ACM Development Conference Presentation
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The document discusses strategies for effective alumni communications based on findings from a donor motivation study, emphasizing the importance of understanding alumni motivations and segmenting communications effectively. It identifies three key segments of alumni—champions, friends, and acquaintances—each with different attitudes and motivations towards giving, along with recommendations on how to tailor messages for each group. The overall message is that personalized and data-driven approaches to alumni relations can optimize engagement and increase donations.
ACM Development Conference Presentation
- 1. The Power of Words h-p://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Hzgzim5m7oU
- 2. Data-‐Driven Alumni CommunicaIons: The Method to the Madness Ann Oleson, Founder Converge Consulting!
- 3. Our Time Together • The top findings from the donor moIvaIon study • A model for craLing effecIve communicaIons • Examples of relevant communicaIons • Discussion, applicaIon of findings to your alumni/donor communicaIons
- 5. Outbound MarkeIng is Broken 800-555-1234! Annoying! Salesperson!
- 6. Inbound MarkeIng Blog! SEO! Social Media!
- 7. Be Social Content Strategy Blogging ArIcle WriIng Calls to AcIon On-‐Page SEO Landing Pages Keyword Research Site Architecture Measurement Ability to Edit Site AnalyIcs Installed
- 9. Alumni CommunicaIons Plan • Strategize – Research – SegmentaIon/Personas – Plan • Execute – Right message – Right audience – Right medium – Right Ime • Analyze/Course Correct – EvaluaIng what works
- 10. Research • NaIonal benchmark research – AFP, CASE, Wealth Engine • Alumni research (quanItaIve/qualitaIve) • Data Mining/Modeling • Social Media Listening/ Monitoring
- 11. What MoIvates Your Alumni? Who are your alumni? What do you know about them?
- 12. Meet Jennifer • 35 years old • VP of Sales for Company • Student Government Officer • Honors Student: 3.9 GPA • Not engaged with her college • No home phone number • Gives 10% of income to philanthropy • Serves on a number of boards in community • Has great feelings toward her college but never been asked to engage in a meaningful way
- 13. Meet Jennifer Just because Jennifer is able to give does not mean she is moIvated to give. How do we understand who Jennifer is, what she cares about, and how to reach her?
- 14. Research ObjecIves • Develop a motivationally-based segmentation model ! • Uncover the motivations that drive the different types of relationships! • Prioritize which alumni segments provide the best opportunities for colleges! • Provide recommendations regarding how these different alumni segments should be managed to optimize their individual likelihood of donating! • Develop a predictive model and applied tool to classify alumni into segments based on a minimum number of questions!
- 16. A MoIvaIonal SegmentaIon of College Alumni SegmentaIon Method and Analysis
- 17. Questionnaire Development Secondary Research Over 250 research articles concerning college donating and charitable giving were reviewed to identify current issues, trends, and alumni motivations.! – The following variables were identified in the literature and provided guidance for the questionnaire design.! Demographics College Experience College Rela4onship Charitable Giving • Age • Type of college • Personal idenIficaIon • Personal values • College presIge • Pride • Gender • Perceived need • Religious values • Professors • Income • Campus/faciliIes • Benefits from giving • PoliIcal orientaIon • Marital status • AcIviIes • Uniqueness of college • Tax benefits • Employment • Grades • ObligaIon or duty • Networking • EducaIon level • Time to graduaIon • Professional benefits • Life saIsfacIon • TuiIon • Current involvement • Ethnicity • Trust • Perceived need • Scholarships/grants • Religious affiliaIon • Family legacy • PrioriIzaIon • Academic major • RecogniIon • Residence • GraItude • Placement • Student loan balance • Social experience
- 18. • Insert slide from page 3 of white paper segmentaIon measures
- 19. • Insert slide from page 4 of white paper graph
- 20. Persona Development The naIonal study idenIfied three segments of alumni respondents that vary significantly in terms of their ajtudes and moIvaIons associated with giving to their alma maters: • Champions • Friends • Acquaintances
- 21. !
- 22. Pull image from page 5 of the white paper
- 27. Summary of Findings ImplicaIons – Colleges are be-er at managing relaIonships with ___________ than they are with _____________. – Colleges ineffecIvely manage the _______________ segment. – Colleges spend as much money contacIng Acquaintances as they do either Champions or Friends. This is a waste of scarce resources that would be be>er spent enhancing programs targe4ng other segments.
- 28. Brand Monitoring-‐ Top Tweeters
- 31. Execute
- 33. Findings from the Field: CommunicaIon Channel Preferences
- 34. Findings from the Field: Philanthropic Interests
- 35. The More You Know… I work for a non-‐profit organizaIon in Cambodia and fundraising is also part of my responsibility. I've found that knowing a li>le bit about my donors and customizing the message is important to be effec4ve due to the overwhelming amount of requests people receive. That would be difficult with a donor/alumni base as large as XXX's but informa4on gleaned from social media and online surveys could be helpful. Good luck! ChrisIna
- 36. GREAT EXAMPLES OF SEGMENTED/ TARGETED COMMUNICATIONS
- 43. Champions are the most important segment for colleges TargeIng PrioriIes to target and manage. ! – These alumni donate the most frequently and make the largest average donations. They are the foundation for alumni giving programs.! • Although we did not focus on major gifts, financially able Champions have the passion to make major donations. ! – Champions are the low hanging fruit for fundraising programs. Colleges who already have proactive alumni relations programs are likely enjoying at least some success with these alumni through self-selection.!
- 44. Champion Comments SomeImes, I don't hear about all the events so post on Facebook and email more oLen! I really enjoyed the Bowl tour, the flight was great, loved the football buses, all the events were amazing including the paddleboat, tour and best of all the fabulous tailgate party and big win at the Bowl. I plan on dona4ng more and being more ac4ve aSer mee4ng all of you. Thank you so much!
- 45. Messages to a Champion • Pride! • Loyalty! • Tradition! • Affinity ! ! !
- 46. Harvard Business School-‐ Thank you Video http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/giving/thankyou/thankyoudonors.html!
- 48. Blogs Hopkins Interac4ve • h-p://www.hopkins-‐ interacIve.com/ – Student-‐run – Unmediated voice – Excellent use of photos – Aggregates blogs into one place – Includes Twi-er feed – And a link to the Facebook page 48
- 50. ! Friends are the second most important target for colleges. ! TargeIng PrioriIes – Like Champions, Friends donate frequently. But their average donation is much smaller.! Friends provide outstanding opportunities for revenue growth. ! – Friends donate much more to charities than any other segment, but only devote7% of their charitable giving budget to their college . ! – Even small increases in the proportion of Friends charitable budget being allocated to their alma mater would provide substantial rewards.! Friends are already in the habit of giving to their college and other charities. ! – Colleges need to do a better job persuading Friends that their college deserves more of their support relative to other charities.!
- 51. Feedback from a Friend Friend From a Friend: I am a Head of School for an independent school in -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐, -‐-‐, and therefore have quite a bit of experience in fundraising, just having raised $21 million for our capital campaign. I am reIring in June 2012 and will be returning to -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐, where I have a home close to. ASer taking some 4me off I intend to get more involved with the ins4tu4ons I a>ended in the area. You may contact me aSer June 2012 here is my e-‐mail and phone number
- 52. Messaging for Friends Message: Friends • Uncover their specific affinity ! • Major/Program! • Greek! • Student organization! • Alumni association! • Athletics! • Tailor the message accordingly! • Emphasize the impact of “changing the world”! • May require collection of demographic and/or psychographic variables!
- 53. Just Launched! Hail It Forward Give back to your Michigan community by sharing one-‐to-‐one career guidance with U-‐M alumni and students, including assistance with mentoring, professional branding, relocaIon, and employment opportuniIes. For example, Zachary Rable, '10, is looking for an internship/shadowing opportunity in the field of urban planning. It takes only a few minutes through Facebook. To help grow your Michigan community and help Zachary, visit facebook.com/Michiganalumni and click on the Hail It Forward applicaIon tab.
- 54. Community Building Stanford University • h-ps://www.facebook.com/ stanford • They host Facebook takeovers with faculty, called “ office hours” • They post student pictures and videos made by students and faculty • Their audience is engaged and acIve • Posts ask quesIons and prompt for engagement
- 55. Mobile Apps Ohio State Mobile App • h-p://osu.edu/osumobile/ • Connect with alumni • Update informaIon • Directory • www.evertruemobile.com
- 56. Photo-‐sharing Colgate University • h-p://www.flickr.com/ photos/colgateuniversity/ • Pictures tell the story of Colgate • Quality photographs • Updated regularly • Make the school accessible and interesIng
- 59. Volunteers needed The University of Northern Iowa is looking for a few volunteers to help host the UNI tent at the Principal Charity Golf Classic at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines on Thursday, May 31. Please email Amy Mohr with your name and preference of morning (9 a.m.-‐ 1 p.m.) or aLernoon (1-‐5 p.m.) if you are interested. For all alumni, wear your team colors on Thursday, May 31, in support of UNI and get in free to the Principal Charity Golf Classic in West Des Moines. Dr. Noel M. Tichy to speak at Educa4on Lecture Series UNI alumni and friends are invited to a-end a free lecture by Dr. Noel Tichy enItled, “Empowering Leaders at Every Level: Great Leaders Must be Great Teachers,” on Wednesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. in the Maucker Union Ballroom.
- 60. ! ! Messaging ! ! – Low cost ways in which to keep updated and a way in which to engage!
- 61. Messaging for Acquaintances Message: Acquaintances • Benefits/Value Proposition! ! • Recognition! ! • Whatʼs In It for Me?! ! • Value of your Degree! !
- 63. Capturing Our Dreams Alexander Dawson School 2012
- 64. Examples from Audience How are you using information about your alumni to segment the communications that they receive? !
- 65. Analyze Add infographic strategize, implement, analyze
- 66. Sources
- 67. ApplicaIons and Analysis • Not a staIc process • SegmentaIon and personalizaIon • Campaign codes • Run A/B tesIng • Test different messages • Constantly be tweaking message
- 68. Take it Away… 1.) Use all available research to develop strategy (especially research relaIng to your alumni) 2.) One size fits all approach to alumni communicaIon doesn’t work. SegmentaIon and personalizaIon are keys to effecIve communicaIons 3.) EvaluaIng and tesIng is a conInuous process 4.) Things Change
- 69. QuesIons?
- 70. To ConInue the Discussion @AnnCOleson White Paper Webinars ann@convergeconsulIng.org