The Alumni Board We Really Need - Closing Remarks

The message from Nathan Chappell in The Generosity Crisis and reinforced in his interview on the Keynote podcast is that the focus must be on creating Radical Connection. Alumni and donors need to feel emotionally connected with their alma mater, and that spirit has been waning amongst graduates of more recent decades. So how do we go about doing this? What’s the best way to create a more meaningful connection between alumni and the school? Most colleges, universities, and independent K-12 schools already have an alumni board. Sometimes the board has a fiduciary responsibility to a 501(c)(3) non-profit, but it’s often the case that the alumni board is an informal council or advisory committee comprised of graduates. Alumni boards of this type have been essential over the years, and I believe they still are. But for the real connectivity to get stimulated. For the actual spark needed to move a university from transactional to relational, a standing committee comprised of institutional leadership from both the administration and the academy is required. The steering committee should also include students and alumni volunteers and serve as a working group. The purpose of the body is to champion student-alumni connections. Every educational organization needs this type of steering committee to begin creating the kind of experience involving alumni and donors that will resonate across campus, reach the far corners, and include online learners as well. This structure is needed to help create and deliver a framework that guides enterprise-wide engagement and maximizes the impact alumni can have across all aspects of the institution. The committee I’m describing also sends the signal from the school’s president that alumni engagement is imperative to reach all the school’s enrollment, career outcomes, and philanthropy objectives. Said more plainly, alumni engagement must be everyone’s responsibility, and senior leadership can make it so. A guiding committee both sends the signal and creates stronger internal collaboration. To create the Radical Connection that Nathan Chappell and his co-authors are describing, something different needs to happen on campus. A focused, ongoing, and collaborative effort is what’s needed. The new committee needs to be responsible for ensuring that alumni-ness is elevated and strategically layered onto student experiences — from perspective to Commencement and beyond. It’s not that our Alumni Association Board of Directors can’t be helpful, but these bodies, fiduciary or not, simply cannot affect change in the same way. An Alumni Association Board of Directors should support the Commission with a more tailored set of strategies and tactics. The Alumni Office itself is important in helping keep the trains running on time, but every unit on campus should have an engagement strategy that connects with an overarching approach. I can hear the groans already of university leadership asked to sit on another committee, but this one is one of the few that can truly drive all the university’s key measurables and desired outcomes. I don’t think this committee can be ad hoc or raised as a commission and then disassembled. There’s an ongoing need for strong coordination across the university; alumni will have the chance to really help students. About Speaking Engagement This week we launched our Book Club. I’m super excited to lead a regular book study and take the time to discuss the themes in small groups. We have 27 individuals who either submitted the interest form I sent in my newsletter or who indicated interest on their onboarding survey. The group includes members from all over the world. The Book Club experience will be delivered for members through moderated chat, Breakout podcasts, and a live event that completes the study. This was an exciting week, with Nathan Chappell as the Keynote and kicking off the Book Club with The Generosity Crisis. You guys having fun yet?! About the next Keynote On Monday, my special guest on the Keynote is Brandon Busteed. I’ve been an admirer of Brandon’s work in the higher ed space for a long time and I’m sure many listeners have been too. He’s been an advocate for applied work opportunities, particularly internships, for college students during his tenure at Gallup, then at Kaplan, and now as the CEO of Edconic. Brandon is also a write regularly for Fortune. Enjoy the weekend! See you next week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]