What are the steps to building a successful career in alumni relations?

A key factor is being a great communicator and networker and bringing in alumni into all areas of expertise. You are building and can leverage a community: use that potential and be the connecting voice!

Consider that alumni relations entails building meaningful and lasting relationships with all stakeholders. Alumni are the stars but their experience and the relationship to be built must be supported by other departments after considering the Alumni’s needs. What does the alumni want to achieve? An identity? Mentorship? Consider that a mentoring programme might be appropriate for the latter but it has to be supported by the institution to for instance ensure that such programmes do not interfere with the academic obligations in the semester. Thoughtfulness will assist in creating a positive experience for everyone involved, and keep the alumni for one, more engaged and willing to build further relations with the institution.

One thing I have found useful in alumni relations is the sharing of experiences. In our post-graduate life, we encounter diverse challenges and opportunities. Seeking advice and counsel as well as sharing with other alumni members how you overcame the challenges can be a form of inspiration.

I am strongly considering taking my experience and skillset I developed in Corporate America (Product Management Certified Engineer) to a career in Higher Education working in Alumni Engagement within the Office of Advancement. I have been on the board for the Alumni Association on the Student and Recent Alumni committee for two terms so I am ready to work in Alumni Relations full time.

A great thing about alumni relations is you are not in competition with other schools. It is one of the few careers that I have witnessed very transparent idea sharing. Talk to people in similar situations. Befriend them and become resources to each other.

It is often very difficult to go back and remember all of your accomplishments, milestones, recognitions, etc. that you receive throughout your career. I have found that it is helpful to create a tracking sheet. I initially started it for my evaluations, to keep track of the various projects I worked on and the successes I had so that I could get appropriate credit at evaluation time. But soon, found out that it was helpful in updating y resume, building my bio's etc.. I used OneNote and created a tab so that when I hit these accomplishments AND when I remembered "that time when" I did something I felt needed capturing, I could easily do so.

Typically there are 3 big areas in alumni relations: Alumni Engagement: Getting alumni to participate in initiatives and activities. It's a huge challenge as alumni develop more and more away from their alma mater. Best is to start the alumni engagement already way before graduation. If you are a good networker, this is your area! Event Management: Planning home-comings, reunions, annual alumni gatherings, and upskilling. These are a range of events to organize. Even if you worked outside a university but are an experienced event manager, this is your space. Fundraising: It's building a portfolio of initiatives that third parties, especially alumni, can fund. Experience in fundraising is definitely a must.