Connecting to Young Alumni

Reaching young alumni — literally and emotionally — is a challenge for colleges. The way people younger than 30 communicate, their motivations for giving money or time, their use of social media, and their different college experiences are bringing about a shift in alumni relations. Colleges and universities savvy enough to recognize these differences are looking for creative and entrepreneurial ways to reach and communicate with their alumni, tweaking and sometimes overhauling college standbys like reunions and annual-fund appeals.