This is the third post of EverTrue’s Reunion Month Series, a time for reflecting on best practice and new ideas around alumni gatherings. In this post we highlight a networking event at The Francis Parker School that brings young alumni and current parents together.
While out in San Diego a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting with the team at Francis Parker at their beautiful and open campus. As we enjoyed some fresh Mexican food nearby, we had a positive and productive chat about what was new at Parker, their upcoming EverTrue launch and the different strategies that their office was leveraging for their alumni community.
As we discussed young alumni, they mentioned to me an upcoming event that really struck me.
I firmly believe in the concept of “give and get.” When it comes to recent college grads their most desired “get” is a building strong career network. For parents with children in school, that most desired “get” is to provide their child with the best future opportunities. So when I heard about Parker’s alumni/parent networking event held at The W in Downtown San Diego, I immediately knew this was an event I wanted to share with our readers.
In conjunction with their Parents Association, this annual networking event features drinks and food in a casual setting that is aimed at connecting young alumni and current parents. This year’s event included a keynote from an alum, Craig Irving, a community leader in the city of San Diego.
While reflecting on the event Director of Alumni Relations, Robyn Erman, cited that, “because we knew that our networking reception would be heavily attended by alumni under the age of forty, we designed the event to include current parents to give alumni maximum exposure to business leaders in our community. By incorporating current parents, we doubled our attendance and leveraged opportunities for alumni to make important new connections. Through interacting with alumni, current parents gained new perspectives on the value of a Parker education and recognized that in the future, their own children will have similar beneficial networking opportunities when they become alumni.”
How does your school help alumni and parents connect? Let us know!
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