Introduction

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) is a beacon of engineering education and research infrastructure in India. Located in Tamil Nadu, IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering college in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) consecutively from 2016 to 2019. Institutional culture is not academic asceticism but also the stick-to-itiveness of the alumni community, which has gone to help shape the institution’s reputation and growth.

Embracing the enormous value a healthy alumni base generates—through mentorship, donations, business networking, and international reputation—IIT Madras never lost its focus on alumni engagement. But with growing numbers of alumni, came relationship management, communications, and value delivery challenges.

The Challenge: Modernization of Alumni Relations

Despite its can-do spirit, IIT Madras did have some chronic problems in staying one step ahead of alumni relations:

• Manual Handling of Data: Alumni data were handled manually, and data were difficult to obtain updated and easily accessible.

• Broken Communication: There were few engagement tools, and communications were broken on single channels that created inefficiencies and lost opportunities.

• Restricted Campaign and Event Management: Much manual work went into reunions planning, chapter meets, and campaigns, and no orchestrated coordination existed.

• Value Delivery Gaps: The institute did not deliver value-added services—digital ID cards, mentorship initiatives, and solution to queries—to alumni on a scalable scale.

IIT Madras’s alumni office recognized that it required one-stop, automated software that would automate everything alumni, connect more meaningfully, and deliver long-term value to the network.

Objectives

Keeping the vision in mind for the future, IIT Madras initiated the following goals:

• Streamline Alumni Database Administration: Employ a centralized, automated database for effective and accurate alumni data administration.

• Improve Alumni Engagement: Create timely, relevant communication and feedback to interact with alumni and inform them.

• Facilitate Good Event Planning: Automate event planning, promotion, and staging as well as campaign staging.

• Provide Value-Added Services: Provide web-based ID cards, counsel, and prompt query assistance to complement the alumni experience.

The Solution: Let’s work with AlmaShines

In December 2017, AlmaShines, a prominent alumni engagement platform, collaborated with IIT Madras Alumni Association with a vision of spearheading a digital alumni revolution. The collaboration was strategically committed to automating processes, integrating data, and providing access to an effortless experience to the alumni office and alumni.

Launch of the Platform and Features

The AlmaShines-hosted platform went live in January 2018 with an end-to-end feature set:

• Database Management: Automated gathering, validation, and maintenance of alumni information.

• Event Management: Reunion organization, chapter meeting organization, webinar and other event organization capabilities, including online registration and messaging features.

• Communication and Campaigns: Multi-channel outreach, email, newsletters, and targeted campaigns.

• Mentorship and Networking: Student-alumni mentorship, professional networking, and peer-to-peer mentoring features.

• Digital Alumni Cards: Secure digital alumni identity for use in accessing campus and partner privileges.

• Donation Campaigns: One-click integration with charity and fund-raising campaigns.

• Support and Redressal: Ticketing system for resolving queries and immediate alumni support.

Implementation and Effect

Transition to the AlmaShines platform was hassle-free and successful. Six months down the line, IIT Madras recorded historic results:

1. Increased Alumni Sign-Ups

• The site saw the number of registered alumni rise from 22,000 to 30,000—a 36% growth in six months.

• Streamlined onboarding, combined with constant outreach activities aimed at alumni across the globe, welcomed alumni everywhere to enroll and remain active.

2. Enhancing Involvement and Action

• Alumni engagement in campaigns, events, and discussion forums increased several times over.

• Site usability, as well as reminders, informed alumni about future reunions, webinars, and networking sessions, and visitation and long-term activity increased.

3. Facilitated Communication

• The website had overcome previous presentation problems of fragmented information.

• The alumni office could make on-time announcements, newsletters, and special announcements to targeted groups such that all alumni knew what mattered most to them.

4. Value Added

• Virtual alumni cards, mentorship initiatives, and live question forums helped IIT Madras establish strong bonds with the alumni.

• The initiatives created goodwill but also brought the alumni to their place of belongingness and pride for the institution.

5. Successful Event and Campaign Management

• Mass events and campaign management were automated.

• Event management functionality on the site was integrated with the automation of invitations, registration, and the collection of feedback so that the alumni office can focus on what it does best: building experiences to be remembered, not details.

Why AlmaShines Was the Best Solution

AlmaShines offered IIT Madras an easily scalable, secure, and highly configurable solution that is custom-made to suit the requirements of an institution of international repute:

• Centralized Automation: Greater automation and improved data quality.

• Personalized Engagement: Organized individualized outreach on the basis of alumni interest, location, and occupation.

• Analytics and Insights: Delivered real-time performance feedback for engagement, event attendance, and campaign performance.

• Future-Ready: The modularity of the platform allowed for the integration of newer features as alumni needs evolved over time.

Conclusion

Adopting digitization and automation through AlmaShines, IIT Madras transformed alumni engagement strategy. Not only was alumni engagement simplified through the convenience of the platform, but the platform for long-term, sustainable relationships was established. With enhanced communication, increased participation, and enhanced delivery of value, IIT Madras leads the way in alumni engagement—inviting its alumni to be a part of the excellence journey of the institute as a continuous process.

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