Introduction

Vidyalankar Institute of Technology (VIT), established in 1999 in Mumbai, is one of the top engineering colleges in India recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and affiliated with the University of Mumbai.

VIT has fostered an atmosphere of excellence in academics, and the nation’s best brains have flowed in year after year. But when numbers of institute graduates grow, so does the issue of having significant interactions and relationships with its alumni.

Even as its profile expanded, VIT was plagued by persistent issues: maintaining contact with alumni, bringing current alumni details up to date, encouraging people to attend reunions, and fostering long-term relationships.

Inefficiency and tedium were the signatures of a manual process, and poor response rates at alumni gatherings were the payoff—just 30 attendees at the 2016 reunion.

VIT To address these issues, the institute implemented a centralized alumni network platform in January 2017. This digital shift enabled VIT to streamline communication, automate alumni outreach, and build a stronger, more connected alumni community across batches and geographies.

Challenges Faced

• Challenge in Sustaining Contact: It was a Sisyphean task to reach out and maintain contact with thousands of alumni.

• Hand Administration of Alumni Information: Alumni information was administered manually, and it led to incorrect data and excessive administrative burden.

• Poor Event Participation: Alumni events and functions were not well attended, which reflected poor sustained interaction.

• Inhibited Alumni Involvement: Few avenues existed for alumni engagement in campus events, student guiding, or organizational growth.

VIT needed an answer that would automate alumni, generate frequent interaction, and create a dynamic, vibrant alumni community.

The Solution: AlmaShines Alumni Platform

VIT introduced the AlmaShines Alumni Platform in January 2017, enrolling 9,140 launch-time alumni members. AlmaShines offered an end-to-end electronic solution specifically designed to address VIT’s own requirements:

• Centralized Alumni Database: AlmaShines substituted static spreadsheets with an active, updated database, which was synchronized with social media so that alumni career updates and addresses could be tracked.

• Automated Communication: The system permitted personalized mass emails, in-app alerts, and push notifications to automate outreach and maintain administrative time.

• Event Management Tools: VIT could now organize and promote alumni events, process registrations, and monitor attendance within a single interface.

• Engagement Campaigns: The website facilitated creative campaigns, e.g., #SheInspires (honor women alumni), #MyFirstJob (first-job stories), and “College Friends…Our Chosen Family” (honor campus friendships), creating a sense of belonging and pride.

Principal Benefits and Results

1. Rapid Building of Alumni Database
   Through constant usage and usage comfort with the AlmaShines platform, VIT’s alumni list grew from 9,140 to over 13,000 members. More significantly, 4,000 alumni made it a point to become regular monthly active members, a whopping boost in repeat usage and engagement.

2. Enhanced Placements and Internships
   AlmaShines made possible the release of Alumni Placement Program, which offered 80 direct placements for students.Recruiters and alumni posted 152 recruitment opportunities on the platform, and 395 individuals actively showed interest in offering opportunities. They also created more than 60 internship openings, strengthening the connection between students and industry while enhancing career support services.

3. Increased Alumni Events Participation
   With improved interaction and communication procedures, attendance at alumni reunions at a geometric scale increased. Guest of honor attendances at reunions also increased from a mere 30 in 2016 to 300 for reunion 2018-2019, tenfold. This was possible through online registration and reminders incorporated in the event management capabilities on the platform.

4. Simplified Administration and Automation
   AlmaShines’ automated repetitive task such as regular refreshing of databases, communications, and event scheduling relieved the administrative burden and allowed the employees to focus on strategic projects. Intelligent automation and analytics on the platform helped VIT to create innovative campaigns and ascertain the return on investment of campaigns.

5. Recognition and Institutional Development
   VIT’s investment in engagement with alumni contributed to securing its overall reputation for quality.The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accredited the institute with an A+ grade in 2019, recognizing it as one of the top-ranked engineering colleges in Maharashtra.

Why AlmaShines Succeeds

AlmaShines provided VIT with a scalable and robust alumni management platform:

• Mobile-First Experience: Members can interact with the community through a branded mobile app on iOS and Android for easy access.

• Interest Groups and Networking: The website managed to provide members with the ability to form interest groups around interests and offer professional networking and peer support.

• Mentorship and Career Services: Alumni can engage in mentorship to students, post vacancies, and visit career development events, making the alumni network more valuable.

• Data Security and Compliance: AlmaShines enjoyed data protection regulation compliance as well as safe processing of alumni data.

Conclusion

And here is a case of alumni participation in higher education with Vidyalankar Institute of Technology. With the introduction of AlmaShines, VIT transformed alumni relations—enhancing its database, event attendance figures, and creating an active, contributory community.

Automation, mobile-readiness, and high-participation features of the platform helped VIT to establish strong, long-lasting relationships with alumni, boost student opportunities, and develop a stronger institutional reputation.

With the constant rise of VIT’s alumni activities, AlmaShines is a committed partner that continues to empower the organization to reach new heights and establish its successful alumni base year after year.

Want to build your own strong alumni base? Learn how AlmaShines can do the same for you…

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