Various Engagement Initiatives for your Corporate Alumni

Engagement Activities for Your Corporate Alumni

An alumni network in the corporate industry is a pool of surplus business potential that could vastly benefit organizations in development. Alumni are among a company’s most efficacious means of external communication, and, actively nurturing these relationships contributes immensely to a business’s success. Although its prominence has been identified in the big companies, there is still a majority of the market that’s yet to explore the benefits of having an alumni network.

As we famously know Alex Pease (Former Allen & Overy Alumni Network Chair) said — “The value proposition for the firm and the alumni is that we can be active, rather than passive”, so, engaging Alumni, to an organization, can be as beneficial as engaging current employees, and these benefits lead to saving a company’s time and money.

Just having a platform to connect the alumni won’t do the trick. There should rather be a way that not only engages the alumni but also enables the company to leverage from this network. That’s where the alumni engagement initiatives come into the picture, as engagement helps you convey that you deeply care about the alumni and establishes a relationship that will benefit both the alumni and the organization.

We have listed down 8 Top Alumni Engagement Initiatives that will help any organization stay connected with its alumni -

1. Alumni Services:
   Providing an amicable exit experience for the alumni, addressing any queries post-exit through streamlined processes, measuring alumni perceptions, and bringing in changes at an organizational level are a few of the alumni services that can be implemented which will foster the alumni engagement.
2. Alumni Wellbeing:
   Extending employee wellbeing programs to the alumni fraternity is another initiative any company can implement. Eg: Counselling Programs, Medical Benefits, etc. Also, career mentoring programs can be introduced to the alumni group who are restarting their careers after a break.
3. CSR & Other Social Initiatives:
   Inviting the alumni community to all CSR & other Social initiatives as part of the program helps in creating an engaging community at a chapter level, as volunteer opportunities can bring together current and former staffers.
4. Emergency Helplines:
   Open Helplines exclusive to the alumni community which shall provide quick support to any alumni in an emergency, seeking help.
5. Startup Mentoring & Corporate Angel Networks:
   Create a platform for all budding alumni entrepreneurs to connect and seek advice from senior leaders. The platform can be also used for entrepreneurs to pitch their startup ideas to the senior management for fundraising.
6. Learning & Development:
   L&D programs that employees usually have access to can be extended to the alumni community for upskilling.
7. Boomerang & Talent Community:
   Create an exclusive channel for all alumni to rejoin or to refer, by building a community for all passive job seekers. Gig projects or any consultation project opportunities can be extended to the alumni community. For example, in Deloitte — Alumni are given cash bonuses for successful job referrals (Deloitte Alumni Referral)
8. Involvement in Organizational Activities:
   Senior Alumni members who carry tons of organizational experience can be involved in organizational activities like feedback on new policies, Employee Training Programs, Sessions during Graduate Trainees induction programs, etc. This will give an outside perspective and help in decision-making.

So all-in-all, having an alumni engagement will not only benefit the organization by saving time and money, but also will help increase brand awareness, hire through boomerang and referral programs, and also leverage from a shared pool of knowledge. It is equally beneficial to the alumni as it is to the organization as it can drive enrichment into the lives of the alumni through learning, mentoring, sponsoring, and knowledge among other reasons.

Hoping this article helps you engage your alumni meaningfully!

Vaave as a brand has been at the forefront in creating a platform to engage alumni and help organizations leverage their alumni, and has been working with corporates like Qualcomm India, Hero Motocorp, KPIT Technologies, and RPG Enterprises.

Do you wish to know more, write to us at hello@vaave.com or visit www.vaave.com