**Max:**

Welcome everyone to the webinar with the amazing Denison team (Go Denison!) on how AI can help increase student and alumni engagement, volunteering, and giving. I’m extremely excited and thankful to our presenters for being here today.

Before we get started, a couple of housekeeping items: If you haven’t yet, please introduce yourselves in the chat and tell us where you’re from. We have a lot of peers here, and I want to know who’s with us.

Ask questions! Protopia is all about questions. Some topics we discuss may be different from what you’re used to, so please go ahead and ask. We love answering them. And please, share this with colleagues interested in how AI can help increase engagement.

Before we dive in, I want to share a story.

One of my favorite stories is about why we launched Protopia: to simply connect human beings. A recent Denison graduate needed help launching a new food venture. You likely have many entrepreneurial students and alumni wondering how to validate an idea, create a business plan, market it, and find collaborators.

At Protopia, we take that question and search for the best alumni and constituents in your community. We look through all alumni data to find those relevant to the question, such as those with keywords like “food,” “startup,” and “entrepreneurship.” Our goal is to activate unengaged alumni, bring them back into the fold, and make it easy for them to give. We also identify prospective donors that the development team might want to connect with.

Here’s how it materialized: We emailed 25 relevant alumni. Seventeen opened the highly personalized outreach, and eight clicked on it, giving us about a 25% click-through rate. Three alumni offered help, providing amazing responses, some of which we’ve shared on our website.

Including prospective donors, the account manager and gift officer got an email saying, “You may want to follow up. Your prospect has made a significant difference in a fellow Denisonian’s life.” This is how we convert needs into broader engagement, making students and alumni happy and the gift officer pleased.

So, this sets the stage for what we’re all about: doing it simply. Now, let’s hear from the rock stars at team Denison: Sallie, Alyssa, Melanie, and Ryan. I can’t express enough gratitude for your time. Please introduce yourselves.

**Sallie:**

Sure. I’m Sallie Sistare, executive director of alumni and family engagement at Denison, where I’ve been for eight months.

**Alyssa:**

Hi, I’m Alyssa Smith, senior associate director of marketing and communications in the office of alumni and family engagement. I’ve been at Denison for almost two years.

**Melanie:**

Hey, everybody. I’m Melanie Murphy, director of career communities and coaching in the Knowlton Center, our career center. I’ve been at Denison for about eight years.

**Ryan:**

Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Ryan Brechbill, director of employer and alumni relations in the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration. I’ve been in this role for about two and a half years.

**Max:**

Fantastic! Thank you all. You’ll provide amazing perspectives. Sallie, can you quickly set the stage on Denison? Everyone should know Denison, but some highlights would be great.

**Sallie:**

Denison is a liberal arts college with a career twist, very focused on careers. We’re fully residential for all 2400 students, and our educational experience focuses on students becoming architects of their lives. That’s why I’m excited about what we’re doing with Protopia, as it provides another tool for students to discover and create the life and career they want.

**Max:**

Fantastic. So, let me explain why we’re here. Denison is an amazing partner and customer, but what stands out is the collaboration between alumni and career services. You’re doing an amazing job. Talk a bit about that collaboration and how it materializes in past projects.

**Melanie:**

Thanks, Max. Our success starts with shared goals and values, which we constantly discuss. We have open communication lines and are aligned in supporting students through alumni connections. Institutional leadership encourages this partnership, and we align our strategic planning processes. We have frequent meetings to ensure we’re on the same page. Ryan, can you share some examples?

**Ryan:**

Sure. For example, a colleague and I will take 14 students to New York City over spring break to explore financial firms and network with alumni. This helps students connect with alumni and see career paths. Alumni engagement colleagues find it a great way to engage less active alumni. We also partner with the Red Frame Lab for consulting, entrepreneurship, and design thinking, creating collaborative opportunities focused on student success and alumni connections.

**Max:**

Excellent. Who’s bringing bagels to those meetings?

**Ryan:**

You are, Max. You’re getting the bill next week.

**Max:**

Okay. Only if I can have everything bagels. Now, why were you looking for technology? What problem were you trying to solve? Who can talk about that journey?

**Alyssa:**

Of course. Our teams facilitate many career-oriented connections, so we needed to stay in communication. We were looking for a new solution when we sent out a new alumni engagement survey. We found that alumni were most interested in connecting with the current student experience and that most alumni live outside Ohio, so we needed a virtual engagement opportunity.

**Melanie:**

From the student perspective, we wanted more students having more conversations with alumni. It had to be fun, easy, and not overwhelming. We also needed something to build their confidence. Students were nervous about writing questions and cold outreach, so we needed a solution for that.

**Max:**

How did you think about the features you needed? How did you decide on Protopia?

**Alyssa:**

We evaluated other technology options alongside Protopia, considering what was most important to us. We needed something to positively impact alumni engagement and growth, be easy to use for alumni, students, and staff, and work without a login or app. Protopia met these criteria and didn’t require connecting to our advancement team’s database to start connecting alumni and students.

**Max:**

I was hoping you’d say Max’s German accent was a factor.

**Alyssa:**

That was a bonus.

**Melanie:**

It was on my list.

**Max:**

Sallie, since you joined Denison recently, why Protopia?

**Sallie:**

Max, it was because of your accent, of course. But seriously, Protopia puts answers directly in the hands of users without requiring a profile or login. Other platforms need users to build a profile and log in, which often leads to disengagement. Protopia solves this by making it easy and organic for alumni and students to connect, which I saw as a smart decision for advancing our alumni engagement with minimal staff oversight.

**Max:**

Thank you. When you launched Protopia, what outcomes were you hoping to achieve? What success criteria did you set?

**Alyssa:**

We aimed for 150 questions by the end of 2023 and surpassed that goal with over 350 questions submitted in less than a year. Success includes the number of questions, the stories and feedback from students and alumni, and how it aligns with our mission to connect students and alumni.

**Max:**

Great. We received questions beforehand. Sallie, what makes Protopia successful?

**Sallie:**

Embedding it into university life is key. Partnerships with career services and faculty are essential. Encouraging students to use Ask a Denisonian in their interactions and embedding it in classrooms and student programs make it successful.

**Max:**

How do you think this will help increase alumni engagement metrics and performance?

**Sallie:**

Protopia puts the power in the hands of students and alumni, making engagement activities simple and user-friendly. This leads to increased engagement and provides insights into our community’s interests and needs.

**Max:**

What about program performance so far? Melanie and Ryan, can you share success from career services and student outcomes?

**Melanie:**

We’ve seen 350 questions and 730 responses. We’ve used the tool to adjust our programming based on common questions. There are countless success stories of students connecting with alumni for internships and career advice, boosting their confidence.

**Ryan:**

Students and alumni initially look skeptical but are impressed by the simplicity and effectiveness. It builds confidence and facilitates authentic interactions between students and alumni.

**Max:**

From an alumni perspective, Alyssa and Sallie, what results do you monitor?

**Alyssa:**

We monitor the number of questions and responses, student engagement, and the positive feedback from alumni. It’s also great to identify and engage previously less active alumni.

**Sallie:**

Protopia has been valuable for our major gift officers, providing opportunities for continued engagement and stewardship with prospects who respond to questions.

**Max:**

What lessons have you learned? What advice would you give to other institutions considering AI?

**Alyssa:**

This is a great way to start with AI because it’s simple and impactful. The AI recommends the best fit to answer questions, making the experience positive for users.

**Max:**

Can you talk about the launch and marketing of the platform?

**Alyssa:**

We started working with Protopia in January 2023 and launched in May, just in time for commencement. We promoted it through existing channels, social media, emails, newsletters, and targeted messages to make people aware of the types of questions they could ask.

**Melanie:**

We integrated it into existing student programs, making it easy to adopt. The best marketing is student word-of-mouth, and they quickly embraced it, sharing their positive experiences with peers.

**Max:**

How should larger, more decentralized schools think about implementing something like this?

**Sallie:**

It comes down to partnerships and collaborations across campus. Work with career centers, faculty, athletics coaches, and student organizations. Utilize student alumni associations to spread the word. This will help engage previously disengaged alumni.

**Max:**

Let’s get to our favorite part: the stories. Please share some impactful stories you’ve seen.

**Ryan:**

A pre-med club looking for shadowing opportunities connected with an alum who offered to help. This led to additional engagement with the Knowlton Center and other alumni, creating new opportunities for students.

**Melanie:**

A 2020 grad who was laid off found a lifeline through Protopia. He connected with alumni in Boston who offered support and guidance, helping him feel less alone and more confident.

**Max:**

What’s next for Denison? What are your priorities moving forward?

**Sallie:**

We’ve completed a strategic plan focusing on supporting alumni throughout their professional journey, from graduation to retirement. We’re mapping out our current offerings and identifying gaps to better serve our alumni. Our leadership is fully supportive, providing the necessary resources to be successful.

**Max:**

We have some time for questions. Justin, do you have any?

**Justin:**

Yes, we have a few. First, how do you originally get alumni set up on the platform without a login? Do they opt out or are they automatically opted in?

**Alyssa:**

We work with Protopia to set up the platform, submitting a copy of our alumni database. Alumni are automatically included, and the AI does the rest. They can opt out, but the opt-out rate is very low. They also have the option to decline specific questions if they feel they’re not a fit.

**Max:**

Alumni love seeing opportunities to help and enjoy being able to choose when to engage.

**Justin:**

Another question: How do you think about micro demographic campaigns or targeting specific groups, such as international students?

**Melanie:**

The AI uses keywords and affinities to match questions to relevant alumni, including those with specific interests or backgrounds. We coach students to ask well-crafted questions to ensure they reach the right people.

**Max:**

We collect affinities and interests from both the asker and responder to make meaningful connections. Partnering with various campus groups helps spread the word and engage specific demographics.

**Justin:**

How do you handle the visibility of questions and responses, and what do you do with that information?

**Max:**

There’s a dashboard where you can see all questions, responses, and engagement metrics. This data helps us understand our community and improve our programs.

**Ryan:**

We monitor the inbox and sometimes provide feedback to students on how to phrase their questions better. This helps them learn and improves the quality of interactions.

**Max:**

This was fantastic. Thank you, Melanie, Alyssa, Ryan, and Sallie, for sharing your insights. And thanks to everyone who attended. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out. We’re looking for innovators like Denison to make it easy for alumni and students to connect, leading to amazing outcomes.

Thank you. Happy Thursday and be well.