Orchestrating Alumni Serendipity: Masterminding Alumni Relations of the Future

In 2018, I attended my 20th alumni reunion from my undergraduate studies. I flew in for the occasion, excited to be reunited with old friends and to return to campus after time away. For heightened nostalgia purposes, I even stayed at my old residence across the street from the reunion venue. I strolled the leafy campus on the humid, sunny May afternoon. Anticipation for an epic evening was high. Very high.

To one extent the event didn’t disappoint. I met old, dear friends, some I haven’t seen in a decade or more. There was old photos and yearbooks on display. Old stories now relegated to college folklore filled the air. There were even signs we could hold to show our pride in our alma mater (that’s me on the right with the ‘I am SMC’ sign). It isn’t the posh hors d’oeuvres, the venue or even the personalised touches that made the event special, it was the people I met that night.

Despite all this, there was something missing. It was the unexpected. The serendipity.

In some ways I had orchestrated the event that unfolded. I contacted old friends in advance and we arranged to meet before or at the campus venue. We waved each other over and made room for our clique of friends in our corner and later at our table.

Nothing was left to chance. While we spoke briefly to other reunion-goers from 10 years out and regaled our veteran status, these were passing conversations. I met the people I planned to meet, no surprises.

Can an alumni event be much more?

Orchestrating serendipity, those chance meetings that can bring about so much more brings us out of our comfort zone. Alumni reunions are special as they are a chance to meet someone new based on a shared experience and a shared affinity for the institution where we shared our studies. Sure, the conversation may start with a root of the past- comparing locations for late night study sessions or party spots but eventually transfers to the present and future: career trajectories, post-university directions and lessons. This can lead to a new mentor, a business lead, career inspiration or, for some, a new friend in the making or job offer.

Can we plan for these unexpected moments? I believe the answer is yes. I also maintain that an alumni event is the perfect place for this serendipity to take place. It is because of something that Kathleen Mitchell, Al Levin and John Krumboltz described as planned happenstance. Things in our career—and I would argue our life—is not predictable and we need to leave room for curiosity and asking questions. This is also our ability to ensure the conditions are right for something unexpected to happen.

Looking back at my 20th reunion again, I realise the unexpected, the frisson of excitement was never going to happen. I hadn’t prepared for it (even if I did hope it would happen). For one, I planned to meet some of my oldest and dearest friends at the event. This was the ultimate focus and made for a fun, memorable event. As I approach my 25th reunion this year- I have new ideas to create planned happenstance for alumni at the event from across the years.

I have attended other alumni events where I knew no one beforehand. This forced me to infiltrate conversations and meet new people. In a pre-COVID-19 world this also included handshakes, exchange of business cards and sometimes even a hug of ‘glad to meet you’ and promises of a follow-up. The connections on LinkedIn followed, along with a coffee or video chat to support someone’s new business, informal mentorship, business connections, even career altering ideas.?

What makes these two events different? One word: homophily. What? My 20th reunion I was surrounded with my lifelong friends, these are people I had chosen to spend an incredible amount of time with, we have a lot in common and we remained friends because of our similarities. At these other alumni events it was the diversity of the people I was meeting that made the events so worthwhile. Yes, we all graduated from the same university, but, we are alumni from different academic courses in wildly different years and our university experience diverged to an incredible degree. However, we were able to use this one point of our shared experience of graduation as the seed to grow fascinating conversations and connections.?

How can we orchestrate alumni serendipity in our post-COVID world?

The alumni event I attended in London England in January 2020, was a perfect example of planned happenstance. I knew almost no one at the event, I was out of my comfort zone (this is true, even if I enjoy networking!) and I met and connected with a whole group of diverse fellow alumni. The serendipity from this in-person event for me and others might need a few nudges to harmonious, memorable moments for our alumni.

Since March 2020, universities have pivoted their traditional alumni offerings of in-person reunions, seminars and networking events. The alumni perks like on campus library or sports membership are also part of a radical rethinking of lifelong alumni value. What should this lifelong alumni relationship look today?

Virtual alumni events now abound, or at least hybrid events are solidly part of the alumni relation repetoire. There is a danger of creating too many transactional alumni events: the university offering an expert speaker and the audience of alumni are the passive recipients of these events, listening from their homes. This is the equivalent of the anonymity of the large lecture theatre that many alumni left behind years ago. Is this eroding the potential for alumni planned happenstance and serendipity?

I believe there is another way to recreate—or even surpass—the impact of in-person alumni events. To create transformational, meaningful virtual, hybrid and in-person alumni events. Ensuring they are alumni-centric and inspirational.

Let’s bring our ideas together: The Mastermind

Alumni relations professionals have an opportunity be the conductors of the serendipity orchestra. Collectively there is an immense diversity in the field --thus creating its own kryptonite against the sameness of homophily—to join forces and reinvent the work of Alumni Relations. Our colleagues in Career Services, Student Success, Special Events, Marketing and Communications, Development along with interested academic staff and others can also provide a special dimension of this reinvention. Alumni volunteer leaders in alumni associations and boards especially have a special part to play in steering and re-imagining alumni service.

To be an Alumni Relations pioneer, requires a dynamic mindset to transform alumni programming. In entrepreneurship circles there is a trend towards mastermind groups. The Mastermind could be a crucial force to begin the process of creating Communities of Practice, these learning circles to help navigate the future of alumni relations. Etienne Wenger, the originator of the Communities of Practice concept, describes this as “a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor.”

What is a mastermind group? Napoleon Hill, a 1930s author and entrepreneur, first described the modern mastermind group. He interviews a number of successful entrepreneurs of the time and the mastermind concept appeared as a common thread. These successful entrepreneurs from different industries and backgrounds would meet on a regular basis to explore ideas, solve problems and to innovate. Hill is cited as saying: “No mind is complete by itself. It needs contact and association with other minds to grow and expand.” As a result, entrepreneurs took notice and are maximizing benefit from these formal mastermind groups for years.

How does a Mastermind Group work? A dynamic group of 5 to 10 people meet regularly, once every 2 weeks or so, to participate in an intensive, but immensely enjoyable and beneficial session to think differently, help each other, build their networks and grow their businesses. Following a structured agenda, Mastermind participants share their challenges, work through solutions and ask questions in an environment of total confidentiality. An expert Mastermind facilitator keeps the brilliance of the conversation flowing, supports the progression of the agenda. Most importantly, the Mastermind facilitator encourages participants to recognize (and celebrate!) the transformation that has occurred for them and fellow participants through the enhanced quality of their actions between sessions: the Mastermind energizes, leading to transformative results! The Mastermind Group is the epitome of planned happenstance from new ideas and connections, as John Krumholtz says serendipity is not serendipitous!

To create those precious serendipitous moments for alumni, I believe Alumni Relations could benefit from the Mastermind’s transformational model.?This structured peer mentoring system has the potential to bring a revolution to the alumni relations in a social media savvy and post-COVID world.

In late 2020, I took the baton and orchestrated the first mastermind for alumni relations professionals. This 10-week cycle helped a diverse group of alumni professionals from 5 different countries to explore how to build an alumni strategy, reposition alumni within the institution and even build an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for alumni programs. The unanticipated results (or anticipated if you believe serendipity!) is the spin-off connections between participants and impact for alumni.

Is it time for you to start your own alumni mastermind? Take the leap! If you don't know a group of trusted, inspiring fellow alumni relations professionals, shuffle through your business cards from last year's CASE conference. Attend the upcoming ICARe (International Conference on Alumni Relations) in Porto, Portugal this May. Assemble 3 or 4 others to mastermind better alumni outcomes by reaching out to fellow professionals in your local area or in an informal alumni relations group in your country, province or state.

Join my mailing list?to get alumni inspired every Alumni Friday and receive updates. And watch this space. More announcements to come!

Let’s be the conductors for the alumni relations symphony!

Updated 1st February 2023