We started by asking:
Your alumni want to help those walking in their footsteps because it feels amazing.
But most of them are too busy for that alumni networking platform, for mentoring, for coming on campus to speak to a class.
We built Protopia to let even the busiest alumni and donors make an impact. On their terms.
Our alumni, our students, and our team are app’d out. We chose Protopia because we need a simple and scalable tool to let our alumni give back without throwing another platform at them.
Nancy Merritt
Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations
University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association
First things first: with Protopia there’s nothing new to sign up for or learn. Everyone is automatically enrolled (it’s super easy to opt out) and uses their favorite tools to engage (email, SMS, etc).
Why does that matter? Because the average professional already uses 35 different apps a day. They are not clamoring for another Facebook.
Oh, and Protopia uses your existing alumni data so your IT team doesn’t have to worry about “another database.”
When is the last time you heard an alum or student rave about networking on LinkedIn?
Unlike a networking platform, with Protopia users simply submit what they need help with (guided by our expertise) and our AI does the hard work of activating alumni for advice + networking.
It’s equally simple to help: About 15-30 of the most-relevant alumni (and donors!) receive a private email asking if they can assist. Recipients can not only choose if to help but also how much: quick advice, a call, or a meeting. Without ever logging into another app.
LinkedIn and directories like it can be intimidating – not just for students looking to network but also for professionals inundated with requests. It’s hard to turn someone down and easier to just not engage.
With Protopia your busy experts will never feel bad about saying “no”: they are in full control if, when, and how they want to help. Their identities remain hidden (only you know who we ask) until they agree to assist.
If they guilt-free decline because they are not available or a request is not a fit, our algorithms learn their preferences and engage the next-best expert in the queue.
Did you know that more than half of all questions on networking platforms go unanswered? Even fewer on LinkedIn.
It’s hard enough to reach out and ask for help – no response from your alma mater is an engagement death knell.
Protopia’s AI continuously recruits the best experts until we have two or more answers. You can optionally moderate, share with campus partners, or coach the “asker” on how to network.
A rule of thumb on alumni data is “three jobs behind.” Long “update your data” forms typically offered by institutions probably don’t help.
With Protopia, alumni not only get a compelling reason to update their data (“for better matches to volunteer opportunities”), but it’s also quick and without login. Which is why 40% of alumni that engage with Protopia update their data.
Change is never easy, but just like ripping off a Band-Aid, it should be quick and not hurt (a lot).
Unlike the traditional months-long implementation process, you can launch Protopia as quickly as 4 weeks: branding, data, legal, administration (who should see & do what), and marketing. We will be by your side and support you with best practices, tools, and insights.
We’ve built Protopia from the ground-up to leverage artificial intelligence and “smart automation.” Our AI finds + engages the best, available alumni, determines when a request needs an approval or escalation, and jumps in as necessary to coach users.
No need to “quit your day job” to monitor and manage. In fact, our customers spend about 0.5 FTE supporting Protopia – and that includes understanding how well the community is engaging via our private, real-time analytics dashboard.
Protopia bridges the gap with alumni who might have otherwise remained disconnected, allowing them to contribute their expertise and support to students and fellow alumni. Our experience with Protopia has been transformative, and we anticipate further integration into classrooms and a robust marketing campaign to amplify its impact.
Sallie Sistare
Executive Director of Alumni & Family Engagement
Denison University
Curious how we got our start? Here’s Protopia’s origin story from Founder & CEO Max Leisten.
Protopia’s artificial intelligence technology makes it simple for everyone in your community to connect. Without another app.
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