Maximizing the ROI of Alumni Relations with Graduway

As a Senior Director for Enterprise Solutions, I work closely with many Alumni, Engagement and Development professionals and their teams and have seen firsthand the impact of using Graduway to empower meaningful connections through nostalgia, knowledge sharing, mentoring, professional development, guidance and more.  

With educational institutions facing increased pressure to deliver value to their stakeholders, it has become increasingly more important to invest in effective alumni relations programs.
Graduway is a platform that has proven to be effective in helping educational institutions achieve their alumni engagement goals. 

In this blog post we will dive into and examine the top 4 benefits and the return on investment (ROI) that institutions can expect from investing in Graduway, and explore how it can help enhance alumni engagement programs in order to achieve tangible benefits. 

How can Graduway help increase alumni engagement and connectivity: 

Graduway offers a variety of tools that help institutions keep their alumni engaged and connected with their community with various tools, all in one place. Some of these tools include: 

  • Events
  • Recruitment + admission support
  • Social media integration
  • Personalized communication
  • Mentorship programs
  • Fundraising and stewardship
  • And more!

Impactful example

By leveraging Graduway’s platform, institutions can reach out to more alumni and keep them engaged with their institution. Julie Sina, Associate Vice Chancellor Alumni Affairs and CFO at the UCLA Foundation put it best, saying:
“UCLA One, through the Graduway platform, has been an absolute game-changer for us in the alumni world in UCLA.” 

Graduway helps institutions get to a level of engagement which allows them to foster a sense of community with their alumni and that pays off in a number of ways.

Driving donations and measuring success with Graduway 

One of the key benefits of effective alumni relations is increased fundraising. Graduway offers a suite of fundraising tools that can help institutions identify potential donors and create targeted fundraising campaigns.

With Graduway you are able to effectively connect with your alumni network, measure engagement and capture valuable data which is central to your success. 

According to James Stofan, Vice President for Alumni Relations at Tulane University: “Over 50% of alumni using the Graduway platform are donors. That’s a significantly higher number than our overall donor participation rate.” 

Providing guidance and improving results for students is made easier with Graduway

Effective alumni relations can also lead to improved student outcomes.
By connecting current students with alumni mentors for example and creating networking opportunities, institutions can help students build valuable connections that can lead to internships and possible job offers. Graduway offers tools for managing engagement throughout the student lifecycle including:

  • Enrollment
  • Career guidance
  • Mentoring for students
  • Alumni engagement 
  • Fundraising opportunities

Institutions of all size benefit from Graduway

“Graduway helps me focus all my efforts in one place- getting people to sign up so I can start using the tool to its maximum potential.”
– Oliver Imbert, Associate Director of Alumni Communities, Lycee Francais de New York

“We have 50,000 alumni around the world, but until we had Graduway, we weren’t able to connect people.”
– Sonia De Buglio, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto 

Universities are using Graduway to create online mentoring programs for their students, which has led to increased student satisfaction and improved job placement rates.
By investing in alumni engagement, institutions can help ensure their students have the support they need in order to succeed.

Investing in Graduway has financial benefits

Investing in Graduway pays dividends. By increasing alumni engagement, driving donations and improving students outcomes, institutions can see a positive return on investment. For example, according to a study by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), institutions that invest in alumni engagement see an average return of $5.60 for every dollar spent. 

Users signed up in the first year (University of Colorado Boulder)

of mentors would recommend a Graduway-powered platform

Number of times more likely engaged constituents are to make a donation

The bottom line:

Investing in alumni relations pays dividends for educational institutions and their constituents. By using Graduway’s platform, institutions can increase alumni engagement, drive donations and improve student outcomes.
These benefits can lead to a significant return on investment, both in financial terms and in terms of the institution’s overall impact.

If you’re considering investing in alumni relations take a look at our Graduway product overview video to learn more. 

More Posts