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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.

Why Alumni Relations Should Adopt an 'Events-Plus' Model

Events are the staple of alumni relations, and for good reason. Reunions, regional gatherings, and chapter parties are excellent ways for alumni to reconnect with each other and their alma mater (and enjoy themselves, to boot).

This reunions season, it's important to think about all the other times in alumni's life when they aren't engaged with their alma mater but could be. Improving alumni engagement doesn't mean infiltrating every nook and cranny of their lives or demanding that they become superfans always decked out in school regalia. Nor does it mean cramming the calendar with even more events.

Consistent and meaningful alumni engagement can begin with events—but it cannot end there. What alumni relations needs is a strategy that includes events, but builds on them: an "events-plus" model.

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Alumni Career Communities Checklist

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Alumni career communities checklist

Alumni career communities are networks used by career services and alumni relations offices to deliver value to their constituents at scale. As institutions demand more from these offices, career communities can help us meet the needs of our constituents efficiently.

We spoke with dozens of schools to put together this two-page checklist to help you implement career communities of your own. Fill out the form below to get the PDF.

How The Ohio State University Engages and Gathers Insight from 550,000 Alumni

How The Ohio State University Engages and Gathers Insight from 550,000 Alumni

Few institutions have as many alumni as The Ohio State University, with its 550,000 Buckeyes worldwide. But we all face similar challenges when it comes to keeping our alumni engaged at scale from afar.

Ohio State launched an online community called the Buckeye Room to solve those problems. They use the Buckeye Room to gather information on their alumni, solicit feedback, and keep them engaged.

We asked Molly Schmied, Director of Market Research & Insights in the Office of Advancement, to share more about the project and what other institutions can learn from 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.

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