Students & Young Alumni

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How Hamilton Got Over 90% of Seniors to Give—and Keep Giving After They Graduate

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How Hamilton Got Over 90% of Seniors to Give—and Keep Giving After They Graduate

As advancement offices work to boost their young alumni giving rates, many are investing in efforts to increase student giving first. Senior class gifts are a natural way to introduce students to philanthropy and build affinity for their alma mater at the same time, but senior gift programs aren't always easy to pull off.

Hamilton College has found a way to make it work. The college's senior gift program has generated over 90% senior class giving rates for decades—and that giving rate doesn't drop off much for years after those seniors graduate.

We asked Hamilton's Assistant Director Annual Giving, Angela Suppa, to explain how they do it.

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How Union College's Garnet Society Revolutionized the Student Alumni Association Model

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How Union College's Garnet Society Revolutionized the Student Alumni Association Model

Student alumni associations are nothing new. Their mission: To bridge the gap between students and alumni and to prevent the engagement drop off that occurs when students transition into alumnihood.

But not every student alumni association accomplishes those goals. Those that do, and do it well, are notable. That's why Union College's Garnet Society should be a model for anyone running or thinking about starting a student alumni association.

We asked Union's Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement, Damond Heath, to explain The Garnet Society's success and how its unique system of governance is at its root.

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How Santa Clara University Hit Their Annual Alumni Engagement Goal in Just 6 Months

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Santa Clara University’s Alumni Association set an ambitious alumni engagement goal for their new Switchboard. They wanted to sign 1,000 people up for the platform within a year—a high bar for any new program.

When they reached that goal in just six months, we knew we had to share how they did it.

Their blueprint can be used by any office that is serious about reaching their goals.

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How Oakland University Runs an Award-Winning Student-Alumni Engagement Program

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"Early and often" is an apt motto when it comes to engaging students with alumni affairs, but putting that sentiment into practice is easier said than done.

Oakland University pulled it off.

Oakland's "Leadership OU" program fosters professional growth among students while highlighting the accomplishments of alumni through a mentoring program and a speaker series. The program won a Pride of CASE District V award for best student-alumni programming in 2015.

"It is not from ourselves that we learn to be better than we are." —Wendell Berry