When I graduated from Umass-Amherst in 2006, I joined AmeriCorps and did a year of service in New Orleans. I was from far the Pioneer Valley, but the Umass alumni network still kicked in. There was a fellow alum working for the same non-profit, and a few other recent Umass grads joined AmeriCorps over the next year, and after seeing my name in the paper, a retired University of New Orleans professor invited a few young Umass alumni for brunch at Commander’s Palace. When students from Umass came to New Orleans to do service work, we helped them find places to work and people to meet with to learn about the different challenges and opportunities in post-Katrina New Orleans. Over the next few years, more students came for alternative spring break, and as more networking opportunities became available to newcomers, more Umass students moved to the city.

When you go to a large school like Umass you learn how to interact with diverse groups of people and navigate your way through the bureaucracy of a large institution. Like being in a new city without a familiar network, arriving at a school with over 20,000 students can be daunting, but it is those personal connections that you develop that help you find your way, and make it easier to adapt to new and challenging situations.

In a competitive job market, where more college graduates find themselves out of work than ever before, developing those personal connections through your alumni network become even more useful. A company like EverTrue that helps a community of alumni rehash old connections and make new ones is vital, and at Repat, we want to become a complement to the networking opportunities that EverTrue provides.

Each year for reunion, colleges spend millions of dollars on apparel and gifts that are given out to alumni that attend the event- but what if those gifts could help spark conversation, re-live memories, and create jobs in the USA?

We are launching a program for reunion committees to use bags made from their school-themed second-hand t-shirts as the gift for each attendee. All of our bags are made at a worker-owned cut and sew enterprise in Morganton, NC where the employees are making a fair and living wage, and every bag produced is equal to one hour of fair wage work in the US. While the bags are made with, for example all UMass t-shirts, each one is unique. Imagine a reunion where everyone is walking around with a durable double-layered t-shirt bag that are made in the USA. The bags also provide a quick way to begin a conversation, and can spark further conversation and memories based on the t-shirts on each bag. We can then give a figure to your class about the number of fair wage hours of work you created by making this purchase and the number of t-shirts you prevented from being dumped in landfills. At the end of the day, we want you to help create a unique reunion experience that stands out, and make a strong economic impact with your purchase.

If you are interested in learning more, you can email me at nathan@projectrepat.org. Mention ‘evertrue’ to the team at Project Repat, and we’ll will give your team a discount. Learn why here.

I loved Rebecca’s story because it was a reminder of how many alumni are able to retrace the steps of their careers back to a single point of inspiration on campus.

When I finished the article, the cover of the Spring 2012 issue of the Loomis Chaffee Alumni Magazine caught my eye.   An iPhone viewing the historic campus via augmented reality, surrounded by social network logos, emoticons, and even a couple of “LOL’s” ?!? It was almost too good to be true! Historic institutions like Loomis are at the intersection of a rapidly changing social and mobile landscape and Dan Baxter’s illustration captured that.

EverTrue is all about nurturing and facilitating relationships, and in general, so isn’t having a successful life?

Today I’ve benefited from one of those relationships. I was recommend for this job from an associate of Evertrue’s (one of their TechStars classmates), and after a few interviews and a brief trial period, here I am.

The beauty of all of this is the serendipitous nature of the situation. At the time, I wasn’t really looking for a new job, but this opportunity appeared, and my gut said, “DO IT!” Not only did I find a dedicated and talented team to work with, but the obvious commitment that these people had to EverTrue spoke volumes about the company culture, I am more than excited to be part of that.

I can look back and recount the moments that occurred in my life that lead me to this very place. And with each step it showed me how the value of those relationships truly impacted my everyday life, big and small.

With a background in interactive art direction, visual design and a deep interest in User Experience, I not only want it to look awesome, but I want it to work flawlessly. I’m hoping I can utilize these talents and with the help of this already deep team, I see a very bright future for EverTrue and those involved.

EverTrue,
Pin-Bo

Over the weekend of April 20-22, Woodberry Forest School had the good fortune of perfect weather, nearly 500 amazing alumni and guests returning to campus for a reunion celebration, and the added excitement of the launch of our new Woodberry Forest Alumni App — the first App in the history of our 123-year-old boys boarding school.

The launch of the Woodberry Forest Alumni App was timed for reunion weekend as a bonus for returning alumni; we then announced the App broadly to all non-reunion year alumni the following week. This advance access for reunion alumni created an atmosphere of fun and excitement while giving us the chance to demonstrate the capabilities of the App and give login permissions on the spot. The bonus for us was the feedback we received and contact updates we were able to make instantly. The App was a great service to be able to offer to alumni — and it was a hit with the 5th to the 50th year reunion classes!

Immediately after reunion weekend, we announced the App to all non-reunion year classes via direct mail, electronic newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, as well as in a news story on our website. Plans to manage the intake of requests had been mapped out in advance, as we prepared a response template to handle the inquiries for username and password; we wanted a consistent and pleasant message for all who wanted to sign in to use the new App.

I have listed below a schedule of events and drop dates for communication delivery as an example to help other schools map out their communication plan for an App launch:

Woodberry Forest School Reunion Weekend App Launch Schedule

Friday, April 20
5:30–9:00 Walker Lobby ~ Jesse Bardo, Jennifer Dowling, Diana Woodward
Personal demonstrations of App
Three iPads on table
Card handouts
Retractable table display
Laptop for username and password generation

Tuesday, May 1
Share EverTrue Blog on Woodberry’s Facebook page of reunion weekend coverage and App launch

Do you have an interest in sharing your reunion insights, ideas or stories? Let us know and be featured in our blog this May!

First, Woodberry Forest was launching their EverTrue Alumni app at reunion. Opportunities like reunions are great to get the word out about our alumni engagement tools. This also gave me a perfect reason to head down to DC to visit both current and prospective clients.

At EverTrue, we love going to our client’s events to help show off their technology and learn new ideas to bring back to the rest of the EverTrue schools!

Foursquare checkins from day 1 in DC

Washington DC has a wonderful independent school market, and is an area where EverTrue resonates heavily. Each school has a tight-knit community that is engaged and eager to network well after graduation. I visited with our clients Sidwell Friends School, Potomac School, and National Cathedral School as well as met with a number of prospective institutions. Visiting each campus you really get to understand the traditions and the cultures that each alum carries with them. As a passionate alum myself, it is so valuable to see what drives other school’s pride and engagement.

For our team, it is always exciting to see how each of the schools that we work with are using EverTrue and to hear what we can do as a company to enhance our products and services. These are the voices drive our business.

When is your next big alumni/alumnae event? Can we come and crash it?

1. Create buy-in from the entire School Community:

Alums coming back to campus for Reunion often have not been back in awhile, or even since graduation. It is important that the entire school community is aware of the weekend events and activities, especially students. Reunion presents an incredible opportunity to showcase your newest courses, buildings, or events by including faculty and students who are involved with these aspects of the School. Students will soon be alums, so even though they might not grasp the idea completely, it is important to engage them in reunion while alums are on campus.

2. Increasing Reunion giving after the Big Weekend:

Like many schools, we present the top five classes donor/dollar lists to date at Reunion Weekend. In the past we have found that when certain classes are closely ranked it tends to spark competition after Reunion. Because our Reunion is held in the spring, it gives us a few weeks before the close of the Annual Fund to continue to build on donations generated by the friendly competition.

3. Reunion Committees and Committee Structure:

Often there is an expectation to have reunion committees with very specific goals and outcomes. Every class is different and not all classes even like the word “committee.” It is important to be flexible. Alums might not want to be on the “committee” but would be willing to call a few classmates, write notes, or send email blasts. Adapt your goals and outcomes to the unique attitudes of each class. What works for some classes might not work for others. It is important to have a few key alums in each class who will help get others involved. What I have learned as we move through cycles is that each decade is different and that what worked for the 50th Reunion ten years ago is not always appealing to the 50th Reunion of today.

Do you have an interest in sharing your reunion insights, ideas or stories? Let us know and be featured in our blog this May!

For these popular fundraisers, alumni and development offices take creative approaches with theming. For example, Francis Parker School in San Diego puts a fun annual twist on their auction with themes such as “Cajun Carnivale” or “Haute Harley Nights”, while Lawrence Academy of Groton, MA looks to “Celebrate the Art of Teaching” this upcoming Saturday!

Beyond the conference rooms, gymnasiums and cafeterias where these events are traditionally held, new virtual venues for bidding are arriving, and have received some nice traction from the advancement crowd. One of these virtual venues that we would like to highlight is an online charity site Bidding for Good, a fellow Boston-based startup.

In a recent auction by one of our clients, The Pomfret School, we noted how they successfully integrated their online auction to lead up to their live auction “Hollywood on the Hilltop,” and as a way to follow up and satisfy the needs of those still hungry bidders.

By acting as a promotional tool for the “big event” and by providing those who are unable to make it to the auction an opportunity to participate, we think that online auctions have the ability to make a positive impact for your next alumni auction!

What tools have your advancement office found helpful in promoting alumni auctions? Are there any themes from years past that your school is particularly proud of? Let us know by dropping us a note at marketing@evertrue.com!

Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, LA launched their EverTrue app over a month ago at their annual reunion crawfish boil. The app was a hit at the event but what has been most impressive about Newman is their ongoing efforts to draw alums back to the app and infiltrate it into their alumni relations program.

In their monthly e-newsletter and Facebook page at the beginning of April, Newman School announced a contest where the first 15 alums to post a class note using the app would receive a free Newman t-shirt. This is an instant touch point with alums and a fun class note generator! Newman was rewarded with many pictures of new babies, couples on vacation and even a picture of an alum training for the Boston Marathon.

Also, in their most recent e-newsletter, there was another call out for class note submissions and a reminder to alums that they could also use the app as a channel for those submissions. With EverTrue’s Class Note Feature, every time a note is posted, the alumni office is emailed the photo as an attachment for their use as part of the magazine or social media channels.

What other motivators do you have to get your alums to submit class notes, either via an alumni app, or through other means? Tell us what has worked well at your school!

While online giving was up 13% across all sectors in 2011, “education” was the biggest winner. Including secondary schools, and other educational organizations, “education” posted their largest year-over-year growth in fundraising online, with a 26% increase. “Higher education” was not far behind by showing the second highest growth in online giving, with a 21% increase.

In a month by month analysis, December marks the most prominent month for giving in every sector, and accounts for on average over 20% of all annual online giving. Yet, both “education” and “higher education” saw the month of June as their second most popular month for alumni and other supporters to donate. It appears that holiday season aside, reunion season comes in at a close second for fundraisers in education!

Considering this growth in online donations, and a culture where online gifts can surpass $250,000, and $300,000 engagement rings are bought on a mobile app, it appears that there are some new and exciting opportunities for schools to start leveraging new technologies to improve their fundraising efforts. We look forward to reading next year’s report, and to continue to follow these trends.

I still remember my first week as a freshman at the Taft School in Watertown, CT. In the midst of meeting new friends, being cut from both the Varsity and the JV soccer teams, and having more homework than I ever thought possible, I noticed a recurring theme that seems to be at the heart of social and professional advancement: “Networking.”

I was gradually exposed to the significance of networking over my remaining years at Taft, as I continued my education at The Northwood School for a PG year and at Wesleyan University. All three campus experiences stressed that, upon graduating, I would be joining the families of each of their respective alumni networks.

Over the course of those years, I witnessed progressive networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and EverTrue making it increasingly easy for newly minted graduates to quickly boost their social and professional connections.

When I accepted a job at Proctor Academy after graduating from Wesleyan, I was excited to share my networking knowledge with the amazing Proctor students I interacted with. While working with them, I realized two things: 1) kids today are more connected than I could have dreamed of being at their age, and 2) with the increase of networking tools, students need to understand that the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is NOT truly how you obtain a job or get accepted into school.

Networking should not be approached with the intention of knowing as many people as you can. Rather, networking is meant to open up the opportunity for people to learn what you actually know and who you are. When someone recommends you for school or a job, they are associating their name with yours; they are demonstrating faith in your skills and abilities, which can only be achieved when a personal connection is made. This important understanding that attracted me to work at a company like EverTrue.

To date, my alumni networks have been key in connecting me with social and professional peers. My membership in each of these networks uniquely connects me with people who already have something in common with me: our alma mater. Whether we ran sprints together on the same sports team, struggled through the same class, had the same favorite teacher, or even just walked the same halls decades apart, it is the shared experiences that connect who I am to the individuals within each of my networks. It’s this connection that makes alumni networking so effective and successful for the individuals involved and for the school itself.

I am thrilled to join a company like EverTrue that promotes and facilitates this type of alumni engagement. So whether you’re a Taft Rhino, Northwood Huskie, Wesleyan Cardinal or any other mascot at heart, go out there and connect with members of your alumni network. Remember that in doing so you have the opportunity to show who you are to an abundant community of possible future mentors, peers, and friends.

EverTrue,
Mike