Once again this year, AlumnForce returns from CASE with the 2024/2025 alumni trends to follow! CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) organised its annual European Conference (CEAC) from 27 to 29 August. Every year, the event brings together experts in education and alumni networks. We are proud to have represented AlumnForce and our vision to networks from all over Europe! We look forward to the 2024/2025 alumni trends programme.
- Mentoring becomes an essential pillar of community development
- AI: How? Why do we need it? What are its limits? What is its potential?
- Communication: Storytelling to build a strong relationship with your members
1. Mentoring becomes an essential pillar of community development
Mentoring is emerging as one of the key areas for developing alumni communities. It is becoming a real strategic challenge for attracting and engaging alumni. This service enables alumni to forge strong links with each other. It provides a framework of trust where they can discuss a variety of topics such as personal development, career advice and professional development. And thanks to the alumni network, mentees are assured of dealing with skilled mentors who share a common history and similar values.
So mentoring goes beyond simple one-to-one support. It becomes a powerful networking tool, offering a host of ways to get the community involved. You can organise discussion forums around your programmes, themed events or even interviews highlighting the successes of certain duos. In this way, you can strengthen the cohesion of the network, and help each member to feel supported throughout their career.
2. AI: How? Why do we need it? What are its limits? What is its potential?
You’re bound to have heard of artificial intelligence (AI). The concept is gaining ground everywhere, and increasingly in the management of alumni networks. Whether to personalise communications, analyse member data or even automate certain tasks.
However, like any technology, it has its challenges and limitations. How do you integrate AI without dehumanising interactions? How do you exploit its capabilities while respecting the personal data of alumni?
It is important to adopt a measured and ethical approach. AI must enrich members’ experience and offer them content and services tailored to their specific needs. You must comply with regulations on the protection of personal data (GDPR). You must therefore ensure that AI productions are rigorously controlled to maintain the quality of the information. This includes verifying sources, ensuring that the content generated is relevant, and ensuring that automation does not dehumanise the member experience. By balancing these aspects, AI becomes a valuable tool for enriching your service offering.
3. Communication: Storytelling to build a strong relationship with your members
Traditional communication is no longer enough to capture the attention of alumni. Storytelling is becoming an essential technique for capturing the attention and strengthening the commitment of members within alumni networks. It’s a communication method that uses captivating stories to convey values, create an emotional bond and give meaning to belonging to the network. Tell authentic and inspiring stories, and you’ll touch your alumni in a deeper and more lasting way.
Involving members in this storytelling is a key step in strengthening their sense of belonging. Alumni can be put forward as actors in these stories. For example, by becoming ambassadors for the network, or by sharing their own experiences and successes. Go and meet them, and share their stories! Your members will become true ambassadors, inspiring other alumni to get involved too. This process not only brings the community together, but also makes it shine through stories that touch and motivate all members.
The 2024/2025 trends for alumni networks highlight the importance of a personalised, human approach. Mentoring, AI and storytelling are just some of the tools you can use to strengthen the commitment of your community. Follow these trends, and pick out what you think is relevant for your institution.
