Study Findings and Survey Results

Alumni Attitude Study

About the Study

• Nationally Benchmarked Survey

• CSU Participation

• Survey Distribution and Response Rate

• Survey Results Focus on:  Demographics

 Communication

 Current and Future Alumni Programs

 Loyalty

 Implications

About the Study

Study results should •  assess performance •  emphasize priorities •  identify opportunities with the highest potential

impact

Alumni not only rank the issues most important to them, they also rank the university’s performance on those same topics

Alumni Segmentation Model

YoungAdult/Discovery26to30

Stable/Mid‐Life45to62

Building/Growth31to44

Mature/ContemplaBve63andolder

Age

RecentGraduates21to25

GradYear

ERA

LIFECYCLE

Chico State Alumni Segmentation

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000 Prior WWII -1941

WWII/ Post WWII 1941-1963

Woodstock/Vietnam 1964-1973

Post Watergate 1974-1980

Yuppie/End of Cold War 1981-1993

Dot.Com 1994-2000

Post 9-11 2001-

Chico State Alumni Database Broken Down by Era: 118,900 Living Alumni

Why Segmentation Matters

 Communications to Alumni • Magazine • Web • Email • Direct Mail

 Targeted Programs for � Different Interests

 Annual Fund Messages

 Alumni Association Membership Messages

Communication

Communication Methods: Importance and Performance

Importance exceeds performance Performance exceeds importance

Communication

Frequency of Communication Way too much A little too much About Would Not

right welcome nearly more enough

Communication Implications • Overall, our communication effectiveness is ranked higher by Chico State alumni when compared to other CSU’s and the national benchmark�

• Email, by far, is the preferred communication method�

• Our alumni, especially the younger ones, would welcome more communications from us�

• Younger alumni do not feel that we are as effective as we should be with our communications to them�

• Chico Statements is our most valuable communications tool and applying segmentation principles will increase its value

Current and Future Programming How important is it for you and alumni in general to do the following and how well the University does at supporting alumni in doing them?

Importance exceeds performance Performance exceeds importance

WWII/Post WWII

Woodstock/ Vietnam

Post Watergate

Yuppie/End of Cold War Dot-Com Post 9/11

Class year reunions such as your 10th, 25th

or 50th

Cultural activities Cultural activities

Cultural activities Recruiting students to attend Chico State

Cultural activities

Reunions based on groups you were involved with in college

Reunions based on groups you were involved with in college

Department/ club/ team

event

Department/club/ team event

Social event at a bar Department/ club/team event

Cultural activities Department/club/ team event

Recruiting students to Chico State

Recruiting students to Chico

State Networking event Networking event

Alumni event featuring a

University official

Recruiting students to Chico State

Reunions based on

groups you were involved with in college

Networking event Watching a spectator sport with other alumni

Career development event

Recruiting students to Chico

State

Alumni event featuring a University

official, such as president

Networking event

Career development event in your

area

Chico State tailgate in your area Social event at a bar

Attending athletic event

with other alumni

Mentoring Chico State

students

Alumni event in your area featuring a

University official

Reunions based on groups you were involved with in college

Chapter dinner or picnic

Mentoring Chico State students; Social event at a

bar; Chapter dinner or picnic; Attend an

athletic event in your area

Alumni event in your area featuring a University official; Chapter dinner or

picnic; Attend an athletic event in your area; Department/school/team alumni event in your area; Mentoring Chico

State students; Family-oriented activities with your children; Class

reunions such as your 10th, 25th, or 50th; Career development event in your area; Contributing or helping

raise funds for scholarships

Reunions based on groups you were involved with in college; Mentoring Chico

State students; Recruiting students to Chico State; Attending an athletic event in your area; Watching a spectator sport

in your area with other alumni; Class year reunion such as 10th, 25th, or 50th; Alumni event in your area featuring a

University official; Contributing or helping to raise funds for scholarships; Family-

oriented events with your children; Cultural background or gender-specific

events; Homecoming

Events: “Somewhat Unlikely to Somewhat Likely” to attend

Programming: Barriers to Participation

• Time

• Geographical Distance

• Family or Job Commitment

• Other Barriers

Programming Implications

• Segmentation by cohort (-2 +3)�

• Develop strategies to engage distant alumni�

• Career Service and Career Networking�

• Provide opportunities for alumni to give feedback�

• Leverage event communication�

Loyalty How well did the highest degree from the University prepare you for each of the following?

Poor Preparation Fair Preparation Good Preparation Excellent Preparation

Loyalty

How would you rate your decision to attend the University?

Loyalty

Which of the following best describes your experience as a student?

Loyalty

How often do you promote the University to others?

Loyalty

How do you rate the California State University System in terms of:

Poor Fair Good Excellent

Loyalty

Indicate how much each of the following impacts your overall current opinion of the University

Loyalty Implications

• The longer you are out of college the more you feel your degree prepared you for life

•  Communicate to alumni how the diploma is increasing in equity—the accomplishments of today’s students increase the value of their degrees

• Our alums love this place—promote the aesthetics of the campus in our branding

Membership: Reasons to Join

Membership: Benefits

Membership: Benefits

Suggested Areas of Focus • Communicate to alumni how the diploma is increasing in equity

• Provide opportunities for alumni to provide feedback and engage in activities

• Job and career-related activities

• Communicate differently with younger alumni (30 & under)

• Branding presence on campus

• Engaging alumni who are out-of-state

Another Survey?