What are some of the best ways for alumni groups to encourage membership and galvanize volunteers? To find out, we surveyed all organizations belonging to the Cornell Alumni Federation, from regional clubs to college-based groups, as well as some classes. We gathered their feedback about what works well and distilled it into the following “best practices.”
In this installment, we’ll share some of their most successful strategies aimed at encouraging alumni participation. We hope that these tools and ideas enhance the vitality of your own organization.
Reminder e-mails
More and more alumni organizations use e-mail as a way to keep in touch with their members. Messages usually include a link to the group’s website and another to the Cornell site, to provide general University information. The groups we surveyed highly recommended the use of reminder e-mails prior to events. Most groups send at least one reminder per activity; some, such as the Cornell Club of Eastern Florida, usually send two. The Ithaca-area alumni association e-mails members after an event to both solicit feedback and encourage participation in the next activity.
E-lists Â
Groups that e-mail their constituents usually do so with the help of an electronic mailing list, or listserv. These lists are best handled through Cornell’s “elist” service. This is critical because the use of an outside vendor could violate Cornell’s privacy policy. Furthermore, the University’s new software includes administrative tools that make distribution management easy, via either e-mail commands or Cornell’s e-list website. The service also offers the advantage of useful functions, such as the ability to post messages and to generate reports on the percentage of e-mails delivered. To start using the University’s e-list service, first identify a local volunteer to manage the list and then contact your organization’s on-campus staff partner.
E-mail certainly has its advantages: it doesn’t cost much and is particularly effective with younger alumni. But be aware that the University’s database has e-mail addresses for only about half of all alumni. So when an organization wants guaranteed coverage, a mix of electronic and direct mail is best.
A range of events
When it comes to garnering maximum alumni participation, the quality and variety of events trump quantity. Different events tend to attract different segments of the alumni population, so balance the calendar of events for the year to offer a variety of activities. For example, the Cornell Alumni Association of North Texas traditionally offered many events that appealed to young alumni. But last year, it organized a members-only activity aimed specifically at families: tables at the annual Breakfast with Santa/Neiman Marcus parade. Area alumni joined the association just to attend this popular event, and tickets sold out in one week. The association is now offering more family-friendly events.
Phone-a-thons
Phone contact is effective, either with a phone-a-thon that takes place at a central location, or with a phone tree, where volunteers divide up the club list and make calls from their homes. The method an organization chooses is often a function of the availability of space and the organization’s volunteers. Some groups have had a good response from using a phonea- thon to encourage participation at specific events. These phone-a-thons are particularly effective when they take place after an invitation has been mailed out and just prior to an event.
Buddy systems
Personal contact is a useful way to encourage alumni to participate. Some groups set up a buddy system, in which veteran members are paired with new members. The veterans call or send the new members a personal reminder to encourage them to attend events and to make them feel welcome.
Greeters
Most groups use a greeter of some kind at key events, who meets alumni at the door and acts as a host for the event. Greeters can be especially effective when they make introductions and help the attendees feel welcome. The more comfortable alumni are at an event, the more likely they will continue to participate in the organization.
Book-award programs
Sometimes new participants need a bite-sized role to get them started. Book award programs can often fit the bill. The Cornell Latino Alumni Association instituted a book scholarship toward which all dues went for one year–and tripled its dues-paying membership. The Cornell Club of St. Louis invited alumni to donate and present Cornell book awards to a junior at the high school of their choice.
Unifying goals
One effective way to encourage participation is to organize a special project or program that captures the imagination of the participants. For many alumni groups, that unifying goal is a scholarship fund. For example, the Cornell Club of Chicago’s key annual event is a scholarship fundraiser called the Full Moon Ball. The Cornell Club of Northeastern Ohio created “Summer on the Cuyahoga,” a program in which eleven Cornell students are selected to work in Northeastern Ohio for paid internships. The Cornell Club of Pittsburgh’s fund supports under-represented students attending Cornell’s Summer College for High School Students. These types of major initiatives are often the rallying point for a diverse membership and by their very nature encourage alumni participation.
We’d like to thank the twenty-eight Cornell leaders who contributed their time to share their best practices. We hope these tools and ideas enhance membership in your organization.
Ed. Note: If you have questions about the survey results, please e-mail Donna Carl at dc37@cornell.edu and the authors will respond.
Stephanie Keene Fox is a Cornell Alumni Federation director from the region (Southwest/Mountain). Larry Taylor is a past president of the Cornell Club of St. Louis and a Cornell Alumni Federation director from the region (Midwest).