For this edition of Almabase Spotlights featuring Liberal Arts Institutions, we shine the light on Lyon College and how their advancement team cooked up an incredible idea to raise alumni engagement.

🍝 An Idea To Engage with Alumni Through a Virtual Cookbook

Over the past few years, the Lyon College Advancement & Alumni Relations team have worked hard to reinvigorate their alumni base, and did not want to lose their momentum when live events were not possible. As a result, the team came up with a solid action plan consisting of multiple alumni-centric ideas to raise engagement among the College’s 8,000+ alumni community. One of those ideas included creating and maintaining a virtual cookbook. Through the Lyon College Community Cookbook, the alumni community (lovingly known as Scots) had access to a plethora of lip-smacking recipes at their fingertips.

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In order to spice things up, alumni were encouraged to try out the recipes that were featured in the cookbook, and share their marvelous creations on social media. A few lucky Scots who shared pictures of their creations online snagged official goodies from the College. The Cookbook featured a wide array of drool-worthy dishes, ranging from entrées and soups to salads and desserts. The icing on the cake was the fact that recipes were handcrafted with love by fellow Scots, making this virtual Cookbook by the alumni and for the alumni. We love how the College is leveraging their alumni’s love for food to drive alumni engagement (and their hunger!) up. ♥

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🌟 Our Source of Inspiration

‍Cindy Barber currently serves as Executive Director of Alumni Engagement at Lyon College. Cindy happens to be a proud Scot (class of '85), and has been working at her alma mater since 2018.

Barber grew up near the Lyon College campus and has many happy memories attending Scottish Festivals, concerts, and programs on campus as a child. Many years after graduating, she reconnected with the College after her youngest daughter began taking bagpipe lessons through the Scottish Heritage Program at Lyon. Her daughter is now a member of the Lyon College Pipe Band and Barber enjoys connecting with Scots all over the world.

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