One of the most important things your organization should be thinking about doing is creating a comprehensive Internet strategy. A comprehensive Internet strategy will provide you a repeatable, measurable, and predictable strategy that will take the mystery and guesswork out of engaging and involving your alumni via your alumni online community, plus it will open the doors to tremendous benefits that include:

• Increases in contribution

• Increased participation in events including annual giving

• Increased alumni stewardship 

It will also give management more control over an area they are finding themselves having to commit more resources to. Just as important, with a written strategy it will reduce the stress everyone is feeling when they are attempting to “shoot from the hip” and follow the strategy, “du jour.” 

More importantly, with a comprehensive Internet strategy that includes the entire advancement division, you'll find staff will be working smarter, not harder as all departments begin to take advantage of the “self service” benefits the Internet provides. These include; giving alumni the ability to update their own data, register and pay for events online, enter their own class notes, and pay dues and contributions online. 

When you and your team make a commitment to begin to organize your office around the tools and services available, you will almost immediately begin to realize a return on your investment from the efficiencies it will provide. 

Surveys we’ve conducted over the past two years have shown that less than 5 percent of alumni and advancement offices have a comprehensive written Internet strategy. Unfortunately, most organizations have admitted they spend more time discussing department Christmas parties than they do their Internet strategies. 

If you are reading this, you are more than likely interested in taking your Internet strategy to the next level. You're probably also familiar with Einstein’s famous quote, “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It’s an appropriate quote for organizations that are doing little to gain the knowledge, training, and expertise to create, expand, and manage their online communities. 

Your web strategy needs to evolve from a sleepy, “fit it in,” mentality to one in which your entire division is focused on developing an integrated, lock step strategy that benefits everyone, including your alumni. 

Knowing you and your colleagues have a very busy schedule, we’ve designed the Create a Comprehensive Internet Strategy course so you and your team can participate at any time, from any computer. The course is designed so multiple people can take the 12 different lessons.