For this edition of Almabase Spotlights featuring Public Universities, we shine the light on Monmouth University’s annual Wine vs. Stein event, which has been engaging and connecting alumni from different segments of their community.

💡An Idea to Engage Different Alumni Segments By Merging Two Events

A few years ago while brainstorming ideas to make the most out of their alumni programs and events, The Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at Monmouth University realized if they could combine two of their events, they could bring together different segments of their alumni community. This paved way for their annual Wine vs. Stein event — a beer tasting event skewed to younger alumni, combined with a wine tasting event that attracted a mix of ages. The annual event has since gained popularity amongst their young and older alumni alike.

After being hosted on campus for three years, Wine vs. Stein, like other events, had to switch to a virtual format. Thanks to the alumni-centric approach of The Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, the virtual event was no less than their on-campus gathering. From sending commemorative wine glasses to all the participants, to trivia and special performances by their alumni — it had everything their alumni could ask for. For 2022, the event will be hosted in a hybrid format, continuing the effort to make their events accessible to all their alumni. By combining two fairly popular events catering to different alumni segments, The Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving is bringing their alumni back home for an afternoon of all-things-Monmouth!

🌟 Our Source of Inspiration

Laura MacDonald currently serves as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Monmouth University, and has worked in the alumni office at Monmouth in some capacity for over eight years. She is a former Hawk herself and bleeds blue!

Laura has been in the higher education and non-profit space for over a decade, with expertise in volunteer management, event planning, relationship building and communication strategy. After not being able to gather in person, she launched a series of alumni hosted virtual events that continue to engage and entertain.

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