The scariest day of the year is upon us so I thought it may be a good time to admit that even alumni pro’s can be frightened. Here’s our Top 10 list of what (so I have heard) puts the shivers into them in 2021.

1. Doing more with less. The great #resignation wave is hitting higher education hard. With remote work gaining traction, some are choosing work in the corporate world over a return to campus, leaving alumni teams with more openings than ever on their teams. 

2. No return to pre-COVID campus engagement. Many of us are still anxious about a return to pre-COVID travel (especially those with younger kids). There has been a lot of digital engagement innovation over the last 18 months, and alumni may never go back to physical events at the same rate simply out of convenience. What does that mean for staff and budgets?

3. Not enough digital volunteers. In the same digital engagement innovation vein, the demand for volunteers has skyrocketed. While it should be simpler to recruit graduates to help with a virtual event, it’s harder than ever to stand out from the increased digital noise we’re all subjected to. Sure, try texting them repeatedly …

4. Outdated alumni data. Ahh, the perennial favorite scare for every institution. More frequent job changes and relocations (especially with remote work) has made keeping data updated an even tougher task. The good news is that technology has made tracking simpler. If only integrating it would be …

5. Lack of engagement insights. More ways to engage digitally means more data that you need to measure, integrate and evaluate. Few institutions have a well-refined scoring model, and many we’ve talked to are scrambling with reporting (even something as frustrating as “I don’t have access to Tableau to get what I need”).