Alumless
Alumless is a bi-weekly talk show produced by Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting. In each episode, host and Vice President Ryan Catherwood and CMAC Founder and CEO Chris Marshall discuss the latest issues facing alumni and donor engagement professionals working in higher education. Listeners of Alumless will hear topics discussed such as strategic planning, engagement metrics, volunteer management, marketing and communications, donor experience design, and the latest and greatest advancement technology. The Alumless podcast is an extended version of the live broadcast published on LinkedIn and Youtube every other Friday.
Episodes
Friday May 12, 2023
Creating an alumni engagement culture shift with Thomas McArthur
Friday May 12, 2023
Friday May 12, 2023
Hey listeners! We have a great show for you with special guest Thomas McArthur, Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving, at the University of Buffalo. We chat with Thomas about the challenges of ushering in a new framework for alumni engagement at a large, complex, state university like UB.On the show we also discuss with Thomas what it's been like working to create a culture shift and develop a new set of priorities. In particular, we will ask Thomas about his efforts to establish a more robust integration between the Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving teams.Join us for these topics and more on this edition of Alum-Less — from Friday, May 12 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe to the podcast edition of Alum-Less for the 30-minute bonus segment with each of our special guests.
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Assessing annual giving strategies with Adam Compton
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Friday Apr 28, 2023
We've got an excellent show for Alum-Less listeners this week! Chris and Ryan explore all things annual giving with special guest, Adam Compton, Executive Director of Annual Giving at NC State University. They discuss annual giving trends with Adam and review the recent and successful NC State Day of Giving.On the show, listeners will hear a discussion on how universities should consider increasing their alumni participation rate and how to design a more holistic approach to annual giving that realizes potential across stakeholder groups and audience segments.
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Leading an elite alumni association with Caryn Davies
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
For our one year anniversary episode, we have a unique and exciting guest on Alum-Less! This week we're featuring Caryn Davies, three-time medal winner (two golds and a silver) on the U.S. Rowing team, and current President of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association.On the show this week, we discuss with Caryn Davies the challenges of leading the USOPA, and what it means to be an alum in the context of a shared history around representing the U.S. in the Olympic games. We'll hear from Caryn on the lessons she's learned during her athletic career, in addition to her work as an attorney and motivational speaker.Join us for this special, celebratory episode of Alum-Less.
Friday Mar 31, 2023
Developing a volunteer pipeline strategy with Dan Olds
Friday Mar 31, 2023
Friday Mar 31, 2023
Hey, Alum-Less fans! This week, we've got a great episode featuring special guest Dan Olds, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Information Systems at Bowdoin College. Our focus this week is on volunteer pipeline development. We'll discuss everything from managing and motivating alumni boards to micro-volunteer strategies.
Dan and Chris also share how the strategic planning project they’re engaged in, including important focus groups with students, has helped form and inform a new mission and vision for the future. Finally, we hear from Dan on his work leading the Information Systems team at Bowdoin and how he imagines that work intersecting with alumni engagement.
Hear these topics and more in this new edition of Alum-Less. Subscribe to the podcast edition of Alum-Less for our bonus segment with Dan.
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Rethinking global alumni engagement with Chris Kendrick
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Friday Mar 17, 2023
A new episode of Alum-Less is here featuring our first overseas guest. Join Chris Marshall and me for a conversation with Chris Kendrick, Deputy Director of Alumni and Supporter Engagement at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). We discuss the changing landscape for engagement and what that means for building strong international alumni networks. We’ll also hear from Chris Kendrick about LSE’s evolving strategy around content co-creation and what that means for scaling engagement worldwide.We'll also discuss how engaging alumni and supporters differs at colleges and universities in the U.K. Join us for this important topic and more!
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Winning athletics alumni engagement with Dori Sonntag
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
This episode of Alum-Less features special guest Dori Sonntag, Associate Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness in University Advancement from Gonzaga University. With the NCAA College Basketball Tournament almost upon us, we explore alumni engagement around athletics. The men's and women's basketball program at Gonzaga are both perennial favorites to make the tournament. We'll discuss with Dori how they've developed a playbook for March Madness that gets refined each year.We've got a packed show with these topics and more.
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Strategies for evolving alumni engagement with Todd McCubbin
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Our special guest on Alum-Less this week is Todd McCubbin, Executive Director of the Mizzou Alumni Association. Hear our conversation on the evolution of engagement programs. Chris and I discuss with Todd how leaders should be thinking about the digital vs. in-person components of alumni engagement strategies and the challenges that exist when considering pathways for activating more alumni.We discuss these topics and more!
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Defining the purpose of alumni engagement with Howard Wolf
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Monday Feb 06, 2023
This week on Alum-Less Ryan we got into the weeds with a legend in the alumni biz. Checkout our conversation with special guest, Howard Wolf, Vice President for Alumni Affairs at Stanford University, on the purpose of alumni engagement. We discussed with Howard how he thinks about engaging alumni at Stanford, and why their approach might be different or contrasting to the views of leaders at other schools. We also dissected what success looks like at Stanford, and the obstacles that still remain stubbornly in the way of progress.We also explored the changing landscape of alumni engagement and what it means for the talent pipeline we as practitioners, need to develop and maintain. Join us for these topics and more!