National Ranking of Alumni Programs and Services

Sometimes decisions to continue or discontinue alumni programs or services are based on anecdotal evidence.  Perhaps an active volunteer is adamant about keeping a particular program despite declining attendance.  Equally compelling is the pressure to create new programs for young alumni even in the face of shrinking budgets.  Where can one turn to find reliable metrics on alumni programs and services?

As part of the Alumni Attitude Study, alumni at over 100 universities were surveyed using a consistent core alumni questionnaire.  Alumni were asked which programs/service areas they thought were most important for their alma mater to provide and also asked how well they were being provided.  Survey results from over 100 participating institutions are aggregated to create Study Benchmarks so each participant may compare their survey results to these benchmarks and better evaluate their performance.  Study Benchmarks are also available for response rates by alumni age group, bounce rates, and other survey administration metrics. 

Alumni Rank Programs by (Highest) Importance

Alumni across the nation were asked how important it is for the university to provide each of eleven programs or services.  The list below shows the top four programs and services that alumni indicated were most important for the university to provide.  Note: These rankings may be substantially different for an individual university and may be substantially different when segmented by alumni segment such as lifecycle or era of graduation.

1. Identifying job opportunities for graduates
2. Providing feedback to the University about community perceptions
3. Mentoring students
4. Serving as ambassadors for the University

Study Insight: "In almost every survey where we have asked alumni about the importance of programs and services, or about alumni values and preferences, any issue related to jobs, opportunities, or career development consistently rises to the top—both  in terms of importance and in terms of agitation (see below). This is true even for the “Mature/Contemplative” or retired alumni segment that is presumably no longer in the job market but who may be concerned about employment challenges for their children and grandchildren.  It is important to note that “Identifying Job Opportunities for Graduates” includes not only the traditional “Career Services” efforts, but also those opportunities provided through structured networking events such as those regularly hosted by alumni relations offices and associations."
Robert D. Shoss, Managing Consultant

Alumni Rank Programs by (Lowest) Performance

Alumni across the nation were also asked how well they felt the institution’s programs and services were being performed or provided.  The chart below shows the top five of eleven programs/services where alumni showed the lowest perception of performance.  Note: These rankings may be substantially different for an individual university and may be substantially different when segmented by alumni segment such as lifecycle or era of graduation.

1. Identifying job opportunities for graduates
2. Volunteering for the University
3. Providing feedback to the University about community perceptions
4. Providing leadership by serving on boards, etc.
5. Mentoring student

Study Insight: "That three of the same issues (identifying job opportunities, mentoring, and providing feedback) show up as the most important to alumni and perceived to be the least well addressed by the institution is significant.  Across the nation, there appears to be a consistent gap in terms of alumni expectation and institutional performance, especially on identifying job opportunities for graduates.  As we have noticed, even at institutions with well recognized career services program and an active alumni association, there can be significant agitation on these top issues.  We often find that the situation can be attributed to a lack of communication with alumni regarding the institution’s efforts.  That comparatively little coverage is given on the issue is understandable as only a small percent of alumni may actually visit the career services office or participate in these programs. Yet this issue remains one that most alumni consider first when forming their opinion about how well the university is doing in terms of alumni relations.  Even if they do not take advantage of the service personally, alumni want to know that their institution is addressing the issue that is most important to them.  In terms of institutional advancement, these findings are significant as well.  This issue is closely linked to alumni satisfaction which in turn has a substantial impact on “Loyalty” across all age groups.  And as other research and Study findings show, Loyalty is a determining factor in giving (see last month’s article on “Emotional Loyalty vs Giving Loyalty”).  It seems clear to us that it is important that institutions perform well and communicate often regarding job and career related programs."
Robert D. Shoss, Managing Consultant

About the Alumni Attitude Study
The Alumni Attitude Study is a cooperative effort among universities and CASE to assess and compare alumni survey results. The Study offers advancement professionals many reliable “benchmarks” and Study norms to help establish baseline alumni profiles for better understanding of priorities, values, preferences, and motivators for alumni. Over 100 institutions have surveyed their alumni through the Study. With over 130,000 responses to the core alumni questionnaire the Study database serves as a valuable resource for market research and trend analysis.