There was a time in alumni relations when teams could host a simple, one-hour gathering with a guest speaker, and that would have been a great engagement activity. But today, we live in the knowledge economy, and our audiences yearn for experiences relevant to their personal journeys.

The global accessibility of information has without a doubt catapulted alumni engagement professionals into an era of agility and a focus on user satisfaction. These two factors are critical for our teams to deliver exceptional experiences, particularly as we face resource limitations.

We’ve been forced by technological disruption to “adapt or die,” focusing our energy on outcomes in the last part of the engagement value chain. But that can mean we may risk ticking boxes at the end of our engagement cycles rather than really nurturing our audiences. Who can blame us? The definition of “nurturing” includes an assumption of growth over time and adapting with care as the recipient develops. It can be difficult at first to connect patience, agility, and speed in our work.

But luckily there are tools that can help us plan effectively. In my work with my team engaging our alumni at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, I’ve found that artificial intelligence and strategic frameworks can be a gift. They help achieve greater levels of productivity and, when harnessed with creativity and empathy, can help achieve greater loyalty of alumni communities in a shorter timeframe, at a lower cost.