Summer is not over yet. However, the teams that started strong in June are already miles ahead. The most successful K12 alumni programs spent the last thirty days laying the groundwork for a massive and productive fall season.
By reconnecting alumni, schools and education foundations unlock a powerful network of support. Engaged graduates contribute through mentoring, scholarships, fundraising, and advocacy. These efforts directly expand opportunities for current students. We want to show you exactly what these leaders checked off their lists so you can do the same. If you want to see how Alumni Nations can act as an extension of your staff to make this easier, Schedule a Demo today.
Here is a recap of what the best education organizations accomplished in June. Use this as your own mid summer checklist to benchmark your progress.
1. They Prioritized Updating Contact Information
Updating records is step one for any successful community building effort. Good data hygiene ensures your messages actually reach the right people. The best K12 alumni programs prioritize data hygiene in June because it sets up the entire school year for success.
You cannot ask for contributions or volunteer time if your emails bounce. We know that talking about money and asking for it can be a tricky subject. That is why having accurate contact lists allows you to warm up your audience with positive updates first. Alumni Nations offers specific alumni finder and update services to assist with this heavy lifting. Good data hygiene means less stress for your communication directors later in the year. For more information check out our Data Services.
We recommend running a dedicated data hygiene sprint every single summer. Maintaining perfect data hygiene sets the stage for everything else you want to accomplish. For example, our platform includes a people database with dynamic profiles and social media matching to keep information fresh.
2. They Locked Down Fall Event Details
Fall events are right around the corner. That means K12 reunion planning needs to happen right now. High performing teams knocked out the heavy lifting of K12 reunion planning in June.
Getting ahead on K12 reunion planning gives your education institutions a clear advantage when it comes to booking venues and securing catering. Alumni Nations even offers reunion coordinator recruitment to assist your staff if you are short on time. Effective K12 reunion planning involves setting dates, booking venues, and sending save the date notices well before the school year begins.
Do not wait until August to start your K12 reunion planning. Giving your community plenty of notice increases attendance and overall excitement. If you feel behind, Schedule a Demo to see our event and reunion management tools. We can help you catch up quickly.
3. They Structured Opportunities for Student Guidance
Current students need guidance and real world advice. Alumni mentorship programs bridge that gap beautifully. Setting up alumni mentorship programs in June means your volunteer mentors are vetted and ready when school starts.
Many K12 alumni programs focus heavily on alumni mentorship programs to provide tangible career pathways for younger generations. For graduates under the age of 35, engagement is often about the people. They want to gain access to career and professional development, learning growth, and networking opportunities. If you need help structuring your own alumni mentorship programs, our team provides ongoing strategy development and training sessions.
Successful alumni mentorship programs create lifelong connections that benefit both the mentor and the student. You can build a hosted website with Alumni Nations that includes dedicated volunteer, mentor, and internship portals to manage this entire process.
4. They Highlighted Multi Generational Stories
Multi generational families are a cornerstone of your local district. Engaging these groups is what family legacy engagement is all about. June is the perfect time to boost family legacy engagement through targeted storytelling on social media and in newsletters.
Highlighting a specific family legacy engagement story inspires others to step up and give back. When people see families who have attended the same high school for three generations, it builds massive community pride. To maximize your family legacy engagement, consider reaching out to current parents who are also graduates.
Strong family legacy engagement creates an emotional bond with your district. When talking about giving, you must smooth the edges and make it sound soft and emotional. Sharing these family stories is the best way to do that. Schedule a Demo to learn how our segmentation tools can help you identify these multi generational families easily.
The Ultimate Summer Checklist
To make things simple, here is a quick list to review with your team this week.
- Review your overall goals for K12 alumni programs.
- Complete your data hygiene sweep using our database tools.
- Finalize your K12 reunion planning steps for September and October.
- Recruit reliable volunteers for your alumni mentorship programs.
- Launch a family legacy engagement campaign on your social media channels.
How Alumni Nations Can Help You Catch Up
If reading this list makes you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath. Alumni Nations is the only all-in-one partner dedicated exclusively to K12 alumni engagement. We combine powerful technology with hands-on strategy and support.
Unlike generic fundraising or customer relationship management platforms, Alumni Nations offers a tailored approach. We are built on the largest database of alumni engagement insights in the K12 sector. Schools choose Alumni Nations because we do not just provide software. We act as an extension of your team. We make community building easier, more personal, and more effective for the long term.
We guide you through the entire lifelong engagement journey. This includes:
- Awareness: The initial intro which typically takes numerous touches.
- Interest: Answering the question of what is in it for them.
- Engagement: When exploration begins and validates promises.
- Active Engagement: Where value creation occurs and delivery on promises happens.
- Fully Engaged: Building an active and trusting relationship.
Do not let the summer slip away without putting a solid plan in place. We offer managed services like narrative creation, communications calendar set up, and monthly communications content creation to take the work off your plate.
Schedule a Demo today to see how we can transform your network.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more of our Frequently Asked Questions click here.
How can education organizations update contact info effectively during the summer?
Education organizations can use the summer months to send out surveys or simple update campaigns via text and email. Implementing better data hygiene practices now makes this process simple. You can use tools like social media matching to fill in the gaps.
What reunion planning steps need to happen in June for a successful fall?
Successful fall events require securing venues, booking entertainment, and sending initial communications early. High schools should also establish their events, reunions, and ticketing systems and public profiles well in advance.
How do we engage family legacies before the new school year starts?
Sharing multi generational stories on your hosted website and social media is great for family legacy engagement. You can create specific groups or forums for these families to connect with one another.
How do we attract younger graduates to participate?
Graduates under 35 respond well when you support your alumni mentorship programs. They are looking for learning growth and networking opportunities. Focus your messaging on how they can grow professionally while helping current students succeed.
