A growing number of U.S. institutions are recognizing the importance of reaching out to and involving alumni in meaningful ways--so much so that it's encoded as a specific campaign goal. But, like fundraising goals, alumni engagement goals are not realized easily, overnight, or just because they're committed to paper. Lasting engagement takes…

The alumni relations profession has undergone profound changes in the past century. Alumni officers have responded to opportunities and threats presented by advancing technologies, shifting cultural norms, and unstable world economies. Innovations such as Facebook and smartphones have changed everything, and in a flat world, alumni relations…

In recent years, in response to pressures to diversify their income, many British universities have established development and alumni relations offices. The creation of development offices illustrates how the internal environment of universities has been affected by the need for universities to meet challenges in the wider higher education…

Colleges, schools, and faculties at large universities form strong academic bonds with students. So is it any wonder they want a say in keeping these students engaged as alumni? To provide that input, many larger institutions are decentralizing their alumni operations, meaning that colleges, schools, and faculties have their own alumni staff…

Even in the best financial times, the relationship between the development office and the alumni association can be uneasy. While some alumni leaders would never try to calculate an event's success in funds raised, others find that their most important and successful events happen with development goals in mind. There may never be a consensus…

Many universities, colleges, and independent schools face the reality of geographically expanding alumni bases, likely combined with constant or decreasing budgets for alumni activities. Well-intentioned colleagues understand the potential power of a geographically diverse alumni network but do not always grasp the time and complexity associated…

Everyone in the business of raising funds for graduate and professional schools knows that the effort has certain challenges. Deborah McCreery, of Widener University School of Law, identifies two main hurdles to alumni fundraising at Widener Law: (1) student loan debt; and (2) a perception problem. At Widener Law and other professional and…