Pam Russell
director of communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2010

Alumni Go Europe Partners Release Findings of Two-Year Alumni Relations Project

CASE Europe, Universities in Spain, Germany and Austria Share Best Practices with Colleagues Across Europe

LONDON—Members of the "Alumni go Europe" partnership have released a report on the results of a two-year project to strengthen and enhance alumni relations programmes at European universities.

CASE Europe, the University of Linz in Austria, the University of Navarra in Spain and the University of Siegen in Germany are partners of the Alumni go Europe project, which is funded as part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning programme.

The report, which is available at no cost, features proven ideas and suggestions as well as group findings for alumni relations practitioners, especially those who are new to the field. A few examples in the report include:

• Work with volunteers and students to help alumni relations practitioners support the activity.
• Organize fewer, more focused events each year. Concentrate on running those events which have good attendance levels.
• Organize low-cost events where possible by sharing costs with other departments.
• Be targeted and realistic about what you can do when it comes to online communications-don't follow every new trend just for the sake of it.

From 2008 to 2010, alumni relations practitioners with the University of Linz in Austria, the University of Navarra in Spain and the University of Siegen in Germany met with CASE Europe staff in seven European cities to discuss ways to strengthen alumni programmes and networking between institutions. UK colleagues from the Universities of Birmingham, Liverpool, Reading, University College London, Birkbeck and the School of Oriental and African Studies also participated in the project.

"Alumni relations is an emerging profession and function at European institutions," says Kate Hunter, executive director of CASE Europe. "This programme provided an opportunity for practitioners to network, share best practices and gather broader perspectives with colleagues in different countries."

The participants discussed a variety of topics during the meetings, including key performance indicators in alumni relations through benchmarking, the working relationship between fundraising and alumni relations and volunteer management.

About CASE

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in London, Singapore and Mexico City, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and other areas.

CASE is one of the largest nonprofit education associations in terms of institutional membership. Its membership includes more than 3,400 colleges, universities, independent elementary and secondary schools, and educational associates in 74 countries around the world. It serves nearly 65,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession and foster public support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession, and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

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