Learn how to measure your alumni engagement and guide future programming.
Learn how to take a more strategic approach to alumni engagement by gathering alumni data and using it to improve your work and create better programs. This event will show you the key components of developing and measuring alumni engagement, including:
- Gathering and analyzing essential data
- Applying an engagement scoring model
- Deploying alumni attitude and event surveys
- Using data to inform future planning
There will be one breakout session for alumni relations and advancement services attendees on alumni engagement data. We strongly encourage teams to attend to benefit from a cohesive content strategy.
Bring Your Team
Alumni relations and advancement services professionals will benefit from the information shared at this event. Attending together will ensure that you can take advantage of both the data and programmatic angles to this conference and develop a strategy for moving forward.
When you register two people from your institution, a third can attend for 50% off!
Agenda
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Conference Registration
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Defining Engagement
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Engagement is the foundation of alumni relations work, but defining what engagement looks like and why it is important differs across institutions. In this opening session, we will give an overview of why alumni engagement continues to gain increased attention and will outline alumni activities that translate to engagement, and form a shared context and foundation for the rest of the conference.
Break
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Defining Engagement (continued)
3:00 - 3:45 p.m.
Working Session: Alumni Engagement Assessment
3:45 - 4:15 p.m.
In this working session, you will assess the alumni data you currently gather and what you have found to translate to engagement. We will debrief the activity in small groups based on institutions’ individual needs.
Day 1: Closing and Q&A
4:15 - 4:30 p.m.
Networking Reception (included in registration fee)
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Alumni Surveys
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
While you may survey alumni in your shop, do you know how to develop questions that will reveal the most applicable information? This session will cover survey design, data analysis, and responder follow-up for both alumni attitude and event surveys.
Morning Break
10:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Event Metrics
10:15 - 11:15 a.m.
Learn how to comprehensively and objectively assess the success of your events and develop criteria for successful ones in the future. You will gain insights on how to collect data before, during, and after events to comprehensively evaluate success.
Presenting Information and Use in Goal Setting
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Getting useful data in-hand is only half of the battle. How do you digest and present that data to your team and leadership in a way that will affect change? We will discuss how to effectively distribute data to sustain your effort, as well as setting realistic metric goals based on performance.
Lunch (included in registration fee)
12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
Using Metrics to Inform Planning
1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
The metrics you have gathered should also be used internally. Do you have the appropriate budget and number of staff to support your alumni relations operations? How can you use this data for performance evaluations? In this session, we will show how these figures can be used to guide future internal planning, as well as demonstrate the value of your work and program to leadership.
Once you gather improved alumni data, how do you use this information to guide future program planning? Based on event performance and alumni interests, what should you be doing more of? Can you revamp or eliminate events or programs? Our instructors will address these questions and talk about how to better segment your populations to optimize your alumni relations operations.
Afternoon Break
2:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Working Session: Data Gathering and Goal Setting
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
The day will conclude with time to focus your efforts on figuring out which cross-campus allies will help you ensure that your data-gathering is successful. You will also begin to sketch out possible goals for the upcoming year and gather feedback from your colleagues.
Day 2: Wrap-Up and Q&A
3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Friday, December 15, 2017
Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Engagement Scoring Models Breakout Sessions (break included)
8:30 - 10:30
Developing the Model
In this session, those working with data or in advancement services will examine different scoring models, how they were developed, and what you can learn from their implementation.
Collaborating with Advancement Services and Implementation
With engagement scoring models increasingly becoming a tool developed and used by advancement services in prospect research and management, this session will focus on alumni relations counterparts role in model development, and how to use data as it becomes available.
Cultivating Buy-In Across Teams
10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
To fully realize your effort of making more data-driven decisions for your alumni programming and staffing, it is necessary to ensure that your shop is on board with this cultural change. Our faculty will offer practical advice on managing up, laterally, and down, to guide you to success.
Action Plan and Next Steps
11:15 - 11:45 a.m.
We will have covered a lot of ground in the previous two days; this session is designed to bring concept to concrete and to equip you with the tools and plan to implement what you have learned once you return to campus.
Final Faculty Q&A Panel and Conference Close
11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Speakers
Ron Cohen
Vice President, University Relations
Susquehanna University
Ron oversees alumni, parent, and donor engagement activities at Susquehanna, which he joined in 1991 as director of development. Since 2001, he has served as VP and a member of the university's senior leadership team. He manages fundraising programs, including past campaigns that have secured more than $250 million, and alumni and parent engagement efforts. His advancement team at Susquehanna embraces the notion that philanthropy and meaningful contributions are within the reach of all constituents, especially alumni. Few will ever "move the needle" with their financial support, but many have the capacity and desire to contribute significant value to their alma mater.
Jennifer Lynham Cunningham
Assistant Vice President of Alumni Engagement
Lehigh University
Jennifer provides strategy and direction for the ways in which Lehigh engages with its 80,000 alumni around the globe. She came to Lehigh in early 2016. She works closely with the Lehigh University Alumni Association (LUAA) Board of Directors.
Previously, Jennifer worked at Cornell University for nine years as the Senior Director of Metrics and Marketing. Prior to arriving at Cornell, she ran a copywriting and resume writing business in Seattle, and spent seven years in Portland, OR and New York City working at advertising agencies on accounts including Microsoft, MasterCard, AT&T Wireless, Popeye’s, and Loews Hotels.
Ray Satterthwaite
President
Engagement Analysis Inc.
Ray began his career at McGill University in Montreal as the director of alumni relations and annual giving. He then moved to Queen’s University in Kingston to serve as associate vice principal of advancement and chief development officer. Ray has been involved with both CASE and CCAE and is a past president of CCAE. His research, speaking engagements, and articles on the topic of alumni engagement have earned him recognition for his work on alumni engagement including Faculty Star and Rising Star honors from CASE. In 2007 he founded Engagement Analysis Inc., a consulting and research company helping clients identify, measure, and use engagement information to improve their programs.
Mark Koenig
Associate Vice President, Advancement Services
Oregon State University
In his current role, Mark oversees the research, relationship management, information technology services, and database management units. Additionally, he is responsible for the fundraising and campaign administration for the organization.
Mark has extensive experience in the development and utilization of fundraising best practices. These areas include incorporating analytics, conducting surgical wealth screenings, orchestrating discovery programs, and bridging the communication divide between information technology and advancement.
Mark is currently the chair for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VIII, and holds executive corporate advisory positions with Ellucian Advance and Wealth Engine. Prior to joining Oregon State, Mark was the Director of Prospect Research and Management for The George Washington University. He has also held research positions at Georgetown University, Georgetown Medical Center, and Rice University. He earned his bachelor's in history and economics from the University of Houston and a master’s in Adult Education and Organizational Capacity from Oregon State University.
Questions About the Event?
Gwen Doyle Herbert
Program Manager, Academic Impressions