Donna Thornton is vice president for alumni relations and chief operating officer for Rutgers University Alumni Association. Previously, she served as associate vice president for alumni relations and executive vice president for Rutgers University Alumni Federation. Thornton began her advancement career as director of annual fund, membership and records at the University of Maine Alumni Association. Throughout much of her career, Thornton has been active in public service and has served as city council member, deputy mayor and mayor for the city of Brewer, Maine. Thornton has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Maine. She can be reached at +1-1-732-932-7061, ext. 171, or via e-mail at dthornton@winants.rutgers.edu.

How did your experience as a mayor for a small New England town prepare you for a career in alumni relations?

In my political life, I supported higher education and valued the institutions in our region, particularly the University of Maine, as economic development partners. I just fundamentally believe that higher education is vital to a successful and sustainable economy.

Serving as deputy mayor and mayor broadened my management experience and strengthened my negotiating skills and ability to connect with a diverse group of people. The experience also taught me patience and diplomacy.

When an opportunity to enter the profession came to me via my alma mater, I took advantage of it and quickly realized I had hit my stride. Alumni relations takes advantage of my best skills. Who wouldn't like the opportunities and experiences one gets in this work? All of the alumni have extraordinary stories and experiences to share, and to be able to participate in this community is so much fun!

Describe a project you've recently worked on that was especially exciting or innovative.

We are in the midst of a significant change in our alumni volunteer and staff structure at Rutgers. In September 2006, university President Richard McCormick appointed a task force to examine Rutgers' relationship with its alumni and make recommendations on how to improve communications and maximize alumni engagement.

Based on its recommendations, Rutgers' board of governors created the Rutgers University Alumni Association in April 2008. The RUAA is the university's first-ever single alumni association. Previously, there were 19 school-based alumni associations.

Under the new structure, all Rutgers' grads are members of the RUAA, so we serve 370,000 alumni instead of 26,000 dues-paying members. We now send our alumni magazine to all Rutgers alumni for whom we have addresses, and we're also developing programs for niche groups. In addition, we created an alumni leaders council, which currently boasts 64 chartered members in just three months. And for the first time, we will have campus-wide reunions this spring on the New Brunswick and Newark campuses in addition to the successful annual reunion held on the Camden campus. We have also expanded homecoming programming on all campuses.

Another part of the structural changes was to appoint the chief alumni officer as vice president for alumni relations and make this position a voting member of the board. The vice president and the alumni relations staff are the link between the university and the entire Rutgers alumni community.

Through these and other efforts, we are striving to establish a partnership between the university and its alumni. I believe the result will be greater alumni involvement and a stronger relationship between the university and its graduates, furthering the mission of "Advancing Rutgers University by engaging all alumni."

What changes or trends do you foresee for alumni relations during the next five years?

I believe we are already seeing more integration between alumni associations and colleges and universities. While this will play out differently at each institution, leadership wants to impact and be involved with alumni.

I also believe we will see increased competition from two-year institutions for our alumni's attention. More students are receiving two-year degrees and then moving on to receive a bachelor's degree from a four-year institution. As more community colleges develop alumni programs, the affinity to four-year institutions will be challenged. That hasn't necessarily been a consideration before.

Describe your day-to-day work and the part of your job that you enjoy most and why.

My day-to-day is to motivate and try to inspire the volunteer and the alumni relations team. I see the leader of a department as the conductor of an orchestra. I make sure we are all in sync. If areas need help, I work with them; if they are making good music, I listen and enjoy! I love to see them succeed and enjoy how we push each other to achieve excellence. I thoroughly enjoy working with the volunteers who are so committed to Rutgers and its success. They are an inspiration to me and to each other.

What advice would you give to a new alumni relations professional?

I recommend you learn the school's alma mater/fight song, especially if you are not an alumnus of the school! Also, you should listen to what all of the alumni are saying, not just the loudest, and treat everyone as a million-dollar donor.

How have you benefitted from CASE membership?

CASE is a wonderful resource. The friendships and professional contacts are invaluable. I have benefitted a great deal from sending my staff to CASE meetings and conferences. They come back with great ideas and energy.

This article is from the February 2009 issue of BriefCASE.
Please share your questions and comments with Pam Russell via e-mail at russell@case.org or by telephone at +1-202-478-5680.