Challenges in Engaging the Millennials Young Alumni Council Meeting Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 Presented by: Jill Smith

Who Are They? O Millennials O Graduates from 2005 – present (some studies refer to Millennials as born between 1980 – 2000) O Also referred to as the echoes, the nexters, Gen Y, Generation WE, the Boomerang Generation and the Peter Pan Generation O UK Millennial graduates = 44,532 (and rising!)

General Characteristics Of Millennials O Expect instant gratification O Sense of entitlement O Accepting of all races and ethnicities O Gravitate toward group activities O Technologically skilled O Short attention spans O Expect immediate feedback O May appear to be antisocial

Alumni Relations Trends & Challenges Pertaining to Millennials O Unemployment/underemployment of graduates O Mobile population O Global thinking O Reputation of school and equity of diploma key motivators for connectivity O Electronic engagement in addition to physical engagement O Desire to engage with those of shared interest O Desire to know results of work if engaged

Alumni Relations Trends & Challenges Pertaining to Millennials O Decline in alumni who want to attend events O Increase in social media connection O Increase of new graduates with student loan debt O Decrease of those joining or giving it’s the right thing to do” O Increase in consumer-driven alumni who expect value-added benefits and accountability O Increase in negative perception of less value in a college degree due to limited job opportunities

Challenges of Alumni Club/Event Engagement In Millennials O Postal mail invitations and delivery O address accuracy O Competition for time O Mobile population O Perception of decreasing loyalty to the institution O Decline in some event attendance O Convincing Young Alumni to join, get involved, stay involved

Challenges Of Communication To Millennials O Maintain a balance of various desired communication channels. We must be everywhere! O Text messaging is by far the preferred method of communication for Millennials. Phone calls are considered too invasive. Mail? Forget it. Their lives are centered around mobile devices.

Challenges Of Membership Marketing To Millennials O Messaging – These groups don’t have the built-in loyalty and affinity of earlier generations. O Establishing value of membership - Need instant gratification and to know “What’s in it for me?” O Social media marketing – The association must meet these prospective members where they are.

Addressing The Challenges O Different engagement approaches needed: O Text, cell phone contacts, meaningful engagement, meet alumni where they are O Targeted generational marketing O Different engagement approaches used: O Legacy, DanceBlue, Young Alumni – new avenues to get alumni involved O Utilizing various communication channels, such as social media, to interact and engage these groups O Generational messaging in recent membership solicitations

The Future O As student enrollment rises, Millennials will become a bigger percentage of our total alumni base. Engaging this group based on number is crucial. O We must keep up with technological advances and continue to seek input from alumni in these groups regarding communication, programming and membership marketing.

Young Alumni Council Feedback O Personal experiences: O Clubs O Events O Membership O Communications O Thoughts regarding what the association is currently doing O Suggestions for new things the association should be doing