Saddleback seeks alumni by using social network to receive more funds
The alumni network is a social networking site that allows former students to keep in touch.
Facebook said if it were a country, it would be the world’s third largest with 500 million users. Imagine trying to search for a former Saddleback College classmate or instructor in a “country” of almost half a billion. Such a task may resemble the impossibility of searching for a needle in a hay stack.
However, there is now a new social networking site designed specifically for Saddleback College alumni who are trying to find and reconnect with other alumni and their alma mater.
The site is the Saddleback College Alumni Network. It was recently launched by the Saddleback College Foundation, which coordinates college fundraising for the athletic, academic, and cultural programs at Saddleback College.
At many colleges and universities the finances from fundraising are often donated by alumni, said Jennie McCue, Director of Information and Public Marketing at Saddleback College.
This site allows Saddleback to keep their alumni informed about opportunities to donate funds for scholarships and other programs. Alumni who use the site are also kept updated about events at the college, opportunities to donate, and can even create their own profile.
Alumni can log into their profile and keep it updated with pictures and posts for other alumni to view. If you want only select people viewing your profile, there are privacy settings that can be applied to keep information from the public.
Users can also search for former classmates and teachers using the site.
Fellow users can join groups and clubs and create blogs to communicate with other members.
For example, if someone wanted to create an alumni golfing group they could do that and other alumni could join, McCue said.
Also, the blogs and messages provide sources for alumni to post jobs and find employees she said.
The tools and applications on the site provide users with communication and updating capabilities similar to Facebook. For those alumni not familiar with the tech-savvy ways of Facebook or Twitter this site is easily navigated.
There is a step-by-step process to set up an account. Once you log in there is a menu on the side bar featuring tabs for uploading pictures, posting messages, or searching for other alumni.
There is a section called Class Notes that provides members with a place to share information about their lives. A member can search specific criteria, such as marriages or births, for other people’s notes they would like to read, according to the site.
There are about 500,000 Saddleback College alumni, said McCue. This website allows the college to easily and efficiently communicate with those alumni who sign up to use the site.
However, the site is still new and has yet be fully promoted to alumni and staff.
“We are making sure everything is running smoothly with no problems,” McCue said.
To find out more alumni information and get started updating a profile, register here.