Alumni networks play an essential role in creating and maintaining lasting relationships between alumni of an institution. However, keeping members engaged during the summer months can be a challenge. With travel, vacations and summer activities, it’s crucial to put in place effective strategies to animate your alumni network and encourage the active participation of its members.
In this article, we’ll explore different ways of keeping your alumni network dynamic throughout the summer.
- Organize webinars or online conferences
- Organize summer events
- Highlight alumni success stories
- What to do: Keep your alumni platform active
- In short, to conclude
1) Organize webinars or online conferences :
Webinars and online conferences offer valuable flexibility and accessibility, enabling your alumni to actively participate, regardless of their geographical location or busy schedule.
These virtual events create interactive and informative sessions, fostering connection, continuous learning and professional development within your alumni network.
When planning these online events, it’s essential to choose topics that are relevant and interesting to your network. You can address topics related to professional development, entrepreneurship, new industry trends or any other topical issue that might be of interest to your alumni.
To make these sessions even more enriching, we recommend inviting inspiring speakers who are competent in their field. They can be successful alumni, recognized industry experts or specialists who can share their knowledge and experience with the alumni network.
During these webinars and conferences, encourage exchanges and interaction between participants. You can include question-and-answer sessions, small-group discussions or surveys to gather alumni opinions and ideas. This will promote engagement and enable participants to get the most out of these events.
2) Organize summer events :
Organizing events specifically designed for the summer period is a great way to keep your alumni interested. Think outdoor activities such as picnics, barbecues or sports outings. These informal events provide a relaxed setting for reconnecting or making new connections.
The aim of these summer events is to create a relaxed, informal setting conducive to conviviality and sharing. They enable participants to renew old acquaintances, share memories and forge new friendships. These informal gatherings reinforce the feeling of belonging to the alumni community and encourage professional and personal networking.
Communicate these events appropriately to your alumni, using appropriate communication channels such as social networks, newsletters, personalized invitations or your dedicated alumni platform. Also encourage participants to bring their families and invite other alumni to widen the circle of participants and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
By organizing summer events that are fun and appropriate to the season, you offer your alumni an opportunity to reconnect, share good times and cultivate their network. These informal gatherings also help to keep them engaged and interested in the school, and strengthen the bonds between members of your alumni community.
3) Highlight alumni success stories
It’s a powerful strategy for inspiring and motivating the members of your alumni network. It enhances the value of individual achievements, and also reinforces the feeling of belonging to a dynamic, thriving community.
2 communication ideas to liven up your network in summer:
- Organize interviews or video testimonials featuring alumni available in the summer who have succeeded in their careers or completed remarkable projects. Share these inspiring stories on your website, your social networks or in your newsletter. Members will be able to identify with these stories and be encouraged to pursue their own goals.
- Set up an “Alumni of the Month” program for the months of June to August, in which you select and highlight an outstanding alumnus each month. Present their biography, achievements and career path. This will recognize individual successes and create a culture of celebration within your network.
What to do : Keep your alumni platform active
All these summer strategies and activities are facilitated and coordinated by a dedicated alumni platform. An alumni platform brings together, connects and communicates with the alumni of a school or institution. It provides a virtual space where alumni can keep in touch, share information and take part in events.
With an alumni platform, you can easily promote summer events and invite alumni to participate. You can create specific events, share details, manage registrations and send automatic reminders. The platform also facilitates information exchange, allowing participants to connect and chat before, during and after events.
An alumni platform also offers the possibility of creating thematic groups or sub-communities based on alumni’s common interests. For example, you could create a group dedicated to summer activities and invite members to share ideas, organize outings or plan informal events. This encourages alumni involvement and facilitates communication between them.
In short, to conclude :
To keep your alumni network engaged over the summer, it’s essential to organize webinars and online conferences, use social networks to communicate network news, organize outdoor summer events, highlight alumni success stories and use a dedicated alumni platform to facilitate coordination and communication. By combining these strategies, you can maintain a dynamic alumni network and encourage interaction between its members throughout the summer season.
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