As the popularity of social media in alumni relations continues to grow, so do the implications of social media on the AAS.  These platforms for mobile communication and social networking have sparked numerous conversations about some of the communications questions we ask in our AAS research.  Schools that have adopted these media outlets as a method of communicating to their alumni are very interested in measuring the effectiveness of their efforts.  Elements of these conversations and research are available to follow on such social media outlets as Twitter and Facebook.  Fans and colleagues of the Alumni Attitude Study can now stay abreast of the current communication regarding alumni attitudes and other newsworthy material derived from our research through these venues. (more…)

Most survey instruments have questions that give respondents the opportunity to check a box showing their level of agreement/satisfaction/perception of performance/etc. to a given statement.  These questions offer the analyst of the survey a way to understand how respondents and groups of respondents think about the various elements of the relationship between the respondents and the organization doing the survey.  This is consistent with the four-part PEG, Ltd. understanding of what a survey should accomplish:

1. Create a more enhanced partnership with alumni and donors.
2. Create consensus within your department and with your board about what matters to alumni so that the discussion about how to better engage alumni shifts from a discussion about what they think to one focused on what actions are needed next.
3. Establish a prioritized list of actionable items and how this varies across key segments.
4. Create a heightened focus on alumni and donor engagement with other departments and colleges across campus. (more…)

As summer draws to a close, we are reflecting on more than the heat.  Particularly special in our minds is the overwhelming success of this year’s CASE Summit Conference.  Summit Chair, Brian Lee, referred to the Conference as a “resounding success,” which it clearly was on multiple fronts.  For us, the Conference introduced a number of new participants for the Alumni Attitude Study, while attendees indicated to us that this was perhaps one of the best summits ever. (more…)

A question we often hear form our clients at the early stages of a research project is about their expected response rate.  What response rate should we get?  Is it enough?  Is it better or worse than others?  Should we give away a prize to insure a higher response rate?

Response rate is important.  It tells us a lot about the target population’s attitude regarding the survey and their belief in our willingness to listen and take action.  Response rate, however, is not as important as the number of responses.  (more…)

Please help us have a better session at the CASE Summit this year in New York.  Our session, Re-envisioning Alumni Associations for the 21st Century, will be from 1:00PM to 2:15PM on Sunday July 18.  As part of the discussion, we have opened a page at: http://alumniattitudestudy.org/summit10/ where we talk about the issues, provide some reading material, and ask several questions.  Please help us by taking a few minutes to answer the questions and join in on this conversation about planning and taking action from those plans.  We promise to respond to your post and to provide anybody that posts a comment a brief of the presentation and what was covered during the session. (more…)