This week’s The Provocateur welcomes guest blogger and ViTreo team member, Gina Wheatcroft. Gina joined the ViTreo team after spending six years with The University of Queensland (UQ) and 16 years at the University of Alberta in alumni relations. 

CHALLENGING TIMES IN ALUMNI RELATIONS

Alumni offices must be willing to experiment

Gina Wheatcroft, ViTreo Group
April 28th 2020

It was only a few weeks ago that I was finishing up a blog about retooling alumni relations operations to better attract, engage and activate graduates, the greatest ambassadors of institutions. Within a few days, before my blog was done, the coronavirus hit North America, and alumni relations officers scrambled to hit the pause button and recalibrate programming all while adjusting to working from home.

For many alumni officers, this has meant working extra long days focusing on immediate but necessary tasks such as cancelling in-person alumni events to allow for social distancing, communicating in several ways with a multitude of stakeholders, and prioritizing and implementing virtual programming pretty much overnight. In only a few short weeks, alumni relations offices have adjusted quickly and continue to revisit and assess their programming virtually and on digital platforms.

What types of adjustments have you had to make during this time? It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of trying to survive right now. What about checking in on your key relationships? How have you engaged with your alumni association boards, volunteer chapters and other key alumni and what are their new roles in this new normal of alumni relations? Similar to good donor stewardship, alumni professionals should be connecting and staying in touch with their key constituents.

Good is fine, no need for perfection

As Chris Marshall of Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting has emphasized, “alumni offices need to be willing to experiment” and “good is fine, it doesn’t have to be perfect”. There is plenty of other excellent advice being shared about what alumni relations offices are doing and what they should or shouldn’t be doing. Nancy Merritt, Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations at the University of Pittsburgh and who has been in her role for nine months says, “this is the time to be agile, creative and to take a hard look at your repertoire of programs and assess their value”.

Other valuable advice and information from some of my favourite advancement leaders have been shared in the time of coronavirus, but in my opinion much of what they have said was relevant before the pandemic and will continue to be after.

I love the opportunity that annual, long-standing events can be revisited. “What role does the event play in the life and culture of your organization? How much does it contribute to your annual goal? Are there engagement strategies you can apply to other areas of operation?” Suzanne Hilser-Wiles of Grenzebach, Glier and Associates suggests asking these questions about rediscovering a fundraising event’s purpose which can also be asked of traditional alumni events. Also, this is the time to highlight and acknowledge graduates who were unlikely heroes before. Who are your alumni doing essential work and risking their lives for the betterment of others? What are you doing to thank them and remind others of their sacrifice?

It is unprecedented that all alumni offices, or those who want to stay relevant, have had to fast track virtual program planning almost overnight. Regardless of your alma mater, alumni throughout the world were offered more virtual programming than ever before and all around the same time! UCLA hosted a 24-hour virtual alumni day over a year ago which they promoted as a “groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind thrill of coming back to campus without the hassle of traffic, parking or fees”. This program was innovative and unique, and many alumni offices would have never dreamed of having to implement the extent of virtual programming we are seeing a year later.

Many universities and colleges have offered various information sessions to help their alumni navigate through this time of COVID-19. It’s a time to pivot life-long learning alumni programs. Many alumni are worried about the economy, and they want medical facts and insight about coronavirus. Many new graduates and younger alumni may be wondering if they can still get a job and many will need support and assistance more than ever with job searches or career development. Tap into your institution’s knowledge base and leverage the expertise of your faculty to offer your alumni relevant, timely and supportive programming that addresses issues directly related to the pandemic. For example, Schulich School of Business is addressing (almost daily) a wide range of interesting and applicable topics through virtual programming presented by credible subject-matter experts.

Online engagement is a new way of doing business for many but is now critical to meeting the needs of annual growing alumni populations. According to Barney Ellis-Perry, Fundraising and Engagement Strategist, “From events to communications, to mentoring, there are lots of exciting new ways to scale alumni engagement” and this “…requires a big mindset shift – from in-person events to scalable activities and strategic online engagement.” (Will COVID-19 Push Alumni Organizations To Go Viral?, Barney Ellis-Perry, April 7, 2020)

THE ABILITY TO PIVOT…AND POSSIBLY PIVOT AGAIN

While alumni offices are busy thinking of ways to transition alumni rituals, traditions and programming from in-person to virtual as well as thinking about innovative virtual engagement opportunities, alumni leaders need to be simultaneously rethinking about their short and long-term strategic plans. A common theme resonating across the work force, regardless of the industry, is that work will not return to the way it was. Virtual programming and presence on digital platforms will remain an important and critical part of alumni engagement.

Ryan Catherwood, Assistant Vice President of Alumni and Career Services at Longwood University, recommends spending time and energy on content strategy, one which lasts beyond the pandemic in his article, “With in-person events nowhere in sight, alumni and donor teams should focus on content strategy”. (With in-person events nowhere in sight, alumni and donor teams should focus on content strategy, Ryan Catherwood, April 8 2020)

As alumni relations operations adjust and implement different and new ways of engagement, this is the opportunity to be more relevant to your alumni.

In “Alumni Relations Forecast 2020: Reboot”, Christopher Vlahos notes five things that alumni offices need to address “to remain relevant in this hyper-evolving environment”:

1. Alumni databases (current email addresses more important than ever!)

2. Alumni websites

3. Digital media skill sets

4. Outside the box thinking

5. Strategic plan

(Alumni Relations Forecast 2020: Reboot, Christopher Vlahos, April 5, 2020)

I have shared highlights of some advice and information from various articles written by highly respected and experienced advancement professionals. This is just the tip of the iceberg of information that is currently available out there.

What articles have you recently read or tips that you have heard that resonated with you?

As we continue our journey through this pandemic and past it, all of us will be called upon to re-think how we have done things previously. The ability to adjust and to pivot, to be creative and innovative, has never been more important than now.

Stay safe and healthy, and visit The Provocateur again next week as we talk more about what the future for nonprofits will look like and what we can do to ensure mission sustainability.

These are extraordinary times and what we are doing is not easy. At ViTreo, we are here to help and we will continue to offer support and advice. You can book a 30 minute complimentary chat with a member of our team to discuss your unique situation and program goals. To schedule this complimentary chat, please email info@vitreogroup.ca or call us at 403-210-3157. We would be happy to discuss solutions for your near term needs or how we can help in the long term.

We are hosting a series of Fundraising Ask Anything Events where you can connect and ask questions of your peers and the ViTreo team. Learn more and register here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gina Wheatcroft, Regional Director, Edmonton and Northern Alberta
ViTreo Group Inc

Gina’s most utilised strengths and skills are cultivating multi-million dollar donors; making the case for alumni relations and influencing decision-makers; recognising, hiring and training advancement talent; and successfully managing volunteers and boards for maximum impact and sustainability.  

Gina joined the ViTreo team after spending six years with The University of Queensland (UQ). When Gina started at UQ, she was was responsible for leading and building alumni and community relations. Most recently, Gina was the Executive Director for UQ's US foundation where she led fundraising and strategic planning. Previous to her time with UQ, Gina spent 16 years at the University of Alberta in alumni relations.