Alumni Relations &

Volunteer Engagement

AEP+ Conference, Tampa, FL, 1/23/12

• Alumni • Students • Faculty • Parents • Colleagues • Community members

Volunteers are an alumni office’s path to success – But … who are they?

Retaining and motivating alumni volunteers

Provide volunteers a

menu of items – things they

can do for their school

Regional representatives

Annual Fund – gift chairs,

class agents

Admission volunteers – staff college

fairs, interview prospective

students

Alumni Council – class

presidents, correspondents

Career Center – provide

internships, act as mentors

Retaining and motivating student volunteers

Provide benefits

Opportunity to form a

mentoring relationship with alumni

Access to the Board of Trustees and other levels of

influence

VIP attendance at major events

Opportunities to broaden their

network and gain experience

BUT, who are our student volunteers?

They are the Millennial Generation!

Why spend energy and time on current students?

Current students are the best ambassadors for the institution

Student volunteers very quickly become young alumni

When engaged as students, they remain engaged as alumni

Creates a culture of ‘paying it forward’

The Four “R’s” of Volunteer Management

Reliability

Recruitment

Retention

Responsiveness

Keeping volunteers engaged

Inform

Engage

Cultivate

Thank

Involving volunteers in programming

Students –planners, can assist

in implementing and staffing events

Alumni –presenters, a

conduit to classmates,

planners and staffers

Learning you don't need to say 'no.'

Think big when

alumni are offering ideas …

scale back later.

Step back and listen to what alumni

are asking for; create a big picture

before presenting

options.

Set a goal with your

alumni volunteers.

Review what resources

are available and

determine how you will work within a budget to

reach the goal.

Ask questions of

your volunteers.

Do they have

contacts and resources

that can be utilized?

Present other

options in line with what has

been requested.

•Specialty Events: •Spelman Christmas Carol Concert •Alexander Hamilton Birthday Parties

•Alumni Colleges •Volunteer Weekend •Class and Professional Affinity Programs •Student Specific Programs:

•Hamilton Alumni Leadership Training (HALT) •Spelman Event Envoy Program

Examples of strategies that work for engaging volunteers…

Spelman Event Envoy Program

Must be a current Spelman student

Interest in hospitality, event management or tourism

Want hands-on experience

Required to research the field

Required to attend events and interface with hospitality contacts

Required to adhere to the Standard of Conduct applicable to Spelman College

Spelman Event Envoy Program: Keys to Success

Required to attend weekly

meetings

Stress attire and decorum

Stress timeliness

and organization

Stress protocol

Must be a team player and have the

“Spelman Spirit”

Stress customer

service

Stress positive

attitude and smiles!

Event Envoys in action!

Student Volunteers are future leaders!

Let’s hear from them

Asha Poland, Sophomore @ Spelman College

Kristyn Story, Junior @Spelman College

Web page

Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn

Keeps everyone

on the same page

And don’t forget the impact you can make by using the Web and Social Media …