Skip to content
- Ideas for Customer Journey Mapping September 1, 2026 by Katie Gibson - Customer Journey Mapping is the process of mapping the end-to-end experience and touchpoints your alum has with your institution. We highly recommend visualizing the experience of your constituent base as it makes you understand the interactions the variety of your alumni have with your organization. You may easily be able to explain the high level...
Supporting Young Alumni In Their Careers July 29, 2025 by Katie Gibson - We have previously shared how easy and relevant it is to highlight alumni businesses in an alumni business directory. We now want to focus on how you can turn that directory- and your entire community- into a career resources center for your young alumni base. Whether it is internships, starter jobs, or mentoring advice, you...
Parents of Alumni and Their Role in Alumni Engagement July 29, 2025 by Katie Gibson - Parents play a pivotal role in their child’s education. Even when their student graduates from your institution, the parents are the ones to have had the most communication with administrators of your k-12 school. In this Round Table discussion, we discuss what areas parents can continue to contribute in the alumni relationship with their children....- Your Alumni Benefit Suite July 28, 2025 by Katie Gibson - It is important to understand what your alumni benefits are to ensure that you are offering a variety of engaging resources and events to your diverse base of alumni. By offering variety, you can be relevant to a wider audience base and allow for engagement across a spectrum of ages, interests, and needs. In a...
Ensuring Data Privacy and Security for Alumni Engagement January 11, 2024 by Katie Gibson - Introduction In today’s digital age, schools are increasingly turning to engagement platforms like Wavelength to connect with their alumni. These platforms offer a range of benefits, from fostering a sense of community among alumni to facilitating networking opportunities. However, with the growing concerns around data privacy and security, schools need reassurance that their alumni’s data...
Moving Alumni Up the Engagement Pyramid: Strategies for Success October 16, 2023 by Katie Gibson - This blog is based off the Alumni Engagement Webinar. The full webinar can be found here with the activity sheet here Introduction In the world of education, alumni engagement plays a crucial role in fostering a strong and supportive community. Engaged alumni not only contribute to the success of their alma mater through donations and...
Launching a Successful Online Community: A Step-by-Step Guide July 19, 2023 by Katie Gibson - Are you planning to launch an online community for your organization? Whether you’re a non-profit, an alumni association, or a professional network, a well-executed launch plan is crucial for creating awareness and ensuring a successful launch. In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps to create an intentional launch plan for your...
Schools are Challenged Trying To Address Alumni Engagement July 13, 2021 by Katie Gibson - The Big Picture: Alumni engagement in recent years has been redefined to encompass more than just giving but schools struggle with how to meaningfully interact with alumni that is mutually beneficial for the school and its constituents. VAESE (Voluntary Alumni Engagement in Support of Education) recently published data regarding alumni engagement trends. Below are some...
Alumni Engagement Video Series April 8, 2021 by Katie Gibson - This video series explores the importance of alumni engagement and how varied alumni initiatives can strengthen your school’s community, reach your fundraising goals, and satisfy your alumni. Have topics you want to make sure I cover? Email me at katie@searchewavelength.com Alumni in the context of community engagement video: How do your alumni fit into the bigger...
A Quick Exercise in Problem Solving February 11, 2021 by Katie Gibson - Problem solving is a natural requirement for any job: you have goals to meet and barriers to overcome to get there. The challenge with problem solving is that too often, a surface level issue is identified and “fixed” without actually addressing the true matter at hand. This is just a Band-Aid. A quick exercise I...- The 101 on What You Need to Know to Run a Volunteer Program December 1, 2020 by Katie Gibson - Below are a series of slides capturing key content and considerations. The link to the document is here.
Wavelength Webinar: Strategic Planning for the Future December 1, 2020 by Katie Gibson - In this 30 Minute Webinar, you’ll receive tools and tips on how to: Develop strategy that identifies key priorities, timelines and roles/responsibilities Understand customer engagement needs (alumni, staff, parents, volunteers) Align with broader school initiatives Slides to the presentation can be found below.- Wavelength Webinar: Maximize Development Goals with Data November 24, 2020 by Katie Gibson - It is important to consider your data health and data needs when creating a strategy for your development and advancement teams. Your ability to engage with you constituents relies on up to date contact information. The 3 part webinar below dives into how to maintain and improve your data practices. The slide deck can be...
Wavelength Webinar: Response to COVID-19 for Remote Advancement Teams November 24, 2020 by Katie Gibson - Advancement is looking a little different during COVID. Whether you are in person or working remotely, taking on new responsibilities when it is all hands on deck, or trying to maintain the same level of alumni engagement- here are just a few ideas to help get you through. Presentation deck can be found here.- Podcast Series: Get on My Wavelength November 24, 2020 by Katie Gibson - A series dedicated to answering advancement teams’ questions. Bringing in experts to inspire new ways to approach alumni engagement, data management, marketing to constituents, and more. Wavelength simplifies alumni relations through better data, more engaged constituents, and easier volunteer management.
- Ruthless Prioritization to Save Time and Maximize Your Impact November 11, 2020 by Katie Gibson - Ruthless Prioritization to Save Time and Maximize Your Impact There are several great tools out there that help in strategic planning and project management. One exercise I find the most useful as a gut check before starting any new initiative is called the Impact Matrix. An Impact Matrix looks into how much effort (time, money, software)...
