Give 'em What They Want! Engaging Your Camp Alumni

Julia Riseman Kevin Martone

Mentor Technology Program Manager

julia@hgf.org kevin@hgf.org

Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy

Get Involved

A) Grab Tab – Click red arrow to open/close Control Panel. Click square to toggle Viewer Window between full screen/window mode. Click mic icon to mute/unmute your audio.

B) Audio Pane – Select audio format. Click Audio Setup to verify Speakers & Microphone.

C) Questions Pane – Attendees can submit questions and review answers.

D) Type your question and click Send to submit it to the organizer.

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Why Engage Alumni?

Mitch Joel

$100,000

24%

•Does your school maintain accurate records on alumni? 75% reported yes

•Is alumni fundraising part of your development plan? 79% reported yes

•Do you have a dedicated staff person working on alumni relations? 43% reported yes

Jewish Day Schools

Agenda

Case Study

What Worked? What Next?

What Do Alumni Want?

How Do You Find Missing Alumni?

Tips and Tools on the Grinspoon Institute Knowledge

Center

Jeremy Joszef at Camp Morasha

Planning an Alumni Event

Be positive! If there's a will, there's a way. Make it easy to attend: Price, location, program. “Friend-raising” not Fund-raising event. Do some market research before any decisions are

made. Don't plan blindly.

Marketing of Event

Creating Database: The necessary evil  Forming Committee: Clear & realistic expectations Multiple Mediums!

- Invitations - E-mails- Flyers - Advertisements - Event Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8p64nOYVKk

You can find these samples on the Knowledge Center

Follow up

Photos from event - Video showed at event - List of sponsors

Plans moving forward

Data update from Harris Connect Implementing a Donor database (Little Green Light) May Golf Outing Family Camp – Jewish Shavuot at camp 50th anniversary is coming up in 2 years

For more about Harris Connect and AlumniFinder

Parting Thoughts:

People will say “it will never happen” Planning is hard work – not as much fun as camp Have a plan to keep the momentum going

Next… Post on

Photos, Videos, and Stories!

Engage on Facebook

What do your Alumni want?» Pictures!!» Video» Questions» Event Invitations» Camp News/Updates» Personal Stories» Holiday messages» Other?

Engage» Invite Conversation» Respond!

12:1 Rule

Respond!

“Those who ignore the party/conversation/network when they are content and decide to drop in when they need the network may not succeed. It’s pretty easy to spot those that are just joining the network purely to take – not to give. Therefore, be part of the party/conversation/network before you need anything from anyone.”

-Jeremiah Owyang of Web-Strategist.com

Specific information on using Social Media

What We Know About Alumni

Alumni engage differently by age

Alumni

»Young Alum: 17 to 25 yrs old»Careers: 25 to 40»Mid-Life: 40 to 70»Seniors: 70+

Alumni Today

Time poor Lack “Class identity” (year affiliation) Don’t need camp to connect with each

other Want to communicate and participate on

their own terms Want personalized connection Live longer

Source: Miller Group Worldwide

The General Assembly: November 8, 2010

“A decline in the commitment to the Jewish Collective”

Foundation for Jewish Camp Studies

Alumni Today

What does Camp have that Alumni want?

Physical location of memories News Photos Employment Networking opportunities Same opportunity for next generation

Forum for giving back

Target outreach by age & stage

Age group Focus

17 to 25 Young Alumni - Where are my friends now?- Summer Jobs or Mentorship- Travel to Israel

25-40 Career - Family: Camp for my kids or family camp- Single: Looking for other Jews- Opportunity for Camp-like Community

40-70 Mid-life - Stories about Staff/Friends who made an impact on me- Proud Parents want pictures of Campers- Proud Alumni- Strategic vision for camp: Lay Leadership years

70 + Seniors - Legacy- History - Continuity of Jewish People and traditions- Grandchildren and pictures of them at camp

Moving Camp Plaques Beyond the Dining Hall

URJ Camp Eisner

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

Imagine the future of your Alumni Outreach. . . .

Active 21-year-old Alumni AssociationGreat Lay Leadership on Executive CommitteeMix of activities for Alumni of different ages and interestsStrong traditions and new ideas are implemented

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

Outreach to Young Alumni

RBA (Ramah Basketball Association) - teams play once a week at Chelsea Piers

Shabbat dinners in the city - usually specific years Bar nights - usually one around Thanksgiving,

another to be held this coming Sunday Memorial Day weekend for all Ramah alumni (all 7

camps) to be held at Berkshires ( for College aged Alumni plus 5 years)

Family Purim Carnival for Alumni families of pre-school age children

Young Family Shabbat planned at Camp for this summer

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires – All Alumni Labor Day weekend at Camp - Reunion for all ages Yom Bogrei Ramah - Ramah Alumni Day held one

Sunday during Camp celebrating their 10, 15, 20, . . . years out of camp. Alumni meet with current year’s Gesher (graduates) to share stories of old and new camp traditions.

Golf Outing - Although a fundraiser, it's a mini-reunion.  The dinner has become a reunion-like, where  people come just for dinner.  Families (including children) are welcome.

Alumni newsletter every other month Internship Program - Linking young camp counselors to

internships with Older Camp Alumni. Investigating professional networking continuum on-line using Linked In

How to Find Alumni

How to Find Them – Make it Easy

How to Find Them – Enrollment Forms

Did you attend Camp ABC?

… Now get this info into your Donor Database!!

How to Find Them – Where are they now?

- NCOA

For more about Harris Connect and AlumniFinder

People Finding People…

Lost all records?

Before they leave. . .

Time Capsules

Old and New: the mission is the same

“Cleveland Design, Inc.”