In last few months, we interacted with 220 University Alumni Offices across North America & 42% of them quoted Alumni Volunteer Participation as one of their major challenges.
Alumni Volunteers are one of the key pillars stone of any alumni office. Be it Batch Coordinators Chapter Coordinators or just Event Volunteers, Alumni Volunteers bring tremendous strength to alumni relations.
5 Ways to Boost Alumni Participation
Hence here we bring you 5 Ways to Boost Alumni Participation:
Keep Communicating to the alumni community
Many of the time, the Alumni offices look up to a fraction of alumni, who appear to be interested in volunteering initially. As the activities pass, alumni volunteers start becoming inactive. Hence maintaining communication with the whole alumni community and sharing the volunteer requirements with them can get you, new volunteers, to fill the deficit of the inactive ones.
Decentralize their Responsibilities
In our study, the average span of an Alumni Volunteer is 27 Months. In this period, they get involved in numerous activities which leads to fatigue. Hence decentralizing the responsibilities among the volunteers can help you grow their average span and hence boost their participation
Maintain Transparency
One of the major drivers for the alumni volunteers to get involved in alumni relations is the major impact that they believe they can make on the alumni community and on their alma mater. They look forward to learn about the outcomes of their effort. Hence, keeping them up-to-date gives them a larger motivation to continue their involvement
Eliminate Hierarchy
Usually, the younger alumni are more willing to get involved in volunteering activities. When they receive any discriminatory behavior, being compared to senior volunteers or their contribution is shadowed by senior members, these energetic volunteers lose interest in activities, which eventually breaks the ‘Volunteer Evolution Cycle’. Hence treating all the volunteers equally not only creates a healthy environment but allows every volunteer to do more than what is expected from them
Recognize their efforts
Peers often judge volunteers, questioning why they choose to serve their alma mater instead of pursuing other opportunities. This criticism can sometimes discourage them and lead to inactivity. Recognizing their efforts or offering tokens of appreciation they can proudly showcase can be highly motivating. It may also inspire their peers to get involved.
To drive continued involvement, it’s essential to consider the volunteer’s perspective and what motivates them. Implementing these strategies can deliver results within 30 days.
Share your outcomes, ideas, or challenges with us at [email protected], and we’ll ensure they are addressed and shared with the alumni officer community.
March 25, 2025
