Green alumni relations

How can we sustainability-proof our alumni programming?

Dear Friends:

Last week, the Alumni Friday focus was alumni and their desire for careers with meaning and impact.

As a response, career services professionals have initiated green guidance as a way to support students and alumni make conscientious choices about their careers with the climate crisis and other challenges of our world in mind.

I started thinking: What about green alumni relations? Or, sustainable alumni relations? Support alumni with green mindset through our events, initiatives and programs.

Many of our institutions include sustainability as a value and strive for inclusion on Impact Rankings, showing efforts across the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. How does our alumni efforts measure up? Lately, alumni have expressed to me the incongruence between university intentions for sustainability and what they see in alumni practice. From single-use plastic or catering choices at alumni events to a desire for more diversity in alumni representation, speakers, or mentors. Can we do better?

There are excellent examples of alumni sustainability affinity groups, such as the Sustainable Fords at Haverford College. Check out my friend and inspiring alumni scholar Sandra Rincón's article of global communities on campuses worldwide promoting SDG initiatives. This begs the question: the students are keen to be involved in sustainability measures, like Rotterdam School of Management SDG Student Ambassadors. I wonder can we extend these initiatives to create alumni communities, like UBC's Sustainability Fellowship Alumni or AlumniUK's SDG Alumni Ambassadors.

Your challenge this week:

For alumni-facing professionals: Spend the hour this Alumni Friday reflecting on your alumni program. Is there ways you can green-proof or sustainability-proof your alumni program? Do your alumni address the SDG targets through their work and can we feature them as relatable role models?

For students and alumni: Are there student sustainability programs at your institution that could (and should!) be extended to an alumni community? Speak up and share your ideas with your alumni office! (alumni professionals are also welcome to take up this challenge!)

Inspired to build sustainability in your alumni programming? I have worked with clients including University College Cork, the Danida Fellowship Centre (Denmark) and AlumniPortal Deutschland (Germany) for online presentations to alumni teams and developing strategic plans with an SDG lens (in an intentional way - without greenwashing). Book an Discovery Call!

Yours with alumni inspiration,

Maria

Photo: Did you know The Alumni Way (and our sister company KITE Limited) is a remote working business?

Here I am with my fabulous colleague Emma Mullin (left) on our only meeting in-person earlier this year! Thanks Emma for your stellar work and indulging me for this sustainability infused Alumni Friday