Your vocational discernment program alumni are some of your best assets. How are you utilizing them?
Whether your program is thriving or needs improvement, partnering with alumni can be a terrific resource for expansion.
They've been there.
They've done that.
And they had a great time!
Why not use their excitement and expertise to help inspire others?
Here are six ways to involve alumni in your vocational discernment program:
1. Ask Them to Give a Testimonial
You can talk about how wonderful your program is, or you can have others do the talking for you. Testimonials, whether written or video, can be an amazing way for potential attendees to gain insight into another person's experience. This will make your program come alive to them in a whole new way.
And if you're interested in creating testimonaisl for your program, we even have a free resource available with lots of tips and advice.
2. Have Them Speak to Interested Parties
Even better than a written or video testimony? The real thing.
If alumni are up for speaking with others either in person or remotely, this opens up all kinds of ideas. For example, you could host a recruiting event and have them speak or they could speak to a student on-on-one who is on the fence or they could even speak to donors who can keep your program going. Allowing people to engage with them and ask questions is a powerful way to promote the benefits of your program.
3. Recruit Them as Volunteers
There are a number of programs that have alumni come back to volunteer year after year. Some work directly with attendees as mentors, some may only play a small role in one or two of the activities, and some may choose to stay behind-the-scenes. Regardless, every opportunity you give alumni to play a hands-on role in your program is a win for you and them.
You're changing the lives of the high school students that participate in your program each year and they may want to actively participate in doing that for someone else in the future.
4. Have Them Refer New Program Attendees
If recruiting is a struggle for you, why not ask past program attendees to refer others in their network? It's quite possible that your alumni know others who could use the type of safe and supportive learning environment that you provided to them. They may just need a nudge from you to take the step.
This idea may also have the added benefit of more people hearing their own experience, which both reminds them of the wonderful time they had and allows them to tell others about it.
5. Ask Them for Feedback
Do you send a survey or gather feedback after your program ends? If the answer is no, you should definitely add this to your post-event list.
Alumni can be an incredible source of insight and inspiration for your program. They can offer advice, provide new ideas on where and how to recruit, and much more. They will also feel valued for being asked for their opinions.
6. Get Them to Share
Sharing is second nature for your alumni, so let them know you need (and want) their help. From sharing on social media to sharing with their youth pastor, give them the tools they need to let others know what your program has to offer.
At the same time, make it easy for them. Create images or flyers and give them information they can copy and paste. Like the rest of us, they will be more likely to take action if it's a simple process.