Responsiveness

In its 125 years as an organization, the Alumni Association has modified its structure, its programs, and its goals to meet the changing needs of constituents. But it has never wavered from its original primary mission: to keep alumni connected for a lifetime to Iowa State University.

The Association has been following a series of five-year strategic plans to chart the direction of its future. The current (2001-2006) strategic plan will soon be replaced by a new document to lead the organization through 2011. Strategic planning is conducted by the Board of Directors and Association staff, and plans are reviewed and modified annually.

Under the current plan, “Tradition with a Vision,” the Association’s four overarching goals are:

1. Strengthen membership
2. Engage constituents
3. Develop strategic alliances
4. Enhance the health of the organization

As part of the strategic planning process, a series of market research projects, internal evaluations, program reviews, and budget reallocations have been conducted over the past decade in order to continually assess the effectiveness of the Association’s programs and services. Market researchers asked constituents (alumni, students, and members of the Association) what made them join the Alumni Association, why they stayed members (or dropped their membership), what services they looked for in a top-tier alumni association, what they wanted from a clubs program, and what they wanted from their alumni magazine. Based on the results of this research and planning, the following changes were implemented:

• An expanded and strengthened clubs structure, engaging hundreds of alumni across the country in local club activities and athletics game-watch events (ISU’s out-of-state alumni clubs touch more than 50,500 alumni, representing 85 percent of alumni who live in areas with clubs).

• Organization of a highly effective and involved legislative liaison group, The Alliance for ISU, to offer alumni and friends a structure for supporting the University’s efforts with state legislators, resulting in an increased higher education allocation for the state’s Regent universities and enhanced awareness of the importance of Iowa State among lawmakers

• Improved retention by Student Alumni Association members, resulting in Iowa State’s organization becoming the largest student alumni membership group in the nation

• Creation of a high-profile awards weekend in the spring, hosted by the University president and supported by the Alumni Association, ISU Foundation, and University Marketing

• Enhanced series of community visits across the state of Iowa that provides opportunities for the ISU president to meet with community leaders and for the Alumni Association to host an alumni reception, thus further promoting Iowa State’s visibility

• Construction of a highly visible alumni center, scheduled for completion in 2007, to serve as the welcoming place for alumni and friends when they arrive on campus, to house University memorabilia and Association staff, and hold alumni events.