Alumni Relations rebuilding trust and more
What can alumni relations learn from the World Economic Forum 2025 themes?
Dear Friends,
Last week saw the close of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos. While I co-wrote an article for the Forum on social impact networks in 2022, this event isn't always on my radar, this year I was intrigued by their themes:
Rebuilding trust
Reimagining growth
Safeguarding the planet
Industries in the intelligent age
Investing in people
Can YOU see the connection to alumni relations? Or, on our alumni engagement aspirations?
Your challenge this week:
For alumni facing professionals: Reflection! (grab a hot beverage!) on each theme:
Rebuilding trust: How can we rebuild trust with our alumni that we see them as shareholders in the institution (not as ATMs)?
Reimagining growth: How can we create better engagement with alumni instead of always focusing on higher and higher percentage of engaged alumni (which is not always possible with our resources?)
Safeguarding the planet: How can we foster green alumni relations?
Industries in the intelligent age: How can alumni relations reinvent itself (again!*) in light of advances, including AI , and other technological and world changes? *when I mean again - alumni relations changed with social media and again during COVID - we are dynamic!
Investing in people: How do we invest and steward our alumni volunteer leaders and ourselves as alumni professionals to avoid burnout?
For students and alumni: Reflection too - here's an Alumni Friday archive piece that focuses on some actions and reflective questions! We ARE part of something bigger!
Today is the deadline! Don't forget to submit an abstract for a 10-minute presentation sharing your inspiring alumni work or insightful alumni research at ICARE - International Conference on Alumni Relations in Porto, Portugal May 8 and 9! Submit your abstract by today (31st January) here!
Tomorrow is the start of #LoveAlumni month! Start tomorrow by reaching out to a fellow alum you haven't seen in years - good for the heart and soul!
With alumni inspiration,
Maria
Photo: From the archives (without the snow and cold weather!) - ICARe 2024 - you don't want to miss this alumni community spirit - put in your abstract today - inspire and be inspired!
