Independent schools face a unique set of challenges when it comes to young alumni engagement.

For one, their alumni graduate four years younger than their post-secondary counterparts'. It takes another four years for independent school graduates to begin giving in an adult capacity.

It is the task of these schools' alumni relations offices to keep alumni engaged in the interim.

We asked Phillips Exeter Academy's Assistant Director of Student and Young Alumni Programs Michelle Curtin to discuss Exeter's strategy for keeping young alumni engaged.

It's no surprise that the college with the oldest alumni association in the country should continuously top the list of schools with the highest alumni giving rates.

And we weren't surprised to see the Williams Switchboard flourish as soon as it launched in August 2014.

In the 15 months since then, more than 1,800 Williams students, alumni, staff, and parents have signed up to post more than 900 asks and offers.

The Williams Switchboard has become the go-to place for Ephs of all ages to exchange advice, look for places to stay, and find rides to and from campus for reunions and breaks.

We asked Williams's Assistant Editor & Social Media Specialist Francesca Shanks about Williams's success.

Sometimes, alumni engagement is more art than science.

That art requires a deep understanding of and affinity for your alumni community. So who better to engage that community than alumni themselves?

Willamette University in Salem, Oregon has taken that point to heart. Willamette succeeds in engaging its young alumni by leveraging the generosity of its broader alumni network.

We asked Devin Bales, Willamette's alumni and parent relations associate, and a Willamette alumnus himself, to shed some light on Willamette's most successful strategies.

When you're tasked with engaging over 200,000 alumni, it doesn't take long to figure out what works and what doesn't.

We asked the OSUAA's Director of Communications and Marketing, Chase Carter, to share some insight on young alumni engagement.