Keeping your alumni community connected to your university is more critical than ever as the sector navigates recent fundraising challenges.

The 2023 Voluntary Support of Education survey found that, despite an increase in large donations, giving to higher education institutions declined 5% during the 2023 financial year, driven by decreases in individual giving. Alumni donations fell by a full 13%.

To recapture your audience’s attention and offset fundraising declines, we recommend making the most of all the tools at your disposal, including your alumni website. The most effective college websites use interactive features to turn alumni into active participants in your university’s culture.

With that in mind, here are five interactive tools to implement into your website to drive stronger alumni connectivity and long-term engagement.

Surveys

Surveys help you better understand who your alumni are and what matters to them. Incorporate surveys into your website to allow alumni to provide feedback on your programs and make their voices heard.

Your surveys could cover topics such as:

• ‍Homecoming events and activities. Homecoming is one of the most essential alumni-centered events you run annually. Alumni reconnect with fellow grads, faculty, and staff and reminisce about their time at your school. Ask for alumni opinions on your homecoming events and activities and how you can improve them for next year.
• Fundraising outreach and events. According to the 2023 CASE Voluntary Support of Education Alumni Giving Insights, 72% of alumni report experiencing “solicitation fatigue” because constant requests for donations without engagement have reduced their willingness to participate or donate. Ensure your alumni outreach efforts strike the right balance by asking alumni to give their thoughts on the frequency and content of your fundraising-related outreach and general outreach.
• College experience. These surveys can be a great first touchpoint for new grads transitioning from students to alumni. Seek feedback about every aspect of the college experience, including student life, classes, and participation in extracurricular activities.
• University outcomes. Show alumni you’re interested in what they do after college by sending an alumni outcome survey. Ask them about their current jobs or postgraduate education, where they live, and whether they’re working in fields related to their degrees.

Link to surveys on your alumni website’s homepage, blog posts, and email newsletter to get more responses. After the survey period, thank respondents, summarize the feedback you received, and describe how you’ll update your strategies in response to alumni input.  

Virtual events

Virtual events have increasingly grown in popularity as a way to engage alumni who may live all over the country or world.

Studies have shown that 64% of alumni prefer benefits that can be accessed and utilized in real time (like digital resources or virtual events), but only 30% of organizations offer these benefits.

Use your website to promote and host online alumni events like:

• Webinars
• Virtual networking experiences
• Trivia nights
• Book clubs
• Mentorship programs
• Q&As with professionals from different industries, faculty members, athletic coaches, etc.

Use an event platform that enables audience engagement, with tools like live chat and hand-raising features, to allow alumni to actively participate and get more value from your events.

Interactive content

Content marketing is an engaging and cost-effective way to keep alumni connected to your university. In fact, the average return on investment (ROI) for content marketing is $2.77 for every $1 spent, equal to 177% profit.

The following content strategies are the most effective for capturing and maintaining alumni attention:

• Storytelling. Sharing compelling narratives from current students, faculty, alumni, and other members of your university community is a powerful way to immerse alumni in your school’s culture. Use a combination of media, including photos, videos, audio clips, and direct quotes, to bring your stories to life. Share these stories on your website’s blog or testimonial pages.
• Data visualizations. Interactive graphs, charts, and maps can help alumni visualize the impact of different programs and initiatives at your school, from research projects to fundraising campaigns. Allow alumni to toggle between years or click different locations on a map to read more about your school’s work there.
• Personalized content. Offer an alumni portal on your website where you can present alumni with personalized information about their participation in your program. This content could include personalized event recommendations, an impact report showing the effects of their gifts to your university, or thank-you videos from current students.

Your website’s content plays a vital role in bringing your university’s mission to life for alumni, many of whom may have started to drift away after graduation. With compelling content that speaks to their interests, you can regain their attention and remind them of their love for their alma mater.

Alumni directory

As an alumni, connecting with fellow grads can provide invaluable benefits, including networking, social, and mentorship opportunities. By including an alumni directory on your website, you can empower alums to reach out to peers in their field or city and build relationships.

Your alumni directory should include the following information to help alums connect:

• Name
• Location
• Job title
• Graduation year
• Links to social media pages like LinkedIn

Ensure alumni can use filters to search for fellow grads based on different criteria. For example, an alumna who lives in Chicago may want to find fellow alumni in her area to network with, so offer the option to search by location.

Accessibility tools

Driving greater interaction and engagement with your alumni requires an accessible website that all visitors can easily navigate.

That’s why we recommend incorporating accessibility features into your website, allowing users to adapt the site based on their needs. For example, your site should enable visitors to:

• Increase the text size
• Translate the text into different languages
• Turn on video captions
• Navigate using a keyboard

Kanopi’s guide to web accessibility tools recommends using a combination of accessibility testing solutions and manual tests to ensure your accessibility features are working properly. Manual testing requires using assistive technology, such as screen readers and a keyboard, to replicate the user experience.

This level of thorough testing will allow you to achieve a higher conformance level with regulations such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Remember, public universities must meet Levels A and AA conformance requirements.

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With the recent declines in university fundraising and alumni giving, your university needs a comprehensive engagement strategy that maximizes every interaction, including digital ones.

If you need support to build your website’s interactive features, work with a higher-ed web design consultant. These professionals can design custom functionality to engage your audience on a higher level and incorporate accessibility features to enhance equity and provide a positive user experience.

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