case student and young alumni conference - june 2014

1

Student-Alumni Societies

Geoff SeberManger, Alumni Programs

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

About Me

• Higher Education for 14+ years• Advisors for the Red & White Student

Organization for 11 Years• Advisor/Creator for weR: The Spirit of

Rensselaer Society (3 years)• Overall student programming and engagement• CASE Faculty – Student & Young Alumni

Conference (2013)• CASE ASAP D2 Host (Spring 2013)• CASE ASAP D2 and National Advisor of the

Year (2013)

COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION 2

Advancement Talks


About Rensselaer

• Located is always sunny Troy, NY (Upstate NY)

• 5,000 Undergrads, 2,000 Graduates• Primarily Engineering, but degrees in 5

schools– Architecture– Engineering– Science – Business – Humanities Arts and Social Science


What Are You Thinking?

• I’m not a small/large school, this won’t work for me.

• How do I get started?• I wish I had a budget for a student-alumni

organization/society.• I am a school with mostly graduate students or

medical students, what can I do?• This is great, I will have some new ideas to

bring back to my campus/organization.• Will he cover some of the latest trends?


A Student-Alumni Society

• A group of students that are very prideful of their alma mater

• Understand the power of alumni

• Understand they will be alumni very soon

• A group of students that are willing to put in significant amount of volunteer time to build their organization to be highly recognized on their campus.

• A place to educate and grooming your future volunteers and advocates

• Your department/division - student connection to your institution or university.


Culture

• “Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast,” a remark attributed to Peter Drucker and popularized in 2006 by Mark Fields, president of Ford Motor Company

• When creating an organization and or program, it is important to recognize your culture


Our Brands

Our Brands• Involving Students in RAA Activity

• Specialized Programming

• Interaction with Alumni

• Leadership Development

• Inspirational, Feel Good, Pay it Forward Programming

• Larger Student Exposure

• Great Campus Reputation

• Promote Overall Spirit and Pride


Red & White Student Organization

• Started in 1995

• 70 Member Organization

• Organizational Structure

• Defined Recruitment

• Membership/Professional Team Building

• Leadership Positions

• Innovative Programming

• Alum101

• Traditions

• Campus Relations

• Corporate Relations


• Attend alumni events to interact and network with alumni

• Provide campus tours as a 1-1 way to interact with alumni

• Corporate Relations – Working with companies to brand their imagine (New 2014)

• Special events with the President/High Level Alumni

• Interaction with RAA Board of Trustees

• Special event help with departmental programs

• Programming for entire student population



weR is a student organization that builds spirit on campus through unique, fun, and special programs.


weR: The Spirit of Rensselaer Society

The group strives to foster school spirit as an inherent and exciting part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by promoting student involvement, support, and unity through unique programming that embraces the existing culture in an effort to ensure that “tradition never graduates.”

The organization focuses on celebrating the great talent, programs, and activities of the student population.

• 30 - 40 Members (AGENTS)

• Open to all students

• Have programmed over 20 events – Engaged over 1,200 students in just under 1 year.

• Different than any of the rest

• Provide Pay it Forward type programming

• Just say thank you

• Showcase uniqueness

• Be inspirationalCASE ASAP Student

Engagement and Philanthropy Day


Who weR

weR HERE

weR SWAGGER

weR OPEN

weR PROUD

weR SLIMED

weR WELCOMING

weR FANS

weR FROZEN

weR SWEET

weR 188

weR BRIGHT

weR INSPIRED

weR ON ICE

weR FOOLISH

Powderpuff (2013)

weR PROUD

weR SEMI SWEET

weR Gold


weR PROGAMMING

Why

• Engagement, mentorship, interaction, educational, and provide leadership opportunities for our students

• Develop our future alumni leaders• Build a prideful base of students to help carry the

tradition and reputation off campus• Add to the student experience with more impact

and quality• Millennial Student - Want to network, have access

to anyone, always connected, excited for tradition.


What are some simple steps advancement leaders can take to get a student-alumni society off the ground?

• Staff person tasked with at least 70% of his/her job being responsible for advising this organization.

• Designate a solid budget for the group – having a group of students available to your office is so helpful – consider them volunteers

• Find some key students that understand the value of connecting with alumni/and or are well balanced and have great leadership qualities.

• Don’t compare yourself to the other schools that have well established organizations.

• “Culture will eat strategy for breakfast”, don’t try to build an organization that doesn’t fit within your culture of your institution.


Budget

• Estimate - $100 - $150 Per Year, Per Member

– Investment as volunteers

– Organization Shirts

– Food/Travel/Thank You Gifts


How


• Develop relationship with Student Life Partners

• Participate/Volunteer for Student Orientation• DO NOT try to find student leaders on

campus (to busy)• Have an application process• Have members find members

How


• Greek Life is a good source of involved students.

• Time and commitment questions on the application

• 3+ interactions (application, face to face, interview)

• Attractive Brand

• High Quality Programs

• True leadership experience

• Student-Alumni Organizations/Societies

• Dinner with 12 Strangers

• TEDx or TED Talks Style Programming

• Traditions Programming

• CASE ASAP National Convention

• CASE ASAP Student Philanthropy Awareness Day

• Young Alumni Programming

• Career Services for Alumni

• Social Media Connections


What’s #trending

Alum101Series of programs about the student – alumni transition

• A recognizable brand created to build a future of young alumni programs– Culinary Engineering– Investing in the Long Run– Career Services


Programming Idea

• Tried and True (Traditions Programming)

• Traditions Tour

• Collaboration with Student Life (Specifically the Office of the First-Year Experience

• Insider tour of campus

• Alumni Docents

• Members of R&W Student Organization as guides

• Amazing Race afternoon programming


Programming Idea

Programming Idea

• Crowdfunding / KickStart program

• Small project initiative• Raising money for different

affinities from students and alumni of those groups

• Call for participation from organizations• Programs Selected• Additional selected as replacement programs once

the initial programs’ goals were reached• weR.rpi.edu/gold


http://wer.rpi.edu/gold

Example Metrics• Number of members in your organization• Number of uses of your organization• Number of engagement programs per year• Number of overall vs number of engaged

– Poster vs. a poster with someone talking to a person

• Number of organization members that are engaged as young alumni


Measuring Success

Social Media Fun

Connecting Outside the Organization• Growing and difficult for Advisors to manage• Updating regularly• Pictures, programs, events, contacts• Simple way to start an organization website

Public Pages


weR: The Spirit of Rensselaer Society


https://www.facebook.com/RPI.Red.and.White

https://www.facebook.com/weRspirited

Social Media Fun

Internally• Great resource for communicating• Cut back on emails to your organization• Have fun• Pictures, videos, fun, hilariousness ensues

Internal Pages


weR AGENTS


https://www.facebook.com/groups/rpiredandwhite/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/411788682242647/

If I Knew Then What I Know Now

• Take a group picture every year• Create programs that you can manage, don’t over commit• Empower senior members of the organization to take on

advisory roles• Brand all of your programs through your organization –

Students connect your organization to an alumni connection

• Work hard to keep in touch, follow up with alumni members (LinkedIn Sub Groups)

• Send a thanksgiving email updating about what is happening in the organization

• Empower your members to be leaders and decision makers


If I Knew Then What I Know Now

• Attend CASE ASAP Conference – Bring your students(August 7 – 9, 2014 – St. Louis)

• Host a CASE ASAP District Conference

• Create committees early

• Have a strong professional development curriculum

• Host member activities to connect other members together. Many times our organizations are made up of leaders from all over campus.

• Attend all of the meetings

• Get on their level – Where the rubber meets the road

• Program within your culture!

• Keep it fresh


Thank You

The “Questions” Slide

ContactGeoff Seber

Manager, Alumni Programs

Office of Alumni Relations - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

1301 Peoples Ave.

Troy, NY 12180

Office: 518-276-2324

Website: http://www.alumni.rpi.edu
