Download - Alumni Research
ALUMNI RESEARCH
Finding your alumni and keeping track of them
Alisa MartoranoAlumni Relations Director
Resurrection College Prep High School
ALUMNI… HOW DO WE FIND THEM? How many schools have a database with
at least all the names of your alumni? How many have partial lists?
DATA COLLECTION & MANAGEMENT Clean, searchable, up-to-date data on
your alumni is critical to maintaining relationships.
Off-Line and On-Line Processes to help you collect and manage data.
WHERE DO YOU START?
Start by knowing who you are looking for and filling in the blanks.
School Records: Class Lists Permanent Records
Parish Records: Past Bulletins
Graduation Announcements Parishioner Files
GET THE WORD OUTMake Connections: Current Parents who are alumni Alumni Parents who keep in touch with
everyone Bulletin/Newsletter Articles Enlist Class Reps that are “in charge” of
updating the school on the where abouts of their classmates
Have a place on your website where alumni can update their information.
GET THE WORD OUT
GET THE WORD OUT Door Prize Raffles
Everytime we have guests in our building I have a “door prize raffle”
Contact other schools your alumni may have attended
Talk to you Faculty - Who still keeps in contact with alumni?
US MAIL Returned Mail – make
sure you are updating your database.
Mail Houses or other services can run your list through the NCOA (National Change of Address) database Gives you a list back that
provides you with updated information on people who have recently moved and changed their addresses
FINDING ALUMNI ON-LINE
GATHERING E-MAILS Have a contest for alumni and parents
to collect people’s e-mails or contact information
On the bottom of your e-mails always have an option where the alumni can “forward to a friend.”
Include a link on your e-mails where alums can update their info.
FINDING MISSING ALUMNI Where can I look on-line?Find & Connect with Alumni via on-line communities:
Great for reconnecting and finding out business information
New Graph Search Search by School attended
FINDING MISSING ALUMNI Where can I look on-line?
Free On-Line Search Engines:Whitepages.comZabasearch.com
The more information you know about someone, (spouse name, age/year of birth, city they live in) the better your chances for a match.
3RD PARTY TOOLS Where can I look on-line?
AlumniFinder.netHarris Connect
Takes your lists and contacts alumni to get updated contact information to put together a directory of your alumni
Prospecting Tools – once you know who your alumni are and want to find out more about them – wealth screening
Wealth EngineTarget Analytics / Blackbaud Analytics
DATABASES You have data – now what? How do I
keep track?An Alumni Database is essential to
your success!
o Excelo eTapestryo Sageo PDSo Raiser’s
Edge
GETTING IT DONE Let’s face it – we don’t have full-time
Researchers or Database Administrators on our staff
Research and Updating your Alumni Records can be overwhelming
Enlist Volunteers Class Reps
Set a Goal # of new names entered a week Work on research for a specific number of hours a week
QUESTIONS?
Feel free to contact me:
Alisa MartoranoResurrection College Prep High School
773.775.6616 Ext [email protected]
