Strategic partnerships drive greater alumni engagement

Many alumni associations find it challenging to engage alumni, especially young alumni. They use a wide range of tactics including newsletters, online communities, direct mail, lectures, events and blogs. However, there’s another tool that can help foster these important relationships. Strategic partnerships for alumni associations can be a smart complement to communications and events, while also creating opportunities for increased involvement.

According to the 2020 Voluntary Alumni Engagement in Support of Education (VAESE) survey, most alumni organizations give themselves poor grades for member engagement:

• 90% of alumni professionals admit they “need to do more” to attract and engage young alumni
• 70% of organizations say their top goal is to increase alumni engagement
• 27% of those admit to having no dedicated strategy to boost engagement

Businesses seek out strategic partnerships with alumni associations because they are eager to work with the association’s members and will offer financial incentives to an association for being selected as a preferred or exclusive provider. This means that alumni associations are able to be selective about which organizations they partner with, including with trusted, licensed insurance agencies. Many alumni associations find that embedding opportunities to shop for services such as personal insurance coverage – auto, home, condo, renters, life and pet insurance – can be an effective and efficient way to build deeper engagement with alumni on their websites and in their communications. The relationship is a win-win.

For young alumni, offering the opportunity to purchase personal insurance through a partnership may be especially attractive as they are more likely to be reaching life milestones that may impact their coverage needs. Some may be buying their first home, getting married or having children – making insurance expertise crucial as they navigate major changes in their lives.

A strategic partnership with VIU by HUB, a digital insurance broker platform, can simplify the insurance buying process for an association’s members and provide choices that a typical carrier partnership does not allow. VIU by HUB is designed to seamlessly integrate into an alumni association’s system or communications to provide members with a digital-first experience backed by human interaction. The VIU by HUB Advisory Team includes licensed independent agents who provide objective advice and active support to help your members choose the best insurance carrier and coverage for their needs. And the partnership does not end there. The team continues to engage, manage and optimize the association’s program well beyond the initial launch.

Connecting with alumni through VIU by HUB’s quick and easy-to-use platform helps create “forever clients” for the association. Ultimately, alumni are more likely to stay engaged with the association and renew their membership because the offerings of these exclusive benefits can save them time and money.