Development

Old school ties

How can you encourage your recent leavers to continue to support the school? Tim Edge examines some strategies for staying close to younger alumni/ae and for fostering a sense of ongoing obligation to your school

Many alumni/ae rank their universities towards the top of their list of philanthropic priorities, with their schools featuring much lower down, if at all.

There are invariably many reasons for this but often prominent among them is the fact that university development offices are more assiduous and effective in fostering feelings of altruism and obligation. How can schools work to reverse this trend to ensure alumni/ae stay connected and engaged, with a debt of gratitude that will resonate throughout the years? “How do you build strong links with young alumni/ae? Start before they leave the school.” I was given this advice by an inspirational head after only a few months in the development profession. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, this was probably one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my development career.

How many of us just let our alumni/ae drift away in the vain hope that they will re-connect (on their terms not ours) when, for example, they are considering schools for their own children?

Get them early
The most effective schools do not leave things to chance. Instead they ensure that there is a regular engagement between the alumni/ae association and sixth formers in a variety of ways, for example:
• short talks by inspirational figures on the history of the school and how it was founded on the generosity of others. This fosters an almost subliminal imperative to give something back;
• the careful selection of year representatives in each leaving year who are respected and well connected across the various strands of that leaving cohort. The year representative then acts as an essential and permanent link between the school and that year group; and
• a memorable leavers’ ceremony that marks formally the transition from pupil to alumnus/a. Care should be taken to select a high-profile and charismatic old boy or girl to speak at the event, emphasising to leavers the benefits of staying in touch with each other and the school.

Another valuable method of building a sense of obligation is to offer careers advice and guidance beyond the point that the pupil leaves the school. Why not build a network of former pupils career mentors that offer advice to alumni/ae of all ages, particularly those at university who might be agonising about their job prospects?

Many schools offer interactive, web-based, alumni/ae communication systems. Why not re-configure these, to capture online, details of alumni/ae who are willing to take calls from undergraduates eager to discover more about a specific profession?

Keep in touch
A number of schools adept at keeping close to younger alumni/ae offer regular opportunities for year group events and reunions. Why not consider holding a four-years-on event in 2012 for your 2008 leavers, most of whom should by then have completed their further education. The four-years-on event can provide an ideal opportunity for recent leavers to engage with current sixth formers, perhaps to run an informal seminar on the pros and cons of university life.

The gentle touch
If you build, in a sensitive way, a natural sense of obligation while the pupil is still at the school, it will be much easier to introduce low-level fundraising initiatives at the right time. Many schools encourage the leaving year group to donate a leaving gift to the school. This can act as a focus for nostalgia and esprit de corps whenever a former pupil returns.

Others encourage regular low-level giving that can be built up over time according to means. Such fundraising initiatives are invariably more effective if there is a strong context for philanthropy based on the principle that “because the school has given me so much, it is my duty to give something back”.

Tim Edge is development director at King’s College School, Wimbledon. 

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