Day 1, Monday, Feb. 14

8:00-9:00 AM
Registration/Continental Breakfast

9:00-9:15
Welcome & Introductions

9:15-10:15
Trends in Alumni Relations
Get an introduction to your new profession. Discover the role of alumni relations in the life of your institution, the state of the alumni relations profession, and insights into what's coming next.

10:30 AM-NOON
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Student Outreach Basics
  You work with alumni every day, but what about your future alumni, the current students on your campus? What on-campus programs can you offer to educate students about your alumni, and to ensure they stay connected for life once they graduate? Tap into some smart ideas for developing institutional loyalty among students and develop strategies for maintaining those connections when the students become young alumni.
• Communication Strategies
  How can we break through the noise to be sure our messages are being heard by alumni? With increasing decentralization and more messages coming from offices other than our own, how can we best collaborate (and control) what's going out to our alumni? Swap stories and discuss tools and techniques for how to best inform our alumni and make sure our message is getting through.
• Reunions and Homecomings
  While you continually look for ways to keep alumni connected to your university, make sure to take advantage of reunion and homecoming opportunities. A properly planned and executed event will have a positive impact on your alumni for years to come. Discuss strategies for identifying and locating constituents, explore marketing tactics, review planning timelines and exchange creative ideas for making your reunion or homecoming a memorable event.

NOON-1:45 PM
Lunch on your own

1:45-3:15 PM
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Technology in Alumni Relations (repeated at 9:00 AM on Tuesday)
  Keeping up with evolving technology can be difficult at best. Many times this necessity can be both friend and foe. This session will touch on effective technology-based services that will improve your touch points with alumni and increase the visibility of your alumni association. Find out more about creating a powerful online website and directory, use of permanent e-mail forwarding to keep alumni connected, the do's and don'ts of mass e-mail communication, effective local group websites and communication, and all things Web 2.0.
• Affinity/Special Interest Groups (repeated at 9:00 AM on Tuesday)
  Affinity groups are quickly becoming essential to growing alumni engagement. This session will provide some of the basics for building and maintaining affinity groups and share some best practices on how to work with your staff on campus and alumni in the field.
• Generational Programming
  So much focus today is on engaging young alumni and getting them in the alumni relations pipeline. What is the best way to reach these newest graduates and show them the value of alma mater? How do we use our resources to ensure we deliver for our other alumni audiences who might not be interested in happy hours and family-friendly kid programs? Where are the opportunities for us to bring alumni of all ages together? Explore the best way to program across the generations from graduation to grave.

3:30-5:00
Career Panel
Discuss the many career options in the alumni relations field.

5:15-6:15
Networking Reception

6:15
Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dine-arounds: Enjoy dinner with other participants to share experiences, ideas and professional knowledge. Dinner is not included in your registration fee.

[Back to top]

Day 2, Tuesday, Feb. 15

8:00-9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:30 AM
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Chapter and Regional Programming Strategies
  Having trouble getting your newest volunteer to plan the latest event? Not sure where to host your next program? Can't think of anything new to host? Swap ideas about organizing regional clubs, innovative programming, budget conservations and strategies for successful regional programs.
• Technology in Alumni Relations
  Keeping up with evolving technology can be difficult at best. Many times this necessity can be both friend and foe. This session will touch on effective technology-based services that will improve your touch points with alumni and increase the visibility of your alumni association. Find out more about creating a powerful online website and directory, use of permanent e-mail forwarding to keep alumni connected, the do's and don'ts of mass e-mail communication, effective local group websites and communication, and all things Web 2.0.
• Affinity/Special Interest Groups
  Affinity groups are quickly becoming essential to growing alumni engagement. This session will provide some of the basics for building and maintaining affinity groups and share some best practices on how to work with your staff on campus and alumni in the field.

10:45-11:45
Open Questions/Parking Lot
Faculty will be available to take questions.

11:45 AM-1:30 PM
Lunch on your own

1:30-3:00
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Revenue Generation, Business Partnerships and Issues in Membership-Based Organizations
  Fund generation is important to the ongoing viability of your alumni association. Discuss the steps you can take to raise revenue to support your programs. Take a look at the unique set of challenges facing membership-based organizations and explore membership tactics and strategies that will allow you to attract and retain members, as well as locate lost members. Come prepared to exchange ideas and learn how to increase your revenue, membership and member satisfaction.
• Strategies for Effective Volunteer Management
  What is the most challenging part of working in alumni relations? Probably, it has something to do with managing the many alumni volunteers that help move your programs forward. Swap ideas with your colleagues about the best ways to recruit, train, utilize and steward alumni volunteers.
• Alumni Career Services
  With more and more alumni facing job transitions, what is our role in servicing alumni in need of job and professional development programs, including networking opportunities? We're not trained to be career counselors, yet our alumni look to us for help. What can we do to provide resources that assist them in achieving their career goals? Discuss programs in career and professional development and ways to leverage the alumni network.

3:15-4:30
Putting it All Together
Take what we have discussed at the conference and develop a list of key takeaways so you can be prepared to hit the ground running when you return home.

4:30
Conferences Adjourns

[Back to top]