Lessons learned from building an alumni volunteering programme: Five key reflections on 2,000 volunteers and 10,000 students per year

Laver, Laura and Astbury, Helena (2025) Lessons learned from building an alumni volunteering programme: Five key reflections on 2,000 volunteers and 10,000 students per year. Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing, 10 (2). pp. 139-150. ISSN 2397-0634

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Abstract

In 2019, Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) undertook an expansion and upweighting of development and alumni relations (DAR) as a function, establishing a five-year strategic goal in the latter area, of recruiting 2,000 alumni volunteers, impacting 10,000 students each year. These goals were reached in year four of the strategy. This paper summarises key reflections and learnings of the past four years of business activity, distilled in five points. This paper begins with setting the scene for strategic change and growth, then proceeding to the five core points of reflection and concluding with some thoughts on the next strategic cycle. Evergreen business truths such as the importance of collaboration are reflected on, specifically in the context of a large post-92 UK university, as well as distinctive illustrations of new opportunities sought and seized during this business period. The core intention of these reflections is to articulate practical insights and examples for alumni relations professionals seeking a step change in alumni volunteering activity. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.