From vision to engagement: How OU’s Bobcat Network got 180% more platform engagement in 12 months with Graduway
Key stats
2-3x
increase
in platform traffic during career webinar cycles
500
registrants
per webinar, nearly half attending live
180%
increase
in platform interactions over 12 months
About Ohio University
Founded in 1804, Ohio University is the state’s first university and a nationally recognized leader in higher education. Serving more than 28,000 students across its Athens campus, regional campuses, and online programs, Ohio is known for academic excellence, strong alumni connections, and a commitment to preparing students for success.
The challenge: Strong alumni interest, but low engagement and limited resources
When Ohio University launched the Bobcat Network, sign-ups came quickly—but meaningful alumni engagement lagged. Alumni voiced a clear need: more opportunities to connect around career development, personal and professional growth, and nostalgic and affinity connections.
Without exclusive content or targeted programming, many alumni registered on the platform but didn’t return. For the small team managing the platform, resources were limited, and they needed initiatives that could both deliver quick wins and lay the groundwork for long-term success.
The solution: Listen first, then build the programs alumni are asking for
The team at Ohio University dug in to realign the Bobcat Network around alumni needs, focusing on career content, communities, mentoring, and unique engagement opportunities.
Career content
By listening to alumni feedback, the team prioritized career-focused programming. They introduced flagship webinars with national speakers, often drawing more than 500 registrants and driving traffic spikes two to three times above normal. Recordings and resources were gated inside the Bobcat Network, giving alumni a reason to return and positioning the platform as a trusted career hub.
Groups & communities
Recognizing that alumni feel strongest ties to their colleges and organizations, the team created college-specific groups with automatic enrollment. Campus partners were equipped with toolkits—including post templates, event ideas, and content suggestions—making it easier to foster engagement.
Student-led competitions, piloted with the College of Business, encouraged early adoption and are now expanding into the Greek organizations.
Mentoring
Mentorship was another area of high demand, but Ohio knew they needed to build culture and interest deliberately. They piloted three models—career-focused, affinity-based, and interest-driven—to see what resonated. Flash mentoring proved especially successful as it required little training and scaled quickly, while group mentoring was effective but required more structure.
The pilots generated strong momentum, leading to expanded requests from campus partners for platform-managed mentoring programs and expanding the culture of mentorship across campus.
Unique engagement opportunities
To keep alumni returning regularly, Ohio University layered in creative and exclusive content, such as job search/management support for mid- to senior-level professionals; VIP Member Deals on entertainment, travel, apparel, sporting events and more nationwide; new initiatives like Rooms That Made Us (a video series revisiting nostalgic campus spaces), and asynchronous trivia games powered by content from the historical archives.
These combined efforts, and more, all give members a reason to log back in.
The outcome: Stronger alumni ties, higher participation & real results
Ohio University’s approach of “listening first, then building” transformed engagement on the Bobcat Network:
- Students are benefitting through leadership, content creation, and mentoring opportunities.
- 2–3x increase in platform traffic during career webinar cycles.
- 500+ registrants per webinar, with nearly half attending live.
- 180% increase in platform interactions over 12 months.
- Alumni adoption is fueled by career relevance, authentic communities, and creative engagement.
Other takeaways from Ohio University’s journey include:
- Growth is gradual, small wins build momentum.
- Simplicity, consistency, and relevance drive lasting participation.
- Alumni value time, talent, and ties as much as treasure.
Tracy Corrigan
Associate Director of Alumni Success, Ohio University
Building on this momentum, Ohio University continues to experiment with new ways to connect alumni:
- Hosting a homecoming scavenger hunt to blend on-campus and digital engagement.
- Hiring student content creators to keep posts in the platform fresh and authentic.
- Launching a campus-wide extracurricular mentoring program.
- Partnering with the library to deliver historical content, book clubs, and trivia.
- Organizing industry-specific speed networking events.
- Expanding nostalgic programming through the Rooms That Made Us video series.
Solution spotlight
Gravyty is the AI-powered engagement platform purpose-built for higher education, K-12 schools, and nonprofits. From first engagement to first gift, Gravyty empowers institutions to deliver smarter, faster, and more personalized engagement at every step of the student and donor journey. With solutions for 24/7 student support, alumni engagement, fundraising and stewardship, Gravyty helps teams scale their impact, break down silos, and provide always-on support without burning out staff.
Graduway enables higher education institutions to connect with their alumni seamlessly through automated outreach, career networking, and digital engagement tools. By integrating with existing systems, Graduway provides institutions like Ohio University with a single platform to monitor alumni interactions, engagement levels, and career development.
Get a personalized demo to see how Graduway from Gravyty can transform your alumni engagement strategy.
