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Director of alumni relations skills for your resume and career
Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Alex Nesterenko Ph.D.,
Alex Nesterenko Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical director of alumni relations skills. We ranked the top skills for directors of alumni relations based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 17.8% of director of alumni relations resumes contained alumni relations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a director of alumni relations needs to be successful in the workplace.
15 director of alumni relations skills for your resume and career
1. Alumni Relations
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni relations:
- Developed long-term Alumni Relations Strategic Plan targeted to increasing alumni participation, alumni communication, event awareness and alumni giving.
- Organized the Office of Alumni Relations in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of internal and external operations and responsibilities.
2. Alumni Engagement
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni engagement:
- Developed marketing collateral and programs to increase alumni engagement and drive financial support.
- Led strategic communication to increase alumni engagement and contributions.
3. Alumni Association
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni association:
- Promoted positive relationships between Alumni Association, Alumni Association Board, and College constituencies Planned and executed Alumni Association out-of-state events.
- Improved volunteer organization and utilization through a thorough review and subsequent reorganization of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
4. Alumni Events
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni events:
- Planned and executed monthly alumni events targeting 14,000+ in alumni database.
- Collaborated with colleagues to ensure smooth operations at alumni events.
5. Event Planning
Here's how directors of alumni relations use event planning:
- Learned how event planning contributes to Fund Development
- Coordinated and enhanced all reunion and special event planning for 13,000 alumni including events attended by over 700 people.
6. Alumni Programs
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni programs:
- Developed and implemented marketing strategies to enhance support for existing alumni programs and events; searched for new constituency programming alternatives.
- Enlarged participation in alumni programs and events across multiple regions through an intensive marketing and recruitment campaign.
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Here's how directors of alumni relations use strategic plan:
- Assisted with preparation of Institution-wide Integrated Strategic Plan.
- Completed first association strategic plan.
8. Event Management
Event management applies project management to the development and creation of corporate events such as conferences, festivals, ceremonies, concerts, or formal parties.
Here's how directors of alumni relations use event management:
- Handled college-wide public relations, including media relations, event management, corporate partnerships and stakeholder communications.
- Coordinated staff and event management procedures for University's Spring weekend celebration.
9. Alumni Community
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni community:
- Provided ongoing programming, communications, and volunteer support to encourage and stimulate Howard University's alumni community engagement and giving.
- Assisted the Associate Director with advising student organizations on outreach to the 41,000 members of the alumni community.
10. Alumni Participation
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni participation:
- Analyzed and segmented alumni in order to develop targeted activities to encourage alumni participation in annual and capital campaigns.
- Planned formal and informal events on both national and international levels designed to increase alumni participation.
11. Alumni Board
Here's how directors of alumni relations use alumni board:
- Redesigned Alumni Board giving and participation program, implemented alumni surveys and restructured committees and events to align with Board strategy.
- Developed/trained volunteer teams, scheduled Alumni Board meetings, designed alumni marketing materials and maintained effective communication with alumni.
12. Professional Development
Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.
Here's how directors of alumni relations use professional development:
- Collaborated with alumni and Center for Student Professional Development to arrange bi-monthly career workshops.
- Created enhanced programming, social and professional development opportunities for Milwaukee Chapter.
13. Regular Communication
Here's how directors of alumni relations use regular communication:
- Maintain regular communications with alumni body through personal visits, as well as print, electronic and social media.
- Maintain regular communication with alumni via direct contact, email communication, web pages and print publications.
14. Career Services
Career services may refer to a center dedicated to helping individuals (often college students) prepare for the job market. This may include assisting with a resume, suggesting potential companies to interview with, or conducting surveys to find out an ideal career for the individual.
Here's how directors of alumni relations use career services:
- Partnered with career development office to identify employment and opportunities and provided web-based career services for 250+ alumni and current students.
- Developed Alumni-Student Career Mentoring Program in conjunction with Career Services.
15. Financial Support
Financial support is the financial resource or money provided to an organization to support its operations. Financial support is generally provided by the government, or private institutes such as non-profits, or aid institutes. Financial support usually does not have any interests or benefits to be returned.
Here's how directors of alumni relations use financial support:
- Cultivated alumni for Annual Giving and Capital Campaigns for the financial support of our school.
- Created a climate that fosters alumni affection and financial support for the institution.
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What skills help Directors Of Alumni Relations find jobs?
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What skills stand out on director of alumni relations resumes?
Alex Nesterenko Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Program Director, Grand Valley State University
If one is considering hiring an experienced ICM, one will look for applicants with college/university baccalaureate degrees in appropriate fields of study, with preference given to individuals with graduate degrees again in appropriate fields of study. However, an experienced individual's track record is of central importance: do they have the sort of successful track record that would qualify them for the job they have applied for?
What is required is evidence of success, which must be identified on the individual's resume and attested to by the individual's key references at previous places of employment. In this regard, in addition to a college/university degree, one would be particularly attentive to evidence of:
-Having successfully facilitated constructive dialogue in an organization
-Created/enhanced effective information channels in an organization
-Problem-solved significant issues resulting in organization members feeling more informed and feeling that they better understand one another
-Having contributed to the betterment of the organization's culture
-Professional certification, such as in project management or other relevant areas
In addition, one would look for the following character traits, which would presumably be revealed in interviews and attested to by the individual's key references.
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
While not necessarily an exhaustive list, these are the sorts of things that one should look for when hiring an experienced ICM.
A college graduate with no professional communication experience could find employment working as an assistant to the ICM, the department head; or, as previously mentioned, they might apply for an ICM position in a start-up company or in a small NFP organization. In this situation, one would look for the following as evidence of being a good fit:
-A college/university degree in an appropriate field
-At least one field-relevant internship that included responsible duties
-Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment
-Demonstrated excellent writing skills
-Demonstrated excellent public speaking and presentation skills
-Demonstrated experience with social media
-Demonstrated analytical skills
The kinds of character traits one looks for in an experienced ICM, one also hopes to find in an entry-level hire. Any of the following would be thought to be a considerable plus or advantage in terms of an applicant's candidacy for a position:
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
What is required is evidence of success, which must be identified on the individual's resume and attested to by the individual's key references at previous places of employment. In this regard, in addition to a college/university degree, one would be particularly attentive to evidence of:
-Having successfully facilitated constructive dialogue in an organization
-Created/enhanced effective information channels in an organization
-Problem-solved significant issues resulting in organization members feeling more informed and feeling that they better understand one another
-Having contributed to the betterment of the organization's culture
-Professional certification, such as in project management or other relevant areas
In addition, one would look for the following character traits, which would presumably be revealed in interviews and attested to by the individual's key references.
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
While not necessarily an exhaustive list, these are the sorts of things that one should look for when hiring an experienced ICM.
A college graduate with no professional communication experience could find employment working as an assistant to the ICM, the department head; or, as previously mentioned, they might apply for an ICM position in a start-up company or in a small NFP organization. In this situation, one would look for the following as evidence of being a good fit:
-A college/university degree in an appropriate field
-At least one field-relevant internship that included responsible duties
-Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment
-Demonstrated excellent writing skills
-Demonstrated excellent public speaking and presentation skills
-Demonstrated experience with social media
-Demonstrated analytical skills
The kinds of character traits one looks for in an experienced ICM, one also hopes to find in an entry-level hire. Any of the following would be thought to be a considerable plus or advantage in terms of an applicant's candidacy for a position:
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
What soft skills should all Directors of alumni relations possess?
Alex Nesterenko Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Program Director, Grand Valley State University
The following soft skills are central to being a successful ICM:
-Attentive listening
-Problem-solving
-Critical thinking
-Creative thinking
-Time management
-Being a team player
To these, one could add the following character qualities:
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
One might likely include yet other soft skills. However, the above list characterizes the soft skills one would surely want to see in an ICM.
There is no universal agreement on what are or are not "soft" and "hard" skills. Generally, however, hard skills are understood to be skills that one can learn. For example, one can learn to be a more capable writer or researcher. On the other hand, soft skills are understood to be social skills, character traits, and attributes that evolve over a person's lifetime. In this regard, it is doubtful that one can be quickly taught to be more open, and yet, a person can become more open to others over time with a willingness to pursue it. While learning is surely involved, change is largely attributable to the individual's efforts and is less a product of formal education. However, formal education can hasten the development of soft skills. For example, the individual seeking to become more open to others could avail themselves of various courses at a university that could help them understand and appreciate greater openness.
-Attentive listening
-Problem-solving
-Critical thinking
-Creative thinking
-Time management
-Being a team player
To these, one could add the following character qualities:
-Projects a sense of calm and maturity
-Projects openness and empathy toward others
-Has leadership capabilities
-Has a strong work ethic
One might likely include yet other soft skills. However, the above list characterizes the soft skills one would surely want to see in an ICM.
There is no universal agreement on what are or are not "soft" and "hard" skills. Generally, however, hard skills are understood to be skills that one can learn. For example, one can learn to be a more capable writer or researcher. On the other hand, soft skills are understood to be social skills, character traits, and attributes that evolve over a person's lifetime. In this regard, it is doubtful that one can be quickly taught to be more open, and yet, a person can become more open to others over time with a willingness to pursue it. While learning is surely involved, change is largely attributable to the individual's efforts and is less a product of formal education. However, formal education can hasten the development of soft skills. For example, the individual seeking to become more open to others could avail themselves of various courses at a university that could help them understand and appreciate greater openness.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Directors of alumni relations?
Alex Nesterenko Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Program Director, Grand Valley State University
The following seem to be in line with the nature of IC and what the ICM regularly does. These are in addition to a college/university degree:
-Public speaking skills
-Presentation skills
-Research and analytical skills
-Writing, editing, proof-reading skills
-Computer skills-data analysis, spread sheet, graphics, etc.
To these, one might also find the following desirable in an ICM candidate for a job:
-Professional certification, such as in project management
Other hard skills could be desirable, but the list above suggests the kinds of hard skills typically required of an ICM.
-Public speaking skills
-Presentation skills
-Research and analytical skills
-Writing, editing, proof-reading skills
-Computer skills-data analysis, spread sheet, graphics, etc.
To these, one might also find the following desirable in an ICM candidate for a job:
-Professional certification, such as in project management
Other hard skills could be desirable, but the list above suggests the kinds of hard skills typically required of an ICM.
What director of alumni relations skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Phyllis Seawright
Assistant Professor of Theater, Mississippi College
A gap year is only as adventurous as the budget allows. An up-to-date resume, thorough research of job websites in the desired area, and the ability to Zoom or Skype for interviews will help a fledgling fly farther from the nest. Having excellent presentation skills will secure that job over the Zoom universe.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about director of alumni relationsList of director of alumni relations skills to add to your resume
The most important skills for a director of alumni relations resume and required skills for a director of alumni relations to have include:
- Alumni Relations
- Alumni Engagement
- Alumni Association
- Alumni Events
- Event Planning
- Alumni Programs
- Strategic Plan
- Event Management
- Alumni Community
- Alumni Participation
- Alumni Board
- Professional Development
- Regular Communication
- Career Services
- Financial Support
- Association Board
- Alumni Involvement
- Alumni Database
- Fund Raising
- Alumni Outreach
- Alumni Chapters
- Development Colleagues
- Alumni Activities
- Appeals
- Email Blasts
- Event Attendance
- Strategic Direction
- Student Organizations
- Advisory Boards
- Alumni Web Pages
- Capital Campaign
- Regional Events
- Student Engagement
- Class Gift
- Social Events
- Promotional Materials
- Alumni Network
- Press Releases
- Web Content
- Executive Committee
- Alumni Publications
- Alumni Newsletter
- Student Body
- Student Scholarships
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025