How can you build relationships with alumni who are not donors?

1 Identify and segment your audience

The first step to building relationships with alumni who are not donors is to understand who they are, what they want, and how they prefer to communicate. You can use various tools and methods to collect and analyze data on your alumni, such as surveys, interviews, social media, CRM systems, and alumni directories. Based on this information, you can segment your alumni into different groups based on their interests, needs, demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. This will help you to tailor your messages and offers to each segment, and avoid sending irrelevant or spammy content.

2 Provide value and recognition

The second step to building relationships with alumni who are not donors is to provide them with value and recognition. Value can come in many forms, such as career services, lifelong learning opportunities, networking events, mentoring programs, discounts, and access to resources. Recognition can include featuring alumni stories, celebrating their achievements, thanking them for their involvement, and inviting them to share their feedback and opinions. By providing value and recognition, you can show your alumni that you care about them, appreciate them, and respect them as members of your community.

3 Engage and involve them

The third step to building relationships with alumni who are not donors is to engage and involve them in meaningful ways. Engagement can range from passive to active, depending on the level of commitment and interest of your alumni. For example, you can engage your alumni by sending them newsletters, magazines, podcasts, blogs, or webinars that inform them about the latest news, trends, and developments in your institution and industry. You can also involve your alumni by asking them to volunteer, mentor, advocate, or participate in events, projects, or campaigns that align with their passions, skills, and goals.

4 Nurture and sustain them

The fourth step to building relationships with alumni who are not donors is to nurture and sustain them over time. Nurturing and sustaining your alumni means keeping in touch with them regularly, following up on their requests, updating them on their impact, and showing gratitude and appreciation. It also means being responsive, attentive, and respectful to their needs, preferences, and feedback. By nurturing and sustaining your alumni, you can build trust, loyalty, and satisfaction, and increase the likelihood of them becoming advocates, ambassadors, or donors in the future.

5 Measure and improve your efforts

The fifth step to building relationships with alumni who are not donors is to measure and improve your efforts. Measuring and improving your efforts means tracking and evaluating the outcomes and impacts of your alumni relations activities, such as the number of alumni reached, engaged, involved, satisfied, or retained. It also means collecting and analyzing data on the feedback, suggestions, and complaints of your alumni, and using them to improve your strategies, processes, and practices. By measuring and improving your efforts, you can optimize your performance, demonstrate your value, and enhance your reputation.