Recently the Boston Globe published an article pointing out that at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Alumni Association, membership has been slipping and now stands at 3% (presumably of addressable alumni). The author writes:
The paltry membership pales in comparison to that at most universities across the country and signals a sharp divide between UMass graduates and their alma mater's campaign to further involve them in university life.
He also comments that for a long time the state government supported the institution, and
private fund-raising was not seen as a priority, many graduates say. As a result, the college made only halting efforts to keep graduates involved and alumni drifted away.
This description could fit many public universities. In fact, it's not too different from last Thursday's posting here about community colleges, now turning to alumni relations to support nascent development efforts. But, as I wrote on Thursday, the key to growth for membership associations is to fill alumni needs, with relevant programming that alumni cannot get elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Chronicle reports that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will be requesting $2,000,000,000 for higher education spending. Maybe he can drop some of that on UMass to help beef up alumni outreach.
Special thanks to Rochester's Kevin Wesley for bringing the Globe article to my attention.