Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

The Lane College National Alumni Association (LCNAA) Strategic Planning Committee developed a Strategic Plan focusing on five core strategic initiatives that it believes is most important for the LCNAA to accomplish during the next five years. This plan does not provide direction at a granular level nor does it set timelines or identify the specific persons who should be involved. The expectation is that the LCNAA leadership team will assist in identifying individuals to serve as committee chairpersons who are willing to build out and lead committees in the work.

This plan is designed to move the LCNAA in a more structured and intentional direction. Like any strategic plan, this will be an ongoing and never-ending project. There is no magical destination at which the LCNAA will arrive. Rather, consistent strategic planning is required to take the LCNAA to greater levels of effectiveness in the years to come.

This plan will help us reconnect Alumni to Lane and to each other, provide valued services to members and support Lane’s mission of developing the “whole student” concept.

Strategic Planning Committee Members

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Lane College National Alumni Association is to promote and assist the College in carrying out its charter; serve as a vehicle for the College to continue to enrich the lives of its students, alumni, and associates; and unite in an association of men and women with shared educational experiences, interests, and ideals.

Strategic Initiative 1 – Legacy

Alumni are lifelong stakeholders and the largest constituency group. Regardless of geography, background, or career field, Alumni are bound together by shared experiences that shape who we are, how we think, and what we do. Our strength lies not with separate alumni and student communities but one unified group of engaged and appreciated members, brought together through our shared passion for Lane College.

Goal 1 – Identify critical Alumni touch points that will enable students to better understand the rich history of our Alma Mata and what it means to be a Lanite.

1. Provide added focus, through Alumni participation in special events and programs, on campus Freshmen Orientation. Freshmen Induction Ceremony, etc.
2. Ensure significant Alumni participation in the Rite of Passage Ceremony for graduates.
3. In addition to the 50, 60 and 70 year class reunions, establish 5 and 10 year class reunions during Commencement Weekend and include Alumni in all Commencement activities.

Goal 2 – Develop a stronger relationship and provide greater support to the Director of Alumni Affairs by supporting Homecoming pre-planning and working various events.
Goal 3 – Work closely with the college to ensure chapters are connecting with students who are traveling to their cities, for band and choir tours, student-travel for competition, etc.
Goal 4 – Develop a Speakers’ Bureau of Alumni who are willing serve as guest speakers and share their inspirational stories and expertise on a wide variety of topics with students and fellow alumni.

Strategic Initiative 2 – Fundraising

Fundraising is key to the success of the LCNAA and is crucial to the LCNAA’s ability to financially support the college. The current LCNAA by-laws state that the Executive Secretary is responsible for fundraising. This committee will work in collaboration with the Executive Secretary as fund raising initiatives are developed.

Goal 1 – Build a year-round national fundraising committee to support the Executive Secretary and create a fundraising data-base to include internal and external partners.

Goal 2 – Research and adopt the most current and applicable fundraising strategies and establish annual fundraising plans. These strategies should seek to raise money to support the college and the activities of the LCNAA.

1. Establish viable year-long fundraising goals and plan in conjunction with the local chapters.
2. Work closely with Institutional Advancement to ensure all LCNAA donations are tracked and credited to the Association.
3. Establish a method for quarterly donations reports to be presented during the Executive Board’s conference meeting. Reporting months include March, June, September and December.

Strategic Initiative 3 – Engagement

It has been difficult to sustain meaningful alumni engagement across the different eras of Lanites. The number of dues-paying members relative to the number of actual living alumni is dismally low. The LCNAA has to earn the involvement from alumni, not expect it, so the goals have to be built around the need of alumni and not the college.

Goal 1 – The LCNAA will serve as the Alumni means of access and advance the college by Deploy our strengths and strategic partnerships to support Lane College’s mission and vision.

1. Serve as ambassadors for Lane College’s initiatives, achievements, and future development.
2. Design and deliver meaningful programming to meet the needs of alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years.
3. Build consistent messaging to articulate what it means to be a Lane College Alumni for students and young alumni.
4. Develop relevant and compelling programs that attract alumni using technology and social media.
5. Measure, monitor, and assess the effectiveness of alumni engagement activities.

Goal 2 – Establish a protocol to usher new graduates into the LCNAA.

1. Provide a three-year free membership to new graduates and clearly communicate this perk.
2. Create a database of new graduates and provide their contact information to chapters in cities from which students have come or to which they may be going after graduation.
3. Follow up with chapters to see how many graduates joined chapters.

Strategic Initiative 4 – Recruiting

Effective student recruitment by alumni is crucial to attracting quality students to Lane College.

Goal – Develop a national student recruiting/retention plan that will be effective in attracting and retaining quality students for Lane College.

1. Appoint a national alumni recruitment/retention chairperson who will build a national student recruitment/retention committee made up of Lanites from every chapter.
2. The recruiting chairperson will develop a comprehensive recruitment plan – drawing from the best strategies of similar liberal arts colleges and in conjunction with the efforts of the college.
3. The recruiting chairperson will assist chapters in developing a plan of action for recruiting and retaining students.
4. The nation alumni recruiting chairperson will develop a metrics-based evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of each activity.
5. The LCNAA will work to cultivate students and young alumni for lifelong support of Lane College.

Strategic Initiative 5 – Mentoring

The mentoring program assists our students in developing personally, professionally, and socially through arranged mentorships with the LCNAA members. Mentoring provides professional socialization and greatly enhances students’ chances for success.

Goal 1 – Identify and appoint an on-campus mentoring chair who will build out a national mentoring program.

1. Establish the criteria of the mentoring program (Example: The selection of mentors and mentees).
2. Build a database of mentors and mentees.

Goal 2 – Develop a calendar of events to serve mentees and provide engagement opportunities for alums.

1. Create a list of opportunities to strengthen mentor/mentee relationships.
2. Create a succession plan to usher mentees into the alumni chapter.
3. Establish an annual event to acknowledge the mentor/mentee engagement activities.
4. Plan and facilitate a means of acknowledging/celebrating alumni who have been excellent mentors for current students.