Share these talks and lectures with your colleagues
Invite colleaguesCase study
The iterative process of staying relevant in measuring alumni engagement
Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing,
4
(2),
106-117
(2019)
Abstract
Accurate measurement of alumni engagement has often been described as somewhat of a mythical creature in postsecondary advancement. The task of creating a measurement tool is daunting, not because it cannot be done but rather because the usefulness of the tool is wholly dependent on what is meaningful to the work of the institution in which it resides. Once a tool is developed, appropriately vetted and implemented, it is imperative that sustainable business infrastructure is in place for it to evolve and adapt with institutional changes over time. This paper provides insight on the process that was undertaken at the University of Calgary to evolve and enhance the Alumni Engagement Scoring Model developed prior to the merger of Development and Alumni Engagement in the organisational structure of the institution. Readers will be provided with strategies to diversify and enhance existing tools to meet the needs of new user groups, sustain buy-in of multiple stakeholders through change and implement systems to stay nimble in a progressive environment. In addition, insight will be provided on the process used to make informed decisions on how to determine metrics that would be most useful for the University of Calgary and the reporting that has been developed as a result.
Keywords: alumni engagement; metrics; collaboration; reporting
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Colleen Bangs is the Director, Alumni Partnerships, at the University of Calgary and has been working in postsecondary education since 2003, nine years of which have been focused on alumni engagement. During this time she has had the privilege to work with diverse communities of dedicated professionals who are committed to having a positive impact. Colleen’s career has been progressive in the area of leadership, and through this experience, she has played an active role in managing people, processes, strategic planning and budget and has been a champion of positive disruption. In her current role at the University of Calgary, Colleen and her team have been tasked with the oversight, maintenance and evolution of the institution’s Alumni Engagement Scoring Model. She copresented at the 2018 Canadian Council for Advancement of Education (CCAE) National Conference with Kevin MacDonell from Dalhousie University on measuring alumni engagement.1 She also had the opportunity to present at Born2Lead2 as part of the Women in Leadership in Business Conference in 2015. In 2017, Colleen was the recipient of a U Make a Difference Award at the University of Calgary in the category of Positive Work Environment and Community Impact.
