Managing Community Groups Within Alumni Networks-Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In a webinar moderated by Daniel from iBright, Isaac Phillips of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Alicia Sullivan of UC Davis Graduate School of Management shared insights on managing alumni communities. Isaac oversees 107 regional chapters, 77 parent clubs, six shared interest groups (SIGs), and class groups, supporting over 440 volunteer admins coordinating about 22,000 active users. Their model balances centralized guidelines with decentralized autonomy, enabling innovation while ensuring data privacy. Volunteer admins are trained through automated emails, resource groups, visual guides, and office hours, fostering peer support and leadership development. They also employ trust-based content moderation supplemented by automated tools.<br /><br />Alicia manages a cohort-based engagement model, separating groups by degree program and location for current students and alumni, enhancing targeted communication. UC Davis integrates students early by requiring platform use for orientation tasks and graduation paperwork, boosting long-term engagement. Gamification strategies and volunteer-led content generate enthusiasm and participation.<br /><br />Both emphasize the importance of evolving communication strategies, including weekly personalized digests, push notifications, and mobile app promotion. While Isaac’s team directly assigns graduates to geographic groups and maintains data syncing with their CRM, Alicia’s team continuously refines engagement and uses alumni mentors to bridge generations.<br /><br />Key takeaways: establish clear but flexible guidelines; empower and educate volunteer leaders; maintain data privacy and trust; actively engage current students as future alumni; and constantly experiment and adapt approaches to build authentic, connected communities.

Keywords

alumni community management

volunteer administration

centralized guidelines

decentralized autonomy

data privacy

cohort-based engagement

gamification strategies

personalized communication

alumni mentorship