The Four Alumni Personalities

Alumni Personality 1: Rallyers

Rallyers (20% of U.S. alumni) are unabashed in their enthusiasm for the institution and their interest in supporting it and staying involved. They are the most active across the board, but desire to be even more active. Their activities have no strong biases. Athletics, academics, social, and professional networking – all appeal to Rallyers.

Rallyers are active as alumni because they were active as students. Almost without exception, Rallyers had great student experiences. They made friends, and have tended to maintain those friendships as alumni.

Rallyers are three times as likely as any other segment to participate in alumni activities, and four times as likely to be current dues-paying alumni association members. Their attrition rate as members is much lower than that of other segments.

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Using the R4 Matrix created by Campbell Rinker, four basic alumni personalities can be identified–

Rallyers, Reconnectors, Reminiscers, and Resistors.

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Alumni Personality 1: Rallyers (cont.)

Demographically, Rallyers tend to be a little on the younger side (median age: 36), and therefore are a little less likely than other groups to have children. While not all Rallyers are rich, wealthy alumni (incomes over $150,000) are more likely to be Rallyers than any other personality. They also are inclined to give – five out of six have made at least one gift to the institution.

While most of your best-giving, best-participating alumni are likely to be Rallyers, not all Rallyers give and participate – so they still represent an opportunity for marketing, especially since they are so favorably inclined. About half have never attended an alumni event or activity, and two-thirds have never joined the alumni association as a paying member.

A key to relating to Rallyers is identifying and keeping up with them, particularly from a young age. One way to identify them is to look for alumni who were active as students (if student involvement is documented). Another is to look at who tailgates before football games. Perhaps the best way, though, to track Rallyers is through other Rallyers, as they tend to stay in touch with one another.

Campbell Rinker has developed a survey-based model to identify which of your alumni are Rallyers. If you are conducting an alumni survey, be sure to contact Campbell Rinker to get details about adding a handful of questions that can be used to classify your alumni.

About the only danger with Rallyers is burning out the best leaders among them by asking too much of too few.

In short, Rallyers don’t need to be sold on the worth of the institution; they desire – and are inclined – to be positive. However, they need to see that positive feelings can and should be translated into tangible support and participation. This isn’t difficult, because Rallyers tend to feel a duty to support their alma mater. But their giving and participation should not be assumed – they still need to be invited to give, join, and participate.

Alumni Personality 2: Reminiscers

Reminiscers (24% of all alumni) are stable, consistent people for whom college was a pleasant, beneficial experience, now firmly rooted in the past. They tend to have stable jobs – usually related to their area of undergraduate study – with moderate-to-high income. Their home life also tends to be stable. Four out of five are married – 10% higher than any other group.

Reminiscers are supportive of their alma mater. They often stay in touch with college friends, are interested in keeping up with institution news, and are particularly likely to follow college athletics (note that six in 10 are male, the most of any segment).

The downside is that Reminiscers perceive the institution as having little relevance for their future. Offerings like continuing education, career services, library access, and professional networking have relatively low appeal among this group.

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Alumni Personality 2: Reminiscers (cont.)

Because of their fond feelings for the institution, Reminiscers are generally open to giving and participating. Nearly four out of five have made a financial gift at some time (second most behind Rallyers), and four in 10 have a record of taking part in alumni events and activities. But they are particularly vulnerable to lapsing – only a third are likely to be current givers.

Reminiscers tend to feel responsible for their own success and expect others to accept that same responsibility. Appeals to “help other students as you were helped” or to “help others avoid the hardships you experienced” fall flat with this group. They are also turned off by appeals linked to “perks and giveaways,” and are not as likely as other groups to be influenced by a giving appeal from one of their close peers.

How do you get and keep Reminiscers involved? First, acknowledge that they are focused on stability, not change. So, do your best to make it easy for them to stay involved. Keep them regularly informed through mail and e-mail. Don’t ask them to recommit each year – suggest that they set up a regular annual gift and/or alumni association renewal via EFT. Encourage them to purchase season tickets for athletics, also with an automatic renewal option.

In appeals and other communication, don’t completely ignore the future – but always tie the vision of a great future to the foundation of past success. In publications, include retrospective articles that celebrate your heritage and bring their memories back to life.

How do you identify Reminiscers? Campbell Rinker has developed a survey-based model to help you categorize alumni into all four segments. If you conduct an alumni survey, be sure to contact Campbell Rinker to find out how to add a handful of questions that can be used to classify your alumni.

Reminiscers enjoy and savor their relationship with your institution. That relationship has limits that should be acknowledged and respected. Efforts to involve them are worthwhile – but they don’t need or appreciate a next-big-thing approach. Keep it simple and enjoy the stability they bring to your alumni program.

Alumni Personality 3: Reconnectors

Reconnectors (27% of all alumni) are alumni with the greatest degree of unrealized potential. They tend to have relatively low levels of involvement with your institution. They don’t give or participate much. However, they are open to increased involvement, particularly in areas that will provide a practical benefit to themselves and others. Reconnectors are like rich, raw ore – there is much good to be found here, but extracting that goodness takes real effort.

Demographically, Reconnectors are likely to be early-to-mid career (median age: 37), to work in a field unrelated to their undergraduate major, and to be female (not exclusively, but more so than any other segment).

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Alumni Personality 3: Reconnectors (cont.)

Income is an issue for many Reconnectors. They are the least affluent group, with median household income 15-to-20 percent lower than that of other segments. As a result, Reconnectors tend to be interested in resources that their alma mater may provide to help them improve themselves, personally, and professionally.

A problem, however, is that they’ve been somewhat out of the loop in terms of traditional alumni involvement. Reconnectors are unlikely to give or participate in alumni activities, and they tend not to follow athletics. They tend to not keep up with institution news and progress. As a result, they may not be aware of available opportunities.

Reconnectors do OK in keeping in touch with classmates, but they desire to do much better. In fact, they desire greater involvement in many areas. Their gap between current and desired involvement is greater than other segments on every item in the AlumniPoll survey! In addition to reconnecting with classmates, this segment is particularly interested in:

1. Accessing the institution’s career resources;

2. Using their skills to mentor current students; and

3. Continuing education opportunities

As seen in these priorities, Reconnectors tend toward pragmatism. They want to be involved in things that make a difference – for themselves or for others. They won’t bother with events and activities that only function as entertainment.

Reconnectors desire to be givers, and are open to supporting your institution. But many do not have lots of discretionary giving dollars – so appeals to this group need to be modest, practical, and results-oriented. They likely aren’t interested in enhancing the institution’s reputation or in making a token gift to a $10-million effort. But you will get their attention for smaller-scale projects that provide a tangible benefit for students, staff or community. Reconnectors want to be a part of positive change.

Involving Reconnectors is not quick and easy. The barrier of inertia needs to be overcome, and the “payoff” for engaging them is not always measured in dollars and cents – especially in the short term. But, unlike some other segments, there is real openness to increasing involvement.

How do you identify Reconnectors? Campbell Rinker has developed a survey-based model to help you categorize alumni into each of the R4 alumni segments. If you conduct an alumni survey, be sure to contact Campbell Rinker to find out how to add a handful of questions that can be used to classify your alumni.

Almost every alumni program can involve alumni who are “Rallyers.” Other segments are difficult to inspire toward greater involvement, regardless of the effort. But Reconnectors can be motivated, and your institution’s ability to reach them is likely to make the difference between an average alumni program and a great one. Be willing to work for and with Reconnectors, and you are likely to see positive changes in their lives and the life of your institution.

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Alumni Personality 4: Resisters

Resisters (29% of all alumni) have low levels of involvement with your institution, and they like it that way. With few opportunities to successfully entice them toward further involvement, an alumni program can benefit from Resisters by reducing costs through less-frequent contact.

Resisters, as could be expected, are least likely to be an active donor to their undergraduate institution (16%), and most likely to have never given (46%). They are extremely unlikely to have ever joined a dues-paying alumni association.

Some may view this behavior as evidence of a negative student experience, or that an institution must have alienated them somehow. For most Resisters, this is not true. More than 2 out of 3 rate their student experience as 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale. Resisters’ rating of their alumni experience is comparable to that of most other segments.

Rather, the factors influencing Resisters’ indifference to their alma mater can be boiled down to:

1. Their failure to develop connections as a student, and/or

2. Life changes that have drawn them away from who they were in college.

As students, Resisters tended to be much less active in developing college friendships and participating in campus life and activities. Many Resisters never developed relationships that were worth maintaining over time.

In addition, Resisters tend to have experienced a greater degree of separation from their college days, including:

Age – Resisters, along with the Reminiscers, tend to be older than other segments (median age: 45);

Lifestage – Resisters are the most likely alumni to report being divorced (self-reported at 8%, which excludes those who have remarried); and

Career – While they tend to have moderate-to-high income, Resisters are the group least likely to work in their field of undergraduate study, with 1 in 3 saying their job is “not at all” related to their undergraduate major.

As a result, Resisters simply don’t have any interest in or reason to engage in the ongoing life of your institution. They have little interest in potential alumni activities and are largely unmotivated by any type of financial appeal.

What can an alumni program do for them? Not much. They would rather be left alone. Alumni programs that are bold enough to do just that can reap a hidden benefit – a reduction of the costs that accompany ongoing communications with alumni. With nearly 3 in 10 alumni falling into this group, the potential savings are substantial.

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Alumni Personality 4: Resisters (cont.)

How do you identify Resisters? Campbell Rinker has developed a survey-based model to help you categorize alumni into each of the R4 alumni segments. If you conduct an alumni survey, be sure to contact Campbell Rinker to find out how to add a handful of questions that can be used to classify your alumni.

We don’t recommend writing Resisters off completely. But they can be treated more like a casual acquaintance, with fewer planned contacts and less investment in the relationship.

Methodology notes

Data based on Campbell Rinker’s AlumniPoll 2002, Campbell Rinker’s syndicated online survey of more than 3,000 North American alumni. Data were weighted to match national proportions for public/private enrollment, as reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Segments were defined through K-means cluster analysis.

R4 Involvement Gap Analysis

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00

follow collegeathletics

keep in touch withmy college friends

keep up with the latest happenings

give generously tothe institution

participate in alumni activities

help students oralumni benefit from

my skills

use the institution as a careerresource

pursue continuinglearning

opportunities

Degree to Which Desired Involvement Exceeds Actual Involvement (average ratings of items on a 5-point scale)

RallyersReminiscersReconnectorsResisters