When your Alumni Council is wilting

In 2011, the Alumni/ae Council at St. Paul Academy and Summit School in Minnesota was nearly nonexistent. Other than holding monthly meetings and a lackluster fundraising phonathon, the council sponsored no programs or events; it did not follow its bylaws and had no reporting structure or processes for recruiting new members. Most of the 11 council members were suffering from volunteer fatigue. The council frequently discussed the need to recruit new members but never developed an action plan.

In short, it was time for a change.

Shaping a new culture

Most institutions would love to improve the effectiveness of their alumni board or council, whether through a simple tuneup or a major overhaul. SPA's Alumni/ae Council is now a productive organization whose events and initiatives have increased alumni participation, improved morale and made an impact on the institution and its students. Here's what the advancement staff learned.

Listen before acting

When Jenni Beadle became SPA's alumni/ae relations and giving manager in 2011, she quickly realized that the council lacked purpose.

However, Beadle didn't rush right in and make changes. She spent the first six months attending meetings, listening to members' concerns and identifying allies to help change the council. She wanted the group to see her as their staff liaison.

It was also important to show that she could help move the council in a new direction. She let council leaders make decisions, create goals and generate ideas. Treating all members fairly and giving them a voice allowed Beadle to win the trust of even the most skeptical council members.

Find a good leader

Is your alumni board president burned out? Has she been in charge for too long or does she have too little time to devote to the job? Whatever the challenge, recruiting and selecting the right leader is key to a successful and thriving council.

Recruit the right members

Evaluating your organizational membership is a next good step. Are your members happy? Do they understand and support the institution's direction? Populating the council with alumni you want won't happen instantly, but slowly recruiting members who will help change the culture can work wonders.

When you find engaged council members, cultivate that relationship so that they want to stay or move into a greater leadership role. Identify upcoming stars and invest time in those volunteers.

It can be tempting to remove unmotivated members, but managing different personalities is vital to anyone who works with volunteers. If a member is continually negative or skeptical, learn why he or she feels this way.

Increasing productivity

So now you've got a good foundation in place, with a new leader and the right council members. How do you keep them happy and focused? By developing effective strategies.

Once the SPA council had new leadership and several new enthusiastic members, they spent months rewriting the bylaws. Their first big task was creating a mission statement. Members quickly agreed that volunteerism to both the school and the alumni community should be a key part of the mission.

Members also formed three committees: fundraising, events and volunteerism. Council members understood, based on what committee they served, what would be required of them. These changes drastically improved morale and energy.

Make meetings make sense

SPA council meetings had been held at the same time every month, but attendance was often low. Meetings were moved to days and times when the majority indicated they could attend. A dial-in option was also offered.

The council also invites students or employees from other departments to attend. Members especially look forward to visits from the college counseling staff, who report on the senior class college application process and how it continues to evolve.

Create events they can own

The council is now responsible for a few annual events that have become traditions.

The Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series meets two needs of the alumni community: a professional networking event and the opportunity to hear from alumni in the prime of their career.

The other signature event is a day of giving, which is very successful. Almost 30 percent of the alumni who contributed in 2016 were either brand-new or lapsed donors.

Celebrate and recognize volunteers. Don't forget to thank your volunteers. Alumni are proud of their alma mater and the work they are doing to make it a better place. Your council will be more energetic if you acknowledge members' contributions.

Simple gestures can go a long way. Identify council members on name tags and publicly thank them. We've added the "Alumni/ae Council Corner" to the SPA magazine with a letter from the president and a list of the members. When members leave the board, they receive a pair of SPA embossed pilsner glasses.

A continuous evolution

Once you've made changes, continue to evaluate your board or council. Like any good organization, your council will evolve and shift as it grows – and so will your priorities.

Success brings more challenges

It was exciting to see new energy on the council, but it also led to an unexpected problem: too much interest. The council capped membership at 20, which allows the organization to be small enough for everyone to have a voice and a role but large enough to achieve notable goals.

Ensure the new policies are the best ones

A few years after the council created three committees, alumni staff re-evaluated them. A gap between ideas and action still remained, and much of the work fell to the same members. Staff suggested that each committee pick a single annual objective to focus on.

Develop a leadership pipeline

Another change was the president-elect position. This person spends one year shadowing the current president and learning the responsibilities. This gives the council peace of mind that it will continue to have a strong leader and gives the president-elect ample time to ask questions and feel comfortable stepping into the leadership position.

Slowly, slowly, change will come

It's not a quick or easy fix to shift the culture of an alumni council that's become unproductive, but it's definitely worth it. A thriving, invested alumni leadership team can engage new volunteers and donors, implement change, recruit new leaders and spur growth.

Adapted from 'When Your Alumni Council is Wilting', by Jenni Beadle and Jennifer Jung, published July/August 2016 in Currents Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2016 by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. All rights reserved.

About the Authors

Jenni Beadle was the alumni/ae relations and giving manager from 2011–2013 at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and is now the director of annual giving there.

Jennifer Jung is the director of alumni/ae programs and has worked with the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni/ae Council since 2013.