Creating and communicating a strategy for your alumni relations activity is more important than ever. A successful Alumni Relations operation should be tied into the institution's larger goals, and be tangible, measurable, collaborative and ultimately, worth investing in. We'll demystify strategy and show how it can link to institutional mission and values. This session will explore how best to arrive at a strategy: what the components might be, how it lives alongside other institutional partners, how it is communicated and ultimately how it is measured. Participants are encouraged to bring copies of their institution's wider strategic plans as well as their Alumni Relations strategic plans (if they have them).

Successful alumni programmes are built on data, data, data. This session will cover everything you need to know about data: from its value and applications to its collection, maintenance and sharing. We'll explore how to read and tell the story behind your alumni data, and how to use this to inform your alumni programming. Come prepared with what you know and don’t know about your alumni data.