Students and their parents today are more discerning than ever before when choosing an institute to apply to. While brochures and walkthroughs are undoubtedly important testaments to the quality of your institution, the most valuable asset tends to be your school’s alumni network. A strong, accessible alumni network can be the greatest advocates for your institution. Prospective students often turn to an institution’s alumni to gain a realistic understanding of how their experience in the school will be and where they can expect to see themselves once they graduate. Here are five advantages of investing in an alumni management software to ensure that your institution maintains a strong connection with its alumni.
1. Store and manage vital alumni data
An alumni management system stores a database of your alumni, including companies and industries they are working in and positions they hold. This database gets automatically updated with every change in an alumnus’ career. There are two major benefits of having this database. On one hand, it helps your institution publish vital and up-to-date statistics of its alumni, which can be a powerful way to improve credibility. Managing this database also lets you stay in touch with alumni, which can show that your institution continues to support and care for its students even once they have graduated. This can also encourage students to apply to your institution as they can expect the same support.
2. Improve success of placements
A good placement record is one of the greatest features an institution can boast of and can be a magnet to attract new students to apply. A strong alumni database is essentially the best network of potential recruiters for your current students. Since your school’s alumni will be present in varied sectors and industries, they will be able to offer current students exposure and job opportunities in virtually any field. Since your alumni already have a connection to your institution, it can be easier to get them to recruit students from within your institution than it would be to reach out to recruiters who have no history with your institution. An alumni management system allows you to keep track of exactly where your alumni are currently working, making it easier for you to understand whom to reach out to.
3. Provides tools to stay connected with alumni
The best alumni management software offers you the complete suite of services that you require to maintain a strong connection with alumni. Without this software, your alumni would have to use one platform for social media updates, another one for emails and another for career updates. With so many different platforms to keep track of, it can be difficult for them to lose touch. An alumni management platform, on the other hand, includes emails, social media job postings, event updates and more, all on a single platform. This ensures that alumni are up-to-date with each other’s lives and maintain the strong sense of camaraderie that binds them together. Offering them this cohesive platform will ultimately make it easier for them to find new opportunities, arrange meetings and stay connected to your institution.
4. Makes fundraising easier
Most institutions depend upon sponsors to host events such as fundraisers, galas and shows. An engaged alumni network is one of the best sources of funding that an institution can tap into. Alumni management platform makes fundraising through an alumni network extremely simple as the institution needs to simply post a request and each member will then receive a notification about it. When members start sending in their donations, the software keeps track of how much has been received and who has sent it. In the case of events where funds are raised through the sale of tickets, alumni management software can record how many tickets have been sold, at what prices and who has bought them. This can help streamline event management and improve transparency in funding.
5. Forums can enable knowledge sharing
The best alumni management software includes discussion forums where members can start threads and have open conversations. This can be a very useful feature for not just your alumni, but also for existing students. Current students, for example, can get useful advice and mentoring from their alumni, which can help them improve their academic and extracurricular performance. By sparking a relationship on this platform, students will also have contacts they can reach out to for career advice, internships and eventually, job opportunities. In this way, an alumni management platform can facilitate the continuity and sense of common identity between your past and current students.
Your institution’s alumni are the single greatest symbol of the success of your institution. An alumni management system helps you ensure that you never lose access to them and continue to engage with them long after they have graduated.
iTech India has been providing customized software solutions since 2003. We specialize in Education ERP with a product portfolio built on best practices. We have distinct product offerings for different segments from schools, colleges and coaching institutes. With a large team of technically qualified professionals and mentored by educational experts and technology architects, we are recognized for our cutting-edge ERP solutions. Speak to us today to know more about how our solutions can fit your needs.
