Creating a corporate alumni platform with engagement is a challenge for all HR teams. HR leaders understand that the relationship with an employee does not end when they leave the company. Former employees are not just memories of the past. They can be ambassadors for your brand, a pool of talent to rehire, potential business partners and a valuable reflection of your corporate culture. So how do you transform this latent network into a dynamic and mutually beneficial ecosystem?
This five-step guide, designed for HR leaders, helps you create an effective and sustainable alumni engagement platform. You’ll discover how to plan, develop the platform, devise communication strategies, capitalise on career opportunities and ensure the continuous improvement of your platform.
- Lay the foundations for a powerful alumni network
- Choose a tailor-made alumni platform
- Engage and mobilise your alumni with targeted communication
- Offer career opportunities to maximise impact
- Ensure sustainability through continuous improvement
Step 1: Lay the foundations for a powerful alumni network
Creating an alumni engagement platform should start with strategic planning. Ask yourself: what is the main purpose of this platform? Do you want it to be a hub for career opportunities? Or a place where your former employees can meet up and share?
Quick win: Start by identifying your target audience. Different generations of alumni may have specific needs and expectations. For example, recent alumni will be more interested in job opportunities. While those further along in their career might be looking for mentoring or partnership opportunities.
Why it’s important: Clear planning allows you to build a long-term plan. It guarantees you relevant alumni engagement and effective deployment.
How to execute:
- Set up a cross-functional team, including HR, IT, and Marketing managers.
- Analyse successful alumni platforms for inspiration.
- Budget for technology, communication and marketing.
Who should get involved: HR Director, CIO, Marketing Director, financial stakeholders.
Step 2: Choose a tailor-made alumni platform
Once the planning is done, it’s time to turn your ideas into reality. The choice of software is crucial to ensure that your platform is intuitive, scalable and aligned with your objectives. The AlumnForce platform, for example, guarantees that it can evolve according to the needs of your community. You can then add all the services you need as you go along.
Example: Many companies use solutions to manage large-scale alumni networks. On AlumnForce, you have features such as an alumni directory, networking spaces, job offers and online events…
Quick win: Before launching the platform, carry out user tests with a sample of alumni to find out what your members’ needs and expectations are. This is what Forvis Mazars did to build the structure of its platform, for example.
Why it’s important: A well-designed platform facilitates engagement and ensures a fluid user experience. This boosts your members’ satisfaction and increases their engagement.
How to do it:
- Select the right software for your needs and budget.
- Customise the features according to your alumni’s expectations: job offers, networking, mentoring, etc.
- Ensure that robust security measures are in place to protect personal data.
Who should get involved: Technical managers, digital project managers, IT managers, security managers.
Step 3: Engage and mobilise your alumni with targeted communication
Your platform must have an effective communication strategy. The key is to inform your alumni of its existence, and encourage them to become actively involved.
Example: In 2019, Oxford University launched a targeted email campaign that reactivated over 50% of its alumni in its alumni platform. The key to success? Segmented communication, tailored to the different alumni profiles.
Quick win: Create personalised messages for each group of alumni. Send messages segmented by promotion or geographical area, for example. Inform them of the benefits they can get from the platform: mentoring, exclusive job offers, or access to reserved events.
Why it’s important: Targeted communication attracts passive alumni and turns them into active members.
How to do it:
- Set up a multi-channel communication campaign (emails, social networks, postal mail).
- Create compelling content: alumni testimonials, success stories, previews of upcoming events.
Who should get involved: Communication experts, digital marketing experts, CMOs.
Step 4: Offer career opportunities to maximise impact
One of the most attractive benefits for alumni is access to exclusive career opportunities. This can go beyond simply publishing job offers: offer career development workshops, mentoring or networking events.
Example: Salesforce has created a rehiring programme for its former employees, which has enabled the company to recruit highly qualified talent while reducing its recruitment costs.
Quick win: Collaborate with partners in your sector to offer exclusive professional opportunities to your alumni.
Why it’s important: Offering tangible career opportunities adds value to your platform and strengthens alumni attachment to your company.
How to do it:
- Create a space dedicated to career opportunities on the platform.
- Offer professional development resources: webinars, salary negotiation workshops, CV advice.
Who should get involved: Recruitment teams, external partnerships managers, COO.
Step 5: Ensure sustainability through continuous improvement
An alumni platform must evolve to remain relevant. That’s why continuous improvement, based on feedback and user data, is crucial.
For example: LinkedIn Learning uses analytical data to regularly adjust its content according to user preferences. Adopting a similar approach with your platform will enable you to meet alumni expectations.
Quick win: Organise quarterly surveys to gather feedback on the platform, and set up a dashboard to track engagement data in real time.
Why it’s important: Continuous improvement ensures your platform’s long-term relevance.
How to execute:
- Analyse user engagement data.
- Adjust features and content strategy based on alumni feedback.
Who should get involved: Data analysts, UX/UI designers, community managers.
Conclusion: Turn your alumni network into a strategic asset
By following this roadmap, your alumni engagement platform will become a strategic tool. Both for your former employees and for your organisation. A well-maintained alumni community strengthens the company brand, and generates new business and recruitment opportunities. Don’t forget that success is based on communication, listening and continuous adaptation.
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