How to hire an alumni relations coordinator

How to hire an alumni relations coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step alumni relations coordinator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an alumni relations coordinator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new alumni relations coordinator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an alumni relations coordinator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the alumni relations coordinator you need to hire. Certain alumni relations coordinator roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An alumni relations coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, alumni relations coordinators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of alumni relations coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Alumni Relations Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Alumni Relations Coordinator	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$14-30
   Publicist	Public Relations Supervisors are responsible for implementing the media and public relations strategy of an organization. Their duties include developing public relations campaigns, organize public relations events, assist in emergency response planning, updating documentation, monitoring media, improve management of press office, and manage media databases... Show more	$14-39
   Public Relations	Public relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items... Show more	$15-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Alumni Relations
   • PowerPoint
   • Alumni Events
   • Event Planning
   • Alumni Engagement
   • Background Checks
   • Alumni Association
   • Facebook
   • Data Entry
   • Alumni Database
   • Linkedin
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Salesforce
   • Alumni Participation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage timelines and projects including expenses, booking travel and presentations.
   • Create new social networking presence; develop alumni Facebook page for managing events, employing user-friendly system and existing user base.
   • Manage and implement ways to engage alumni in e-communications, including e-news and Facebook.
   • Manage and prepare PowerPoint presentations for high level meetings between senior management and external clients.
   • Coordinate development and implementation of intranet and Internet sites with web design staff and internal customers to coordinate with marketing campaigns.
   • Monitor news media and collect newspaper clips, in addition to estimate return on investment (ROI).

   More alumni relations coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your alumni relations coordinator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An alumni relations coordinator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, alumni relations coordinators' average salary in mississippi is 48% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level alumni relations coordinators 53% less than senior-level alumni relations coordinators.
   • Certifications. An alumni relations coordinator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an alumni relations coordinator's salary.

   Average alumni relations coordinator salary

   $44,215yearly

   $21.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level alumni relations coordinator salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average alumni relations coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$60,102	$29
   2	Connecticut	$60,009	$29
   3	District of Columbia	$59,037	$28
   4	Massachusetts	$58,120	$28
   5	California	$54,111	$26
   6	Pennsylvania	$53,660	$26
   7	Rhode Island	$53,484	$26
   8	Maryland	$51,104	$25
   9	Ohio	$50,003	$24
   10	Virginia	$48,625	$23
   11	Arizona	$45,630	$22
   12	North Carolina	$45,422	$22
   13	Colorado	$45,306	$22
   14	Minnesota	$44,118	$21
   15	Michigan	$42,264	$20
   16	Illinois	$41,315	$20
   17	Nevada	$40,729	$20
   18	Tennessee	$38,585	$19
   19	Alabama	$34,972	$17
   20	Missouri	$34,886	$17

   Average alumni relations coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ropes & Gray	$146,122	$70.25
   2	W. R. Berkley	$69,909	$33.61
   3	UC Merced	$60,034	$28.86
   4	Reed Smith	$56,641	$27.23
   5	UC Hastings Law	$54,645	$26.27
   6	Michigan State University	$52,557	$25.27
   7	University of California-Berkeley	$51,590	$24.80
   8	Summer Search	$51,438	$24.73
   9	Brown University	$50,899	$24.47	7
   10	San Francisco University High School	$50,657	$24.35	1
   11	DC International School	$50,506	$24.28
   12	NANA	$48,100	$23.13	8
   13	Florida International University	$47,939	$23.05
   14	BayMark Health Services	$46,373	$22.29
   15	Uniti	$46,373	$22.29	2
   16	Calvary Bellefontaine	$46,373	$22.29
   17	CoStar Group	$46,288	$22.25
   18	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$46,275	$22.25
   19	Saint Louis University	$46,038	$22.13
   20	ICONMA	$44,635	$21.46

4. Writing an alumni relations coordinator job description

   A job description for an alumni relations coordinator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an alumni relations coordinator job description:

   Alumni relations coordinator job description example

   * Work type: Full Time
   * School/Department: Columbia Business School
   * Grade: Grade 9
   * Categories: Administrative Support
   * Job Type: Support Staff - Union
   * Bargaining Unit: Local 2110
   * Regular/Temporary: Regular
   * End Date if Temporary:
   * Hours Per Week: 35
   * Salary Range: $54,625 - $65,571
   
   Position Summary
   
   Reporting to the Director, Alumni Engagement and Programs, the Coordinator, Alumni Relations is responsible for providing logistical support for Alumni Relations signature events and programing, maintaining the alumni database, coordinating online event management and alumni tours of the campus, and tracking alumni engagement. The Coordinator works as an integral part of the Alumni Relations team and is the first point of contact for most of the alumni and external parties that interact with the department. S/he will be a strong and motivated team member, invested in raising the bar for Alumni Relations at Columbia Business School and in strengthening communication both within the Alumni Relations team, and with other teams in Development & Alumni Relations, the Business School, and the University at large. This individual will meet core and partnership values of teamwork, integrity, accountability, and respect.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   * Coordinates planning and execution of School-sponsored alumni events; secure space bookings and vendors; organizes event details, team calendars and meetings, and ensures efficient on-site management through effective planning and delegation; and manage event registration for all signature events.
   * Assistant the Associate and Assistant Directors with event communications, invitation development and distribution, collateral materials, club related travel vouchers, and reconcile event attendance in corresponding databases.
   * Responsible for managing and responding to the alumni inbox and messaging system. Responds to alumni inquiries in a timely manner, or shares to appropriate person for follow up. Supports alumni engagement inquiries and responds to customer service requests for the team with the highest level of customer service.
   * Handles invoices, expenses and reconciliation of accounts. Manages contracts for alumni reunion weekend registration vendor. Works with the Director and the Financial Planning Office to ensure that expenses are charged to the correct accounts.
   * Support Columbia Business School reunion efforts through managing event registration, and assisting with coordination and logistics of reunion committee correspondence.
   * Maintain and update online and internal regional alumni events calendars. Tracks club and regional events and updates internal Alumni Relations calendar, as well as alumni website calendar with date, time, and location of domestic and international events throughout the year.
   * Update and maintain the alumni database of approximately 50,000 alumni, ensures that the information is inputted accurately, prepares reports for the Director to track alumni engagement.
   * Maintains the alumni online registration, vetting, tracking process for monthly tours of MHVL. Works closely with student government representatives and event ops to coordinate and facilitate tours for alumni.
   * Represents the department at internal and external events and communicates program details to students, alumni, and staff.
   * Perform related duties and special projects as needed and assigned.
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   
   High School Diploma or its equivalent required, some college preferred. Minimum of three years related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience required.
   
   The successful candidate must be able to work independently as needed and have the ability to handle detailed work on multiple projects. Must have demonstrated strong verbal, organizational, written, editorial, and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate must have knowledge and interest in education, hospitality, and event management. Ability to handle detailed work on multiple projects in a fast-paced, flexible team environment is required. Some evening and weekend hours required.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
   
   Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
   
   Applications open: Oct 14 2022 Eastern Daylight Time Applications close:
   
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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find alumni relations coordinators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your alumni relations coordinator job on Zippia to find and recruit alumni relations coordinator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting alumni relations coordinators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new alumni relations coordinator

   Once you've selected the best alumni relations coordinator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new alumni relations coordinator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an alumni relations coordinator?