6 ways to celebrate your next school anniversary or milestone event that will engage your alumni

Celebrating school anniversaries and milestones is an excellent way to recognise and honour the achievements, progress, and growth of a school over the years. They bring together current and former students, staff, and parents, help create a sense of community and highlight your shared history.

They can act as a powerful marketing tool for the school for prospective families but are also a fantastic opportunity to engage your alumni community. (read our recent article to find out how to engage your alumni ahead of your school anniversary or milestone events)

School milestones and anniversaries can be celebrated in a variety of ways, depending on the significance of the event and the resources your institution has available.

Here are just a few of our top ideas:

1. Alumni Reunion Events

   Reunions are a common way to celebrate school milestones especially for key anniversary years such as 5, 10, 25, 50 years since cohorts left the school. These events can bring together alumni from the same graduating class and provide an opportunity for them to reconnect with classmates and reminisce about their time at school. With alumni often being spread globally, remember to incorporate a digital element to ensure all alumni can be included. 
   

2. Events and performances

   Schools and universities could consider organising events and performances to recognise these key anniversary or milestone events. These could include musical performances, plays, art exhibitions, or sporting events. These can not only showcase the talent of current students, but also that of alumni that have gone on to have successful careers in their field.
   

3. Fundraising Campaigns

   Significant milestones can be a great opportunity to launch fundraising campaigns to support bursary places, new buildings, or improving facilities at your school. Alumni may be more inclined to donate during a key school anniversary or milestone event, as during these events they are reminded of their time with you which conjures up feelings of nostalgia.
   
   Attempt to personalise any fundraising campaigns. Understand the interests of your alumni and what campaigns they may be more interested in. For example, an ex-student that attended a cricket tour to South Africa in 1995, may be more likely to help support a fundraising campaign for a new cricket pavilion or a bursary place on the current cricket tour – than a new performing arts centre. (If you’re unsure of the best ways to collect and gather this type of data on your alumni, speak to our friendly team. We have lots of ideas as to how to optimise your fundraising efforts 😉)
   

4. Commemorative Items

   Why not look at creating commemorative items, such as mugs, t-shirts, or other merchandise to either sell or give away to your alumni to mark the occasion. It doesn’t have to be a physical item, something like a personalised online gallery of their time with you including photos and mentions of your alumni in any school newsletters and magazines that they can enjoy themselves but also share with friends and family, is also highly effective. This serves as a way of providing something of value back to your alumni community and highlights your gratitude for their ongoing contribution to your school community.
   

5. Historical Exhibits

   Your school or university could create historical exhibits that showcase your history and achievements over the years. These exhibits could be displayed both physically and online, to provide alumni with the opportunity to learn more about your legacy. By including online exhibitions, they can be accessed at any time – and from anywhere in the world to ensure as many alumni as possible are included.
   

6. Volunteer Opportunities

   Schools and universities can offer volunteering opportunities for alumni to give back to your institution (especially those not in a position to donate financially). This could include mentoring current students, volunteering at events, or even perhaps helping to scan and digitise old school material to be uploaded to a social archive! 😉

Overall, there are many different ways to celebrate school anniversaries and milestones. The key is to create events and activities that are meaningful and engaging for alumni – that help to strengthen their connection to YOU!

Do you have some ideas for celebrating your upcoming school anniversary that you feel are missing from our list? Or are you curious about how SocialArchive® can help engage your alumni before the big event?

Either way, we want to hear from you! We’re always looking for ways to improve our services and make your celebration a huge success. Get in touch with us today and let’s discuss how we can work together to create a celebration that truly showcases your school’s achievements and strengthens your alumni community.