once a student – always an alumnus: remaining virtually connected diana slevin director of alumni...

Once a student – always an alumnus:Remaining virtually connected

Diana Slevin

Director of Alumni Relations and Fundraising The Open University, UK

The Workshop Issues

How can IT be used to keep students as part of a wider community after courses are over?

What challenges do alumni organisations face in harnessing the internet to maintain contact with former students?

Initial Questions

Who are the alumni? Why stay in touch? What are the mechanisms? What are the challenges? What is the key? How measure the outcomes? Challenges for the workshop.

Who are the alumni?

Former students Not just graduates Not all interested Not just yours!

What is your alumni profile?

Non homogenous group However similar at first study As diverse as the public BUT – your study in common

What are the alumni categories?

Resistors 24%

Rallyers 19%

Reconnectors 33%

Reminiscers 24%

Colleen Phelan (2000) “Advance Work: What’s Your Type?”, Currents, July/August 2000, CASE

Why stay in touch?

Bearers of your brand Advocates of the product Recruiters of students Student supporters Potential repeat studiers Volunteer workers Financial donors

What are the IT mechanisms?

Websites

Online Directories

E-newsletters

Target emails

E-research

Computer conferencing

Online events

Spin off – face to face

To: Open University Alumni Circulation 57,000Subject: OU Alumni News March 2004

Dear Alumni Colleague, Welcome to the alumni e-newsletter for March 2004

++ OPEN EYE BULLETIN TUESDAY 2 March* Interview with 18-year-old British HIV victim. And OU

scientists at forefront of space exploration. For these stories and more see the latest issue of Open Eye Bulletin, in The Independent newspaper

* If you are unable to obtain a copy of OE please note the stories are posted mid-month on our website under ‘OPEN EYE ON-LINE’ http://www.openlink.org/newsevents.htm

E-news contents ctd

TV Informationwww.open2.net

Course newswww.open.ac.uk/courses

Whats Onwww.openlink.org

Volunteer Newswww.openlink.org/engage

OU Newswww.open.ac.uk/news

Freedom of Informationwww.open.ac.uk/developmentoffice

Student Newswww.open.ac.uk/ousa

Services

E-news closing

With Best Wishes Diana SlevinDirector, Alumni Relations and Fundraising, The Open

University,Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK+44(0)1908 653815; Fax 638145; E-mail alum@open.ac.uk * To register a change in email address, please email

alum@open.ac.uk title ‘email address change’* To discontinue receiving the regular news update email

alum@open.ac.uk title 'de-register'* To discontinue receiving the services section email

alum@open.ac.uk title: 'No services”

Student CMC

E-Research

What are the challenges?

To define your alumni

To know your alumni

Accurate data

Customer Relations Management (CRM)

Meet your targets

Fulfil expectations

What is the key?

Identity Interactivity Efficiency Think alumni!

How measure the outcomes?

Traditional = € financial donations Percentage information Percentage involvement Percentage retention as alumni Re-recruitment rates Benchmarking

Summary

Historic perspective on alumni IT = new facilities for interaction The alumni link facilitates LLL Students -Alumni transitions enabled

Challenges for the workshop

Student mobility – Whose alumni are they anyway?

Which institution?

Once a student always an alumnus or – always a student? Who looks after them in the institution?

Is it worth cultivating the alumni as such?

Can your old alumni manage the new technologies?Does it matter?Can you facilitate them?

You are not alone!

Fellow alumni officers

Contact direct or Network through organisations such as CASE : Council for Advancement and Support of Education www.case.org

Website providerse.g. Internet Association Corporation www.iaccorp.com

Contact me

Diana Slevin BSc, MA (Open)

Director of Alumni Relations and Fundraising The Open UniversityWalton HallMilton KeynesMK7 6AA, UKTel +44(0)1908 655683 Fax 65Email: d.e.slevin@open.ac.ukWebsite: www.openlink.org OU Website: www.open.ac.uk