Four Ways Clean Alumni Data Can Help Your Alumni Program | ClientsFirst Consulting

Poor data quality in college alumni programs is a problem we hear far too often. Data quality is critical to the university’s and program’s ability to accurately predict various aspects of an alumni program, such as: B. Donations, the number of people expected to attend an event, and other metrics that reflect the success and health of an alumni network.

But why do so many universities struggle to maintain clean, accurate, and up-to-date data about their alumni?

Maintaining clean alumni data can be challenging for a number of reasons, including lack of alumni engagement, data entry errors, or limited resources and staff. These challenges can come from a variety of sources, including a lack of industry knowledge and higher education data management experience. But whatever the reason, maintaining clean alumni records can have a profound impact and revitalize a dwindling alumni network. Here are four ways clean alumni data can help your alumni program.

1. Improved communication

Administrators overwhelmingly agree that clean and accurate data has a positive impact on their alumni communication efforts. To put it bluntly, without accurate contact information, institutions cannot effectively reach their alumni and provide them with the value they want to offer them. With accurate alumni data, institutions can also offer a more personalized experience to their alumni.

Institutions that personalize their alumni communications report increases in various email marketing metrics and annual donations. Personalized email campaigns saw a 14% increase in open rates and a 17% increase in click-through rates.

2. Improved alumni engagement

In general, the main goal of alumni programs is to provide their alumni with a strong support network of consistent value, mostly delivered via email. However, with the massive amounts of email we receive today, it’s no surprise that sometimes it gets lost in our contacts’ inboxes. With clean alumni data, institutions can differentiate themselves from the competition and offer their alumni engaging content.

Institutions should more strategically segment their audiences to send them targeted communications based on their demographics, senior year, field of study, or geographic location. This information enables university alumni programs to host and administer events such as volunteer or mentorship programs or fundraisers, as well as manage and track invitations and acceptances, and evaluate event success.

3. Increased fundraising success

A survey of 800 institutions found that 54% of institutions Those who saw a drop in alumni donations attributed it to poor data quality and a lack of data integration. This statistic underscores the importance of clean and accurate alumni data, without which institutions cannot use the data they need to build and grow their alumni programs.

By leveraging clean data, higher education institutions can strengthen their fundraising programs, increase donor engagement, and encourage philanthropic support for their initiatives and goals. Accurate records of donor communications, preferences, and donation confirmations enable institutions to conduct timely and personalized administrative activities. Effective administration strengthens relationships with donors, fosters trust, and encourages continued giving.

4. Improved Decision Making

Bad data leads to bad decisions, plain and simple. Clean and accurate alumni data serves as a reliable basis for data analysis and reporting. Institutions can use data to gain valuable insights into alumni demographics, levels of engagement, donation patterns, event attendance, and other relevant metrics.

You can also use this data to identify areas of opportunity and allocate resources strategically. By analyzing alumni data, institutions can identify which segments of their alumni population need additional attention or investment. You can also measure the success of different activities, identify opportunities for improvement, and make data-driven adjustments to improve program outcomes. With good data, smart decisions can be made, and with a strategic and decision-driven approach to alumni engagement, institutions can see increases in giving and alumni engagement.