Let's be honest-most community colleges don't have the luxury of robust alumni databases or long-standing engagement traditions. So what do you do when you're starting with little more than a clear sense of what you don't have-and a goal to reconnect?

In this session, three community college executive directors-from Victor Valley College, College of the Desert, and Crafton Hills College-share how they each launched a grassroots, competition-based alumni campaign using a shared framework and a lot of hustle. This wasn't a polished, top-down initiative-it was a volunteer-powered effort built from the ground up.

What started as a simple idea-turn alumni outreach into a fun, fast-paced challenge-quickly became a powerful way to find former students, capture their stories, and bring them back into the college community. Each college adapted the model to fit its own culture, capacity, and community, and presenters will walk through what actually worked (and what didn't).

You'll hear how these campaigns were driven by volunteers, students, and small teams; how friendly competition fueled participation; and how storytelling, social media, and personal outreach helped uncover alumni who hadn't engaged with their college in years-sometimes decades.

More importantly, you'll leave with practical tools, templates, and strategies you can realistically implement-whether you're a team of one or part of a larger advancement operation.

This session is less about theory and more about doing. No fluff-just real examples, honest lessons, and a roadmap you can take back and make your own.

What You'll Take Away:

A flexible, proven framework you can adapt to your campus

Ideas for launching a low-cost, high-energy alumni campaign

Strategies to engage students, volunteers, and staff in the effort

Tactics for finding and reconnecting with "lost" alumni

Tools to turn engagement into long-term relationships and support

Because sometimes the best way to build an alumni base - is to go out and find it.