Alumni Engagement Metrics An engagement scoring system to refine and shape our work.

Alumni: Wolf Blitzer, Khalil Mack, Harvey Weinstein. Who are we? 30,000 Students 250,000 Alumni living in 180 countries Office of Alumni Engagement – 16 FTE, 2 GA’s and 2 student assistants reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement Key office initiatives: Regional Events, Young Alumni Programming, Career Services, Volunteer Relations and Data UB Alumni Association – separate 501c3 – non-dues membership (2015) A Alumni: Wolf Blitzer, Khalil Mack, Harvey Weinstein.

Why measure alumni engagement? Ability to chart progress Tools to guide strategy Measure ROI, case for increased resources Track big picture initiatives AND individual alumnus movement. Ties alumni engagement work to major divisional and university objectives Quantitative measure of impact and success

Previous ‘measurement’ system That was then…

This is now. ENGAGEMENT SCORECARD A three-year rolling calculation Engagement Category/Activity Points Volunteerism (within last 3 years) 35 Volunteer Activity 1‐3 hours (Status=Active, Level=1) 3 pts each Volunteer Activity 4‐8 hours (Status=Active, Level=2) 5 pts each Volunteer Activity 9+ hours (Status=Active, Level=3) 7 pts each Volunteer Preference (Status=Active) 1 pt each   Boards/Councils/Committees (Current Only) 15 Affiliations Level 1 (Certain Others) (Symbol=5, Status=Active) Affiliations Level 2 (UB Council, UBF Board, DACs, AA Boards) (Symbol=10, Status=Active) 10 pts each Committees Level 1 (1‐3 hours) (Group=E1, Status=Active) Committees Level 2 (4-8 hours) (Group=E2, Status=Active) Committees Level 3 (9+ hours) (Group=E3, Status=Active) Events (within last 3 years) 16 All Events (free or paid) (Participation Status=Participated) 2 pts each General Activities (within last 3 years) 14 All Activities (Status=Active) Athletics Season Tickets (within last 3 years) 10 Season Ticket Holder (for any sport) Alumni Association Membership (Current Only) 3 Lifetime Membership (UBAA, Dental, Law) 3 pts Annual Dental and Law Membership (Current Only) 1 pt Donor/Prospect Visits (Contact Report with Type=Visit) 2 Within last year Within years 1-2 Recent Gift of any size (within last 3 years) 5 Maximum: 100 This is now.

How did we get there? Best Practices, of course! Invite key stakeholders to participate in process. What are we measuring now? What alumni ‘actions’ are meaningful AND trackable? What is the capability of the database? Allocate central alumni staff to manage data, educate constituents and advise on strategic use of the score

Using the score to shape our work Tracking engagement by segment Holistic view of alumni engagement Use scores to identify ‘low hanging fruit’ for increased engagement Tool for keeping alumni engaged – a filter for stopping alumni from slipping through the cracks Collaboration with unit based alumni professionals Metric to show relationship building Feeder for Philanthropy counterparts

The score ‘in action’

Alumni Engagement Portfolios: A tool to show alumni engagement professionals as relationship builders, not just party planners.

Keys to success Identify key stakeholders and involve early in the process Do your research. Bring multiple models to the table during initial conversations Assess staffing. You will need at least 1 to 2 dedicated staff to support initiative. Be flexible. The score will likely go through various iterations, tracking something is better than tracking nothing. Universal adoption. This will not succeed if only the alumni engagement/relations team is tracking and using the scores. Prolonged success is dependent on correlating the score to key initiatives and sharing the successes.

Universal adoption Scores must be readily accessible to all divisional employees. Reporting must be shared globally. Impact and success stories must be highlighted regularly.

Show correlation to major initiatives UB Donor Behavior   (n=) Average Lifetime Donor Non Donor Engagement Under 5 1,697 $130 25% 75% 5-9 2,148 $2,774 94% 6% 10-20 456 $10,058 87% 13% Over 20 154 $14,379 90% 10% No Score 4,635 $100 33% 67% TOTAL 9,090 $1,478 50% Engagement Score relationship to donations significant after 5 points and more pronounced for average lifetime giving.

Why does it matter? Why should you start? Commitment to being data-driven will reshape your work, support decisions and allow for more strategic thinking. Metrics will level the playing field for staff. Data will break down silos within your unit. It will create a more holistic approach to alumni engagement. Proving that increased engagement is positively correlated to the attainment of key divisional and university objectives justifies the investment of time and dollars in alumni engagement efforts.

Questions?

Kristen Murphy, Senior Director kms53@buffalo.edu 716-645-8712 Proudly Presented by Kristen Murphy, Senior Director kms53@buffalo.edu 716-645-8712