The creation of a strong and federated community is the main objective of the alumni associations. Mutual help and sharing are key points that allow all members to feel fully integrated and fulfilled in their student and professional life. AlumnForce gives you 3 tips to create a cohesive community.
Integrate your members into the association from their studies
Over the past 10 years, AlumnForce has seen a sharp increase in the integration of students into alumni associations. Historically, the school accompanied students when the association supported graduates. Now, a large majority of the 250 institutions supported by AlumnForce integrate students into the alumni network as soon as they enter the school.
This sometimes even goes so far as the creation of an alumni service within the schools in partnership, if necessary, with the association. This integration allows your students to start networking. The use of a 360 solution allows all your members to have tools like the directory from the beginning of their career.
Access to alumni contact appears as a strong link-building tool. For Anne-Marie Meudec, in charge of IHEDREA alumni and network leader, « the desire to bring together learners and alumni in the same community allows young people to get in touch with elders to exchange, discover the jobs that are available to them after their studies but also find an internship for example ».
Have tools to track the career development of your members
The tools of 360 solutions such as the career center, contribute to the creation of a strong and united community. It allows you to participate in the career development of all your members. It also allows the generosity and support of your alumni to come forward by posting internship offers, jobs…
This career center is not limited to a job board but also concerns everything that revolves around professional integration such as virtual or physical business forums, content such as conference or webinar, organized or animated by your students or alumni. These tools allow your members to connect with each other, and for Sébastien Gay, head of alumni relations at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, the figures speak for themselves since at least “1 out of 3 jobs is facilitated by networking at the EHL”.
Bring your members together by point of interest
To build a strong community, it is important to create relationships that last over time. Mentoring programs are a very good way to bring your association members together in pairs. It is not uncommon for mentor-mentee relationships to continue after the program.
According to Naji Boulos, Marketing and Communication Advisor at Saint Joseph University and its Federation, “the USJ Alumni platform has groups per institution but has also created groups per country. It allows our members to have a very effective tool to contact their peers based on their country of practice.”
Group functionality is indeed a great way to bring your members together. The way you create groups, whether by geographic area, by focus, by promotion … keeps your members connected.
Did you like this article? Discover the one about the 3 reasons to adopt a 360 solution to animate your alumni network.
