Case Study
Bringing better to the world: How Coca-Cola’s Scholars Foundation engages alumni + shows its impact
Bringing better to the world: How Coca-Cola’s Scholars Foundation engages alumni + shows its impact
About the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation (CCSF) awards achievement-based scholarships to students in their final year of high school. Students are recognized for their service and leadership, as well as their commitment to significantly impacting their schools and communities.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has provided over 6,600 Coca-Cola Scholars with more than $78 million in educational support since 1989.
The network of Coke Scholar alumni includes nonprofit founders, elected officials, entrepreneurs, CEOs, education professionals, and more..
Case Study
Why use an alumni community platform?
St. Edward High School
Alumni engagement is critical for an organization like the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation where the ability to network with the wider alumni community into the future is a cornerstone of the program’s success. In fact, CCSF alumni had long been requesting a designated platform where they could search for and connect with other Coke Scholars both for social and professional reasons.
About
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States.
The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
After experimenting with building their own website for networking purposes, CCSF chose the Community from Gravyty alumni platform. As well as catering to Scholars’ desire to network with one another, the Community platform removed the middleman, allowing alumni to search for relevant connections directly without waiting for the small CCSF team of seven to make the introductions.
Case
Study
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation’s
St. Edward High School
9 tips for building a vibrant and engaged alumni community
About
Here are some lessons CCSF learned from hosting an alumni community platform:
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States.
1.
The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
Keep users engaged through rich + relevant content
A rich stream of relevant and up to date content will give your alumni reasons to keep coming back. Content ideas based on CCSF’s experience are:
Feed—Regularly update your feed with fresh and relevant content.
Videos—Have alumni and staff record 30-60 second video tutorials, sharing tips for using the platform.
Events—Create and post virtual and in-person events in the platform, like Coke Scholar Pro classes, which are master classes taught by Coke Scholars for other Coke Scholars.
Business Directory- Have your alums post about their businesses and consider offering discounts exclusive to their community.
2. 3.
Share off-platform content on your platform
If you’re posting interesting content off the platform, add links to these items within the platform. For example, CCSF hosts a popular podcast (“The SIP”) where alumni industry leaders share advice and personal stories. By sharing this content on the platform, you can drive greater engagement.
Make visiting the platform essential
The best way to create FOMO (fear of missing out) around your platform is to use it to post all the information alumni would want, especially information that isn’t available elsewhere. This can include exclusive scoops about events, job opportunities and more.
Case Study
Offer a selection of diverse and varied events
St. Edward High School
As well as a host of virtual and career-oriented events, think of offline and in-person events that cater to your alumni’s needs and can drive further engagement.
About
CCSF’s “Slices for Scholars” program invites undergraduate Scholars to connect with other Coke Scholars at their school over pizza and Coca-Cola, reimbursed by the Scholars Foundation. CCSF also hosts well-attended in-person networking events in cities where big groups of Scholars live and work. A recent event in NYC brought together more than 80 Scholars and alumni and another in Boston this fall had over 120 attendees!
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States. The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
5.
Use personal stories to enhance interest
CCSF noticed a spike in interest when alumni shared their own knowledge, stories, and experiences with others. They therefore encourage alumni to participate in a Coke Scholars Pro class or the podcast and share this personal content to the platform where it draws in a crowd of viewers.
6.
Segment your audience
Community from Gravyty conveniently provides the functionality to create separate online groups based on varied parameters such as region, college attended, professional interests, etc.
Use this feature to share content relevant to specific groups as well as posting global content to the community as a whole when needed.
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4.
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Track metrics to measure impact and drive KPIs
St. Edward High School
About
By drilling down into the metrics provided in the Community platform, CCSF administrators can track progress and set KPI goals. By viewing stats like “number of connections made” or “number attending” a certain event, administrators can see which initiatives and content are the most successful and use any lessons learned to create more engaging offerings in the future. Begin a mentorship program
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States. The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
8. Ask your audience what they want
Mentorship for CCSF alumni has occurred organically through the alumni community platform. Users are searching the directory and using the “willing to help” feature to connect with relevant alumni on their own initiative.
While it’s great that this has happened without a formal alumni mentorship program in place, CCSF administrators are looking into using Community’s special features to run a dedicated mentorship program in the future.
9.
The best way to drive engagement is to give users what they want. Go out and talk to your alumni, run focus groups and send out surveys. Find out what they want and give it to them (on the platform and off) and you’ll have the recipe for success.
Case Study
7.
St. Edward High School
Results (so far)
About
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States. The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
Current platform users: 2,836
Network size: 6,648
While having one-third of the alumni community signed up to the platform is a promising start, CCSF administrators plan to use all the tactics mentioned above (and more) to try and draw in a greater proportion of their alumni.
“Everyone craves community. Having a dedicated online platform with all these helpful features has helped us foster better relationships between alumni from across the world and build a successful and vibrant community.”
Case
Carolyn Norton, Alumni Relations Manager, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
Study
St. Edward High School
About
Founded in 1949, St. Edward High School is an all boys 9-12 school in Lakewood, Ohio, United States.
Establish, grow + nurture your nonprofit community
The school has an endowment of 14 million USD, annual fund goal of 1 million USD and a current capital campaign of 22 million USD, with an annual enrollment of 950 students 13% of the school’s 17,000 alumni donate to the annual fund.
Want to learn more about how Community from Gravyty will engage your members, volunteers and employees and in return keep them happy, involved, enriched and motivated?
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