssociation

School/College Alumni

Office


Clarity of Purpose

Purpose:

- Generate a feeling of connectedness among

alumni community

- Propagate a sense of pride whenever Alumni

engagement happens through events and other

forums.

The harsh reality:

- They do not have time to be end responsible for

doing things for their Alma Mater; they can’t

manage Alumni Office operations.

- They need nurturing, someone needs to be

responsible to guide and inspire them,

consistently.

AlumniAssociation


Clarity of Purpose

Purpose:- To seek knowledge about where their alumni are and

what they are doing.

- To track and manage alumni networks in an

‘Organized & Professional’ manner.

- To generate value for Alumni and encourage

stewardship for the development of the institution.

- To harness the value that alumni networks could bring

to the long term goals of the institution.

The harsh reality: - Institutions may not be not prepared to invest time,

resources and HR towards the ‘Alumni’ stakeholder

segment.

- Alumni network management may not feature in the

priorities of the institution

- Institutions may not have an understanding about

how to approach alumni relations.

AlumniAssociation

School/College Alumni

Office


Examples of Alumni Membership

ModelsThe two alumni-centric models are:

The Membership Dues Model: Alumni choose to pay annual or life member dues, in exchange for a set of benefits and privileges not available to non-

members.

The Inclusive Model: All alumni have equal access to the same set of programs and services provided by alma mater via the alumni office.

There is also a fundraising-focused offshoot of this:

The Donor Benefits Model: Individuals (including non-alumni) who donate at least a specified amount of money to the institution receive exclusive benefits

for their contribution.


How does an institution decide the clear

roles and purpose of an Alumni Office and

an Alumni Association?


Do you consider Alumni a key part of your

institution/ organization ?


What is your goal for Alumni engagement ?

(Vision of Alumni Office or Mission

statements related to Alumni)


Are you focused on building a legacy?

Or Are you just building inventory and

reaping returns?


What do you expect from Alumni?


Do you think your job is done once your

students graduate?


Case Studies


University of Oxford

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD ALUMNI OFFICE ORGANISATION CHART

Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Development and External Affairs

Professor Nick Rawlins

desfwelkj

Director of Alumni Relations

Christine Fairchild

Office Manager

Elizabeth Anderson-

Whymark

Administration and

Finance Officer

Claire Larkin

Alumni Networks

Manager

Jackie Hruby

Data Officer

Rachel McDonald p/t

Head of

Communications

Alison Edwards p/t

Communications

Officer

Joanna Whiting

Head of Alumni

Resources

Vacant

Alumni Events

Manager

Vacant

Deputy Director

Caroline Baxter p/t

PA to Director and

Deputy Director

Helen Wilkinson

Alumni Networks

Assistant

Joby Mullens

Alumni Events

Assistant

Paul Sweeten

Resources Officer

Natasha Stein p/t

Alumni Officer (Medical

Sciences)

Jayne Todd p/t


• The Alumni Office (14-18 full time staff) manages the Alumni network

• There is no separate Alumni Association of the University

• There is an Alumni Board of 18 Alumni that advises the Alumni Office through Board meetings (3 times a year)

• There are Alumni Clubs and Groups which are managed by the Alumni Office but run by Alumni (on the ground) spread across the globe that facilitate intra alumni activity and engagement.


University of Michigan

• The Alumni Association has 60 full time staff.

• The Alumni Association independently runs self sustaining Programs for

Alumni, that benefit the Alumni and the University. (USD 2000 fee per

alumnus)

• Functional Areas: Programs, Finance, Technology, Marketing,

Communication, Fundraising, Family Camp


BITS Pilani

• BITSAA promotes and encourages the Alumni to exchange

professional knowledge by undertaking and facilitating conferences,

seminars, lectures and meetings amongst alumni, students, faculty

and others.

• It also honours and felicitates distinguished alumni.

• Functional areas of BITSAA

• Promoting membership of association

• Organizing networking forums

• Running giving back campaigns


IIT MadrasIIT Madras Alumni Association

• Provide an organization through which the Alumni of IIT Madras around the world, and faculty, staff and students of the institute can interact with each other for mutual benefit and to further the objectives outlined.

Objectives

• Alumni- Platform for networking & assistance

• Institute- Facilitate & encourage contribution towards institute (academics, infrastructure & industry interactions )

• Student- Assistance through grants, scholarships, career services

• Society-CSR activities.

IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America

• Umbrella organization for many of the North American alumni organizations of IIT Madras alumni.

Objectives

• Provide a forum for exchange and interaction for alumni in North America

• Engage in charitable activities that promote education

Alumni Office Details

• Senior Project Officer – 2, Project Associate – 3 , Senior Project Assistant –1, Institute Staff – 2 nos.

• This office ensures Industry Alliances through Alumni, fundraising through alumni and association, maintains database, manages student programs, social media outreach


Clarity of Purpose

Conclusion:Institutions need to proactively develop an Alumni Affairs

Infrastructure and proactively serve their alumni, which will further

enable Alumni to engage and contribute back to their Alma

Mater

AlumniAssociation

Institution


Let’s start

What are your key challenges in establishing/developing an Alumni Affairs

Office?

(Remember, depending on how old your school is, priorities of the office and nature of

operations can vary, so don’t worry.)

How can these be overcome?

3 steps you can go back to your school and take?

Alumni Office and Alumni Association- The Paradox

Education

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