colleges, universities and independent schools

inspire alumni to be entrepreneurs and innovators

The most successful of alumni initiatives are those owned by the alumni – pioneered and launched by alumni with passion, drive, and focus. Ownership brings decisive action, effective management, and accountability for success. But alumni don’t know what they don’t know. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, “How do people know they want an iPad if they don’t know what an IPad is?”

Dollhopf Associates can provide your alumni with new ideas for alumni engagement through:
strategic planning and visioning | strategies for establishing a culture of teamwork, mutual respect, and collaboration among diverse alumni groups.
Inspirational presentations | a parade of ideas that have transformed alumni relations, from innovative shared interest groups to life-long alumni education, from international service projects to cultural exchanges, from student recruitment to student engagement…and many more.

Identifying “positive deviants” | the best ideas are being practiced by alumni who don’t realize they could be adapting their valuable skills and experience to meaningful alumni initiatives.
Bringing ideas from design to action | creating the appropriate administrative and volunteer structures within complex and university and school cultures.
The alumni innovators of today are the major donors of tomorrow.

inspire alumni to service and outreach

Build programs for giving back to society. Many programs can be implemented without significant investment of resources – both staff and financial – if the right volunteers are engaged. Dollhopf Associates offers hands-on program management for:

Alumni service corps | short term “peace corps” like projects, domestically and abroad, for alumni, family, and friends.
Community service | engaging alumni in ways to give back to local communities through volunteer service, thought leadership, educational forums, and leveraging of social networks.
Global alumni leadership conferences | leveraging alumni networks to expand the economy of leadership ideas and practice.

Alumni ambassador programs for student recruitment | programs to inspire young people around the world to stay in school and consider a liberal arts education.
Cultural exchanges | sharing traditions of philanthropy and volunteerism with academic, NGOs, and government institutions around the world.
Alumni choruses, bands, and orchestras | performing arts groups dedicated to preserving school traditions and changing lives through the power of music.