Lowlands Conference showcases the progression of

the industry in continental Europe

There were a lot of great sessions at CASE Lowlands this year, but one that

excited us particularly was Hedwig Roeling, Nijmegen University and Jochem

Miggelbrink, Amsterdam University on the importance to ensuring students

are engaged with alumni/fundraising whilst they are still attending the

university

By John Rux Burton

This was an open-discussion, with many great points. We have seen, around the world, many

good ways to create student experience. Some of them are obvious, such as joining students

into the process of recruiting others at open days. Student have to engross the core added-

value of study at the institution and engage with what is special about its offering, its history,

and crucially long-term benefit. Another is to engage alumni in mentoring, so that current

students experience, first hand, why staying in touch is so valuable. These two points, of

ambassadorship and why its worth remaining in contact find a meeting point in having students

join the guests at alumni reunions.

All these are really valuable, but we have found two absolutely key, and transformative ways in

which current students learn about the long-term relationship they will enjoy through the rest

of their lives, and both involve fundraising.

The first is obvious, the student call-room; the second, is more oblique, but even more

powerful and that is soliciting gifts off parents.

Running an extensive phone campaign is the number one means of getting brand

recognition for the Development Office. An email to all students saying ‘Do you want a job’

is an excellent way to get their attention! When we track the number of people opening,

each time, such communications, 1000 or more students is typical. If you are doing multiple

campaigns, there is a good chance a third of more of your students during their studies will

read about your office, will understand the symbiotic relationship of alumnus and alma

mater, will know you are serious because you are asking extensively, and will learn about the

mass-support for and the significant benefit flowing from your work. And if you are doing,

say, 12 weeks of calling a year, the chances are over 200 students will actually work on

campaigns. They will need to take on-board and promote eloquently your vision of the

relationship with alumni, what you will do for them and what they can do for future

generations of students at your institution. Students have the time to talk, and talk they will

with their friends about their work on the campaign. So by one means or another, one can

see how a good phone programme will spread your message through your current student

body better and faster than anything else…

Well almost anything else, because nothing will get your students thinking about your office

more than their parents being asked to donate. Why? Because the next time they are home,

their parents are bound to ask three things: 1) Why does university need money 2) What is

the reality of student need 3) How are you benefiting from all this philanthropy. By the time

of university, most students have passed by the years of greeting parental questions with a

grunt before going to their room to listen to Spotify. They want their parents to see them as

knowledgeable adults. So, not wanting to look ill-informed, they will make it their business to

find out.

This point takes us full-circle, because, if students make it their business to find out, they are

unlikely to report back to parents favourably unless the alumni programme they find is not

simply one of asking, but of giving too… a life-time, and mutual, relationship working to

common benefit. We need a raft of AR programmes that make sense to current students if

we want them to pay attention and to look forward to the day when they will be an

almnus. But it is always through our engagement of students in fundraising, directly in

phonathons or class-gift initiatives, or indirectly, discussing it with their parents, that we will

the most profound inculcation; after all, we do want our students to leave wanting to stay in

touch, but even more we want them to stay in touch and to want to give.