Amherst Connects

Networking for Students

Presentation to the Board of TrusteesMarch 26, 2010

The Value of Alumni Connections for Students

Students (and Alumni)

Career Exploration

Pre-med,Pre-law & Other Graduate Study

Jobs & Internships

Fellowships-National-Amherst

Study Abroad

March 26, 2010 1

The Value of Alumni Connections for Members of the Amherst Community

• Career Opportunities– Summer & Interterm Internships– On-campus Recruiting– Job Postings

• Educational Programs– Career Choices Alumni Panels– Cookies with the Career Center– Luncheons with Seniors

• Face-to-Face Networking Receptions– On Campus: Homecoming Weekend– International: Italy (2), Korea, Paris, Prague and the UK – Interterm: Boston, Chicago and NYC

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There has been a dramatic increase in student searches.

M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F2008 2009 2010

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Peak Search Season

Re-launch of Alumni Directory &

Online Profiles

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Amherst Connects

Online Engagement and Networking for Students and Alumni

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Using technology to engage alumni in the life of the College

• Amherst Connects – Opportunities for alumni to connect with the College,

each other and with students

• Engagement Metrics for FY09 – 30% of alumni (5,913) active in Amherst’s online

community– 70% of alumni engaged with the College

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Every alumnus/a has an Online Profile. Together the 20,000+ profiles make up the Alumni Directory.

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Alumni Profile Alumni Directory

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The Online Profile is the next generation of the Amherst Biographical Record

• First printed in 1883.

• Last printed in 1993.

• Benefits of Online Profile– Cost effective and timely updates

of data– Improved access and security– More robust searching

The Online Profile is the hub of our online initiatives.

Online Profile

Academics / Student Life

Directory / Career Network

Database

Web Content

• Alumni by major• Alumni by team • Alumni by activity• Graduate programs• Study Abroad• Housing on campus

• Amherst Magazine• Amherst Reads book club• Amherst Artists Network• Partner Class Program• Lives of Consequence Web

site• CCE Web site• Personal Web sites/blogs• Social Networking (Facebook,

LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)

• Search by name, class year• Search by other criteria

(geography, professional, academic, activities)

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Online Strategies for Engaging Alumni

Social Networking Across All Platforms

• “Push”: Engage alumni where they are and connect back to Amherst’s Web site

– Social Networks: – Strategic Electronic Communications

• “Pull”: Create connections and engagement based on interests and experiences

– Online Programming– “No Dead Ends”

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Alumni respond to targeted requests to update their profiles.

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D2007 2008 2009

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Mailing to all alumni introducing new Web site (CMS)

Bi-monthly emailsby class

•Re-launch of Alumni Directory & Online Profiles•Outreach to all alumni

An average of 240 alumni update their on-line profile each month.

4885 alumni updated their Online Profiles since January 2007 .

March 26, 201010

The Alumni Directory is an important tool for alumni.

M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F2008 2009 2010

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•Re-launch of Alumni Directory & Online Profiles•Communication to new graduates

An average of 6800 searches are conducted by alumni each month.

4962 alumni have conducted a search since 2007

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Fact Sheet for Online Alumni InitiativesTimelineJanuary 2007 New Content Management System (CMS) launchedJune 2009 Alumni Directory and Online Profiled redesigned to improve usabilityOctober 2009 Password reset process automated • Alumni who have logged into the Web site since January 2007 = 10,266• Alumni who have logged into the Web site FY09 = 5,913• Email addresses on record = 15,816 (75% of active alumni)

 Online Profiles:• Updates to Online Profiles since January 2007 (not unique users) = 8,397• Alumni who have updated their Online Profiles since January 2007 = 4,885• Alumni who have filled out Career Network section of Online Profile = 1,957• Alumni who have posted photographs = 975• Alumni who have filled out ‘About Me’ or ‘Interests’ = 220• Alumni who have added links to ‘Look for me on’ = 363

Alumni Directory: • Searches by alumni since May 2008 (not unique users) = 152,568 (representing 4962 alumni)• Searches by students since May 2008 (not unique users) = 88,730 (representing 1286 students)

Online Giving (% of Annual Fund gifts made online):• FY09 – 29%; FY08 – 23%; FY07 – 19%

Membership on Social Networking Sites (includes alumni, parents, students)• Facebook (College page - 3,236 fans; Alumni page – 1,766 fans)• LinkedIn (2,674 members)• Twitter (851 followers; 256 following)

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Alumni Engagement by Category FY09(7/1/08 – 6/30/09)

*Engagement measures participation against all alumni of record (20,914). The Alumni Fund measures participation against solicitable alumni (19,132).

Category DescriptionNumber

of alumniPercent of alumni

Giving* Alumni who have made gifts to the College. 11,589 56.5%

Online

Alumni who have logged into the Web site or requested e-mail forwarding.

5,913 28.9%

Feedback/Feature

Alumni who have voted, provided feedback or been featured in publications or online.

4,545 22.2%

Events Alumni who have attended or participated in events both on and off campus.

3,687 18.0%

Alumni/Student

Alumni who have participated in a wide range of activities with current students (career network, internships, partner class program, panels, etc.)

2,600 12.7%

Society of the Alumni Leadership

Alumni who have participated in traditional class and College volunteer roles and committees.

1,840 9.0%

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Default Permissions for the Online Profile

• For Alumni: – Personal & Family tab hidden from students (e-mail is available on Main page)– Personal & Family tab available to alumni, faculty and staff– Demographic and Family info hidden from all roles– Academic, Activities, Professional and Photo available to alumni, students,

faculty and staff

 • For Students:

– Main page available to students, alumni, faculty and staff– Photo available to students, faculty and staff– Personal & Family tab and Photo hidden from alumni (e-mail is available on Main

page)– Academic, Activities, Professional hidden from alumni, students, faculty and staff– Students can only update their Main page

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