ALUMNI

Alumni are an important base for any school or program; accounting is no exception. They can provide feedback, political support (especially in a public school), business connections and private support for an institution. Alumni have a special tie to the School and by working to supplement the connection they have to you, you can encourage their continuing involvement and aid.

The following points represent some important issues which the accounting program administrator is likely to encounter in dealing with alumni.

Alumni: A Force for Change

Alumni can be a powerful force for innovation and change.

They 1) provide important feedback concerning your educational programs; 2) use their influence with your faculty and administration to help you implement change and innovation; and 3) through their volunteer efforts alumni can participate in your academic programs.

Alumni are able to provide a unique perspective on your educational programs and are a valuable resource for outcomes assessment data.

Alumni, currently working in professional jobs, are able to reflect upon their educational experience and provide you with valuable feedback on the effectiveness and efficiency of your programs. You might consider meeting regularly with a group of alumni of all ages to discuss your programs.

If used judiciously, alumni can effectively influence students, faculty, and the university administration.

This is especially true of those alumni who hold important positions in the business and the accounting communities.

Effective curriculum innovation and change requires the input of the accounting profession and the business community.

Your alumni can help you obtain this input. In addition, they can help you access case data for your curriculum and provide speakers for class presentations.

Whose Alumni Are They: The Perennial Turf Battle

It is in the area of alumni relations that the accounting administrator is likely to have the most interaction with the rest of the university. There are a number of important areas that a successful accounting administrator must deal with including, "sharing" alumni, questions of funding, and proper gift accounting systems. Suggestions for success include:

Working with the university development/alumni office can actually help you as they are better staffed with alumni relations and development professionals.

Also, they should have good alumni records and the staff to maintain them. They may be able to research your constituency and provide guidance for your development and alumni relations efforts. The expense of research and record keeping is usually much higher within a school or department than in the central University area due to economies of scale.

Agreeing early in the process on policies for soliciting and counting money, and on whose money is whose.

Although each university uses different systems of allocating operating budgets and charging overheads, it is important not only to clarify these systems but to remove your constituency from the internal decision making process. For people to feel confident enough to give large sums of money, they must remain removed from the politics within the organization.

The question of who can or should solicit which groups of people also should be addressed.

Oftentimes, alumni will hear from their major (accounting), the school of business, and the university. It would be clearly beneficial to have the rights to solicit all alumni with accounting degrees. However, accommodations might have to be made in this area. For example, the university is likely to want to retain solicitation rights to alumni who are capable of making large gifts (i.e., those above $100,000 or $1,000,000). Or, you may have alumni which, in the past, have given to other academic units or to athletics. It is helpful to coordinate solicitations in order not to confuse alumni and to get the most from your external contacts. A unified message will be more powerful than many contradictory ones.

Maintaining Access to Your Alumni

Keeping access to and communicating with alumni are important. Since many graduates work in the accounting profession, they are easier to identify and contact in a group (especially those in public accounting). It is important, however, to maintain contact with those alumni outside the large firms.

Involve your students before they graduate.

If you have a support group, consider a student membership level. Encourage them to complete an information card with work plans, a permanent phone number and a forwarding address.

Most large accounting firms maintain lists of their alumni.

Contact them regularly, and use these lists as a resource.

Consider placing announcements of events in your CPA society newsletter, creating your own newsletter and mailing messages from you about the program and your activities, plans and successes to date.

Also, host receptions and regular meetings with key alumni and professional decision makers in your community.

Involve alumni wherever possible including asking them to help you update address lists and introduce you to people with an interest in your activities.

A good idea is too keep circulating a missing alumni list.

Expanding Alumni Support

Alumni can be a critical source of support to your program including monetary support, professional networking, working with classes, and involving your faculty in continuing education for professionals.

Annual fund activities are effective means of soliciting operating funds.

They are best run with volunteers who are guided from within the institution - provided with lists of potential donors, information about the School, and directions of how best to ask for money. Some alumni or their organizations might host receptions for your fund raising efforts and provide everything from organizational support to covering the total cost of the event.

Develop a "giving ladder" or a holistic view of funding opportunities for your program.

This will serve to 'raise sights' and encourage alumni to give in line with their professional stature. Be careful not to cap giving at lower amounts! For example, at the University of Southern California the Accounting Circle has giving levels of $50 (student level) to $2,000 (corporate member), while the Accounting Associates has annual giving levels ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. Personal endowment levels range from $25,000 to $100,000.

Take advantage of corporate matching programs.

Foundations will often match individual donations and/or firm efforts for specific programs such as fellowships or centers.

Involve alumni in projects that they may then decide to help fund, such as teaching or development activities.

Thus, they will not only help you in the change and innovation process, but they might also help fund the process.

Sometimes Your Best Friends are not Your Alumni

Often, some of your best supporters are not alumni. This group can include parents of students, recruiters, professionals who want to do professional development and/or community service, employers, faculty, etc. Involve as many people as possible in your program.

Alumni Perquisites

Many alumni support their institutions because of their desire to return something to their alma mater or to remain current on accounting information. Providing seminars, informative panels, and networking opportunities are critical to your success. In addition, your school may provide other opportunities for doing favors for alumni and friends. There are several important points to keep in mind.

Thank all your donors for gifts or other favors they do for the institution.

This includes letters that distinguish the amount and kind of support. You may want to code or keep a list of your VIPs and their salutations, fax numbers and secretaries' names.

Follow-up!

It is critical to let people know that they are important and that you "listen" to what they say (especially if you ask). You will not be able to please everyone but the point is to respect everyone's opinion and be honest.

When you travel, try to visit alumni and other professionals in the area.

It makes people feel appreciated and gives you a different perspective of your activities.

Summary

Alumni and friends can have a positive effect on many aspects of your job and programs. Take the time to improve and nurture your alumni activities. Recognize that work with alumni and external constituencies takes a great deal of time and is a labor intensive process. If your activities are effective, they will have both short term and long term returns that will be of great benefit to your program.

University Administration	Professional and Corporate Relations
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