Taking action on survey results: The Paradox of Event Attendance

Alumni say they want more events, especially events dealing with mentoring and career/job-related issues; yet attendance is often very low.
There are several paradigms or generally believed “truths” that shape this discussion:
1. Alumni who attend events are more likely to be givers than those who don’t attend. This encourages a belief which says, “If we can get more people at events, we can increase giving.” However, the relationship is not necessarily causal. Rather than “chicken / egg,” this is merely a function of the fact that givers attend events and attendees donate.
2. Alumni consistently and repeatedly state their desire for more events The Alumni Attitude Study database has survey responses from 160,000 alumni collected over 8 years from 120+ different institutions. These data consistently show that alumni want their institution to do more events and that they think more alumni should attend those events. (The energy on this issue is highest among younger alumni.)
3. “Alumni who don’t attend events have a lower level of engagement than those who do.” Again, this paradigm only serves to reinforce the notion that we should do all we can to increase event attendance. In point of fact, our data suggest that the real value of events lies in the post-event communication of its success to the broader audience. Leveraging this value through publicity and communication of the value accrued from it provides much greater affect than the event itself.

Herein lies the paradox: “I want you to hold events; I may indicate an intention to attend; I am likely not to attend.” This individual may be just as “engaged” with the institution as an attendee, especially if he/she is told of the value and benefit which accrued to the institution as a direct result of the event. Of course, it’s a good idea to actually query that person from time-to-time to verify this position.

Before this sounds to you like an anti-event position, please understand that we at PEG are most definitely pro-event. Holding events is an integral element of the engagement process. I agree with Jim when he talks about the intention to attend events. Our data clearly show that this intent is pervasive among alumni and closely tied to intent-to-give and loyalty indicators. The problem is the difference between attendance and desire to attend. If they want to attend; think that alumni should attend; and believe that their alma mater should support these events; why then don’t they attend themselves? We are tempted to believe that if we could get them to attend or at least intensify their intent to attend we would have found the answer to greater alumni giving.
I argue, however, that the leverage was never in the attendance of the event but rather in the communication about that event. If most alumni think these events are important and yet don’t come, then the ultimate value of the event is in the communication about the event, especially after the fact. The value is not in that picture of 10 alumni smiling with a caption about how much fun was had, but rather an article about two alumni who met at the event and as a result of their conversation an internship was created or a situation established that enabled other alumni to secure exciting jobs. Use high-value talking points targeted directly to the needs of specific alumni groups. This provides a way for those other alumni to participate vicariously in the event and feel a sense of pride in the way their alma mater is making a difference for fellow alumni.