Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting
GPS for Alumni Relations

The CMAC Blog

Our musings on alumni and donor engagement…

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Going from Good to Great in Alumni Engagement
Going from Good to Great in Alumni Engagement

The problem is that there are few volunteer opportunities at most colleges and universities. The existing ones are often different types of boards or councils with few spots available. Most of these boards exist almost exclusively to create more events! I firmly believe that more events aren’t the answer.

Alumless with Howard Heevner, Cal Berkeley
Alumless with Howard Heevner, Cal Berkeley

Check out this Alumless episode from Friday, July 19th, 2024, where we dive into annual giving strategies. We're thrilled to feature Howard Heevner, Executive Director of Annual Programs at UC Berkeley. We'll discuss systemic challenges in annual giving, innovative approaches to connecting with rising generations, and the findings from a major alumni giving study. Plus, hear about Howard's insights on providing personalized giving opportunities and the impact of giving days on universities

Alumless with Charlie Melichar, Foster Avenue
Alumless with Charlie Melichar, Foster Avenue

We've got a great show for our Alumless community this week. Join us for a conversation with Charlie Melichar, Principal at Foster Avenue. In the episode, we'll discuss best practices for campaign communications and how advancement leaders connect mar/com work with engagement.

A Warm CMAC Welcome to Melissa Schipke!
A Warm CMAC Welcome to Melissa Schipke!

If you caught last week's episode of Alumless, you heard the big news: Melissa Schipke is joining our team to help roll out a new practice area for CMAC offering managed services for engagement analytics.

Alumless with Melissa Schipke and Jenny Cooke Smith
Alumless with Melissa Schipke and Jenny Cooke Smith

Join us for a special edition of Alumless, where we delve into the world of alumni and donor engagement metrics. Our esteemed guests, Jenny Cooke Smith, Senior Director, CASE Insights Solutions, and Melissa Schipke, Founder and CEO of Tassl, bring their extensive expertise to the table. On the show, we’ll explore what the CASE Insights survey on Alumni engagement has taught us about the field and what we've learned about metrics.

Alumless with Sallie Sistare, Denison University
Alumless with Sallie Sistare, Denison University

On this episode of Alumless, we're featuring special guest Sallie Sistare, Executive Director for Alumni and Family Engagement at Denison University. We'll chat with Sallie about the school's unique value proposition and how they've worked to develop and strengthen approaches to providing students and alumni involvement opportunities in the career space.

Going from Good to Great in Alumni Engagement
Going from Good to Great in Alumni Engagement

Although we’re routinely hired when a team is going through a total rebuilding phase, advancement vice presidents, more often than not, look to us for help going from good to great.

Alumless with Andrew Gossen, Cornell University
Alumless with Andrew Gossen, Cornell University

Don't miss this must-watch episode of Alumless with special guest Andrew Gossen, Executive Director for Communications, Marketing, and Participation in the Office of Alumni Affairs & Development at Cornell University.

A Warm CMAC Welcome to Melissa Schipke!

If you caught last week's episode of Alumless (our 50th one!), you heard the big news: Melissa Schipke, a seasoned marketing professional with a background in data analytics, is joining our team to help roll out a new practice area for CMAC offering managed services for engagement analytics. What does that mean, and what should we know about Melissa? We chatted with her to find out.

Melissa, tell us about yourself! How did you develop your passion for data science?

I've always been entrenched in marketing. When I graduated from Penn State, I delved into data analytics within a large corporation, and I discovered my passion for deciphering data to illuminate insights about the marketplace. But I knew that wasn't where I wanted to use my data superpowers! I was also involved at Penn State as a volunteer, and I recognized an untapped opportunity within alumni relations. I saw the challenges that the alumni relations team faced in utilizing their data effectively due to cumbersome processes (editor's note: sound familiar?). That's when I knew I wanted to channel my data expertise into optimizing engagement strategies for alumni relations.

Why is this the right time for CMAC to begin focusing on engagement analytics as a practice area?

It's time to get more people excited about data-driven decision-making! I'm looking forward to working with universities to identify the data that will be most beneficial to engagement scoring and reporting and to bring engagement analytics to the forefront for everybody. I'll be doing discovery calls with both the advancement and alumni relations teams to figure out how to organize data in a way that will have the most impact for both teams and foster meaningful connections with their alumni.

What kind of data will you be looking at?

The scope of data analysis encompasses various touchpoints between universities and their alumni. We'll leverage existing systems to pull insights on audience preferences and engagement levels. Understanding the diverse needs of alumni across different demographics and life stages will be critical as we help schools tailor effective engagement strategies.

What do you think advancement and alumni relations teams need to be paying attention to that they may not be thinking about presently?

I'm an advocate for personalized communication and targeted outreach. Segmenting communications based on alumni interests and preferences is crucial. Devising strategies to re-engage alumni who are currently unreachable presents a significant opportunity for teams to expand their network and impact. While our alumni number grows with each graduating class, it’s important to be aware of decreases in contactable alumni already in our networks to address any communication opportunities that can have a big impact in overall engagement.

As you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

My company Tassl - Engagement Management & Metrics has been around for a decade, which is a huge accomplishment! I'm really proud of how we've thrived, the impact we've had helping others, and also on how we've stayed true to our mission in the EdTech universe. Our dedication to empowering institutions with effective engagement solutions remains unwavering, and seeing the tangible results of our efforts is incredibly gratifying. I'm excited to leverage my experiences at Tassl to support CMAC clients as they navigate the complexities of data analytics and enhance their engagement initiatives. I'll also be able to take additional insights from my CMAC work and impact decisions made at Tassl. This reciprocal learning process fuels innovation and drives continual improvement, benefiting both Tassl and CMAC and our clients. 👏🏼

A huge thank you to Melissa Schipke for sharing her insights on the Alumless podcast and chatting with us for this article. If you're interested in exploring engagement analytics for your shop, please give Ryan Catherwood a shout! -KI

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Chris Marshall Advancement ConsultingChris Marshall Advancement Consulting

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If you caught last week's episode of Alumless, you heard the big news: Melissa Schipke is joining our team to help roll out a new practice area for CMAC offering managed services for engagement analytics. 👏🏼

In this article, Melissa shares her journey into the realm of data science and her excitement for leveraging data to enhance engagement strategies.

Welcome, Melissa! -KI

Ryan Catherwood