alumni futures

Alumni Futures in France: September Events

As I head off to Singapore today, I'm already looking ahead to September, when I will travel to France for two teaching opportunities:

EAIE Workshop in Nantes, 15-16 September
I will co-present with Illuminate Consulting Group's Dr. Daniel Guhr at the annual meeting of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). This year, Dan has developed a workshop called How to Strategically Deploy Web 2.0 Platforms, Tools and Communities.

The workshop takes place over two half-day sessions, and is limited to 30 participants. It's not an introductory program – it is aimed at an intermediate level audience that is familiar with the tools currently used to deploy communities online.

The workshop takes place 15 and 16 September in Nantes.

AFF Breakfast Program in Paris, 21 September
On Tuesday, 21 September in Paris, I will deliver a breakfast talk sponsored by the Association Française des Fundraisers (AFF). The topic is Alumni Community Management. I will discuss how to use social networks and the web (including blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms) to listen to alumni and build a dialog with them.

The presentation will be in English, although I plan to answer questions and discuss related topics informally in French as well. 

Here is a brief description of the program in French, with a link to the event page:

Petit-déjeuner fundraising: Alumni Community Management

Comment utiliser les réseaux sociaux et le web (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, sites internet) pour écouter ses alumni, et construire une relation avec eux. Une introduction au "community management" au service des relations avec vos alumni et de votre fundraising.

 

 

The Alumni Organization Social Network Matrix: 18 Use Cases

[Updated: There is a newer version of the matrix, featuring two additional use cases, for a total of 20. See:

http://www.alumnifutures.com/2010/11/matrix-more-uses.html]

 

Back in February we saw the first version of web strategist Jeremiah Owyang's useful chart, Impacts to Alumni Organizations in a World of Social Networks. A month later, I posted a revised version of the chart, which I had updated by incorporating more specific aspects of alumni relations.

Now, with help from Cornell's Andrew Gossen and Liz Allen of Adaptivate, I've built out the matrix to incorporate almost every possible use case I can think of for social technology in alumni and donor outreach. 

The chart is detailed and lengthy, and so it is hard to read within the Alumni Futures web page (although to get an idea of the content you can click the image above for a snap shot of one section). 

Download a PDF of the full chart here:

Social Networks' Impacts to Alumni Organizations: 18 Use Cases  [90kb PDF]

Here are some ways you might use the chart:

• As a management checklist to see how you are doing in engaging constituents with interactive tools;
• For brainstorming new ways to engage your audience, in partnership with other campus units (such as student affairs, career services, community relations, development or communications);
• To create a strategy roadmap that guides your inquiries and planning as you allocate resources to new initiatives.

Finally, I hope others will update and add to the matrix in the way that Jeremiah has encouraged me to do with his version. As the technology changes, advancement professionals need to update their vision and plans, and incorporate new ideas to expand the range of possible futures.

Leave a comment telling me what you think about this resource, and feel free to share your own additions in the comments or via email: [email protected].

Note: The matrix is designed to print on US legal size paper, 8.5 x 14 inches. If you are reading this message via email or RSS and cannot download the 18 Use Cases, 1) click through to the blog post on the web page: http://www.alumnifutures.com/2010/07/expanded-matrix.html, then 2) right click the link to the PDF and 3) select "Save As..." or "Save Link As..."

Social Media Master Class: Singapore

On 29 July I will be teaching a workshop (what CASE calls a "Master Class") in Singapore. The National University of Singapore (NUS) is hosting the event at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House (pictured here). It's a half-day overview of social media and alumni communications for colleges, universities and schools. 

The full program (or programme) web site is here:

Social Media & Educational Advancement

Below is the agenda at a glance, to give you an idea of what I'll cover. This session is great for people who know that social tools are an increasingly important part of constituent relations, but who don't feel they have an adequate understanding of these fast-changing trends. Note that this is a non-technical roadmap to these trends, so you don't need computer or internet expertise to benefit.

 

Social Media & Educational Advancement Programme

Overview
What is social media and where did it come from? What is the meaning of "Web 2.0" and why are there so many social networking sites and tools? Our discussion will cover: the rise of social networking sites; terminology; how social media affects alumni and student behavior; and why social media is important to educational advancement.

Global Case Studies
A cross-border look at how some institutions are using the most common tools: microblogging, social networks, business networks and more. The discussion will include risks and opportunities; how these tools can promote better alumni coordination, student recruiting, and fundraising.

Putting Social Technology to Work: Interactive Exercise
In small groups, participants will quickly brainstorm and design a solution to an assigned challenge.

The Road Ahead: Trends in Online Communication
Where is the social media world going next, and can we lead, or must we follow? I'll highlight the growing importance of mobile communication and of location-based services.

We'll finish the afternoon with an open-ended Question and Answer discussion.

If you're reading Alumni Futures in Asia and can be in Singapore on 29 July, click here to register for this event.

Mid-Year Review: Top 5 Blog Posts and Top 5 Tweets This Year

Half of 2010 is behind us. I checked to see which Alumni Futures blogs posts were the most-read so far this year, and here are the top five...(These five posts averaged 450 views each.)

A Revised Matrix of Social Network Effects on Alumni Relations

7 Things to Know About Facebook's Open Graph (by Andrew Gossen) 

New Staffing Models in Alumni Relations

Alumni Magazines: "Be Read or Don't Bother"

Alumni Magazines: Online Questions, Part I

As an additional resource, here are the most-clicked links that I posted on Twitter in the last six months:

10 ways Twitter has changed, 7 questions for the future. Alumni Networks & Twitter white paper 

Recap of the CASE Social Media and Community Conference via @lizallen   

MIT social network analysts: Individual bias limits the benefit of having the right professional connections.  

Are status updates the new "Class Notes"?  

See at a glance how 95 alumni associations are using Twitter: Follow this list. 

I won't be blogging as much in July, but will return to discuss some upcoming Alumni Futures events, as well as the CASE Summit in New York City. See you there? 

Meanwhile, catch me on Twitter: @alumnifutures