Traditional alumni relations programs are about prompting graduates to do something--anything--for or with the institution. In this article, the author proposes something different: an outcome-oriented alumni relations programming model, which the author calls "strategic advancement," that focuses on smaller, targeted sets of graduates…

How important is the faith associated with an educational institution in raising funds? Do development professionals at faith-based institutions use strategies different from their secular school colleagues? Are there particular challenges to raising money from donors who may already have philanthropic ties to churches or synagogues? Fundraisers…

Most people are aware of the increasing importance of social media to institutional advancement, and many colleges and universities have started investing resources in these media. The next step is to measure the impact of social media on the institution and evaluate the success of one's efforts. Every advancement leader should understand how…

In the current economic climate, alumni associations are taking hard looks at their budgets and making cuts where necessary. However, the recession is an opportunity for alumni associations to create and build alumni loyalty through networking and career services--when they are needed most. Many alumni association budgets are set through the end…

Web analytics measure, collect, analyze, and report Internet data that help website managers improve the effectiveness of the site and its marketing efforts by allowing them to better understand how users interact with the site. Applying this data can help drive the right people to the website and keep them there. According to Joshua Dodson, Web…

Increasingly, there is a growing realization in alumni relations that successful alumni programs, benefits, and services are not ends in and of themselves. Rather, alumni engagement is ultimately all about the institution. Success in alumni relations ideally advances an institution's overall forward progress. Twenty years ago, alumni strategic…

As president of Miami University of Ohio from 1996 until 2006, James C. Garland redefined the public institution as a "semi-private" university by implementing the same tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students. Students from Ohio with need received large scholarships--but those who could afford to pay more did so. The reform,…

Most colleges and universities that launch into social media do so by dipping one toe in the water rather than swan diving into the deep end. And while many people define "social media" as Facebook and perhaps Twitter, the term actually encompasses everything from blogs to photo- and video-sharing sites to LinkedIn to any of dozens of…