2016 is over, and it's time to reflect and plan for the new year. We picked nine of our best-written, most-read articles and interviews to help get you started.
1) INPUTS VS. OUTCOMES: ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT DATA TO MEASURE ROI?
Inspired by a conversation with our advisor Andy Shaindlin, this article challenges us to differentiate good-looking data from the right data when it comes to measuring our success.
Or, in Andy's words: "Are you measuring engagement or just counting stuff?"
Follow up to my recent @switchboardHQ roundtable: Are you measuring engagement or just counting stuff? https://t.co/XX37PzaWRd
— Andy Shaindlin (@alumnifutures) May 25, 2016
Since we shared it, this article has become essential reading in the world of alumni engagement.
2) HOW CAREER CENTERS CAN LEVERAGE ALUMNI AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT TO ADVANCE INSTITUTIONAL GOALS
This article was authored by career services pros at Colgate, Pomona, and Franklin & Marshall. It provides concrete advice for career services offices looking to help their institutions reach their advancement goals and better serve their constituents at the same time.
3) HOW BABSON INCREASED REUNION CLASS GIVING PARTICIPATION BY 70% IN ONE YEAR
Though we've arbitrarily given this interview with Babson's miracle workers the #3 spot on our list, this was our most-viewed blog post of 2016—and rightly so.
Babson boosted reunion class giving without gimmicks, without fancy technology, and without spending a dime. All they needed was a little help from their alumni and some social media smarts. Any school can learn from their success.
4) These Data Explain What Makes Young Alumni Priorities Different
We all have common-sensical explanation about what makes young alumni different than their older peers, but now we have data to prove it.
Drawn from survey responses from over 500,000 alumni, these data explain why alumni choose not to give and what would make them give more.
5) WHY ELON UNIVERSITY CREATED A DEDICATED POSITION FOR ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT OFFICERS
Alumni engagement is important—we all agree—but you rarely see schools with position solely dedicated to the task.
Elon University's Alumni Engagement Officers have no other goal than to build and maintain relationships with their alumni. Even if you don't want to create dedicated AEO positions, you can learn from their strategies for engaging alumni.
6) Infographic: Why Alumni Career Services?
Most every school has an alumni relations office and a career services office, but they don't always work together. This infographic will help you make the case for collaboration to your colleagues.
7) HOW NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL USES ITS SMALLNESS TO ITS ADVANTAGE
Noble and Greenough is a small independent school with a large annual fund team. This interview explains how they make their unique fundraising formula work to their advantage.
8) 5 Reasons Advancement Offices Should Care About Career Services
Whether you're an advancement officer skeptical about the relevance of career services to your bottom line or a career services professional seeking to build stronger relationships with your advancement office, this article is worth a read.
9) 6 RULES OF THUMB TO HELP YOUR MENTORING PROGRAM SUCCEED
Mentoring programs were all the rage in 2016 (and remain so in 2017), and getting one up off the ground can be tricky. We interviewed dozens of schools with successful mentoring programs and compiled six rules to help yours succeed.