Your institution’s young alumni are a diverse group – a mix of graduate students, young professionals, alumni that have families and more. Because of this diversity, it can be difficult to create events to engage your young alumni. Check out these four ways to boost your young alumni engagement.

Young and Younger

How young are young alumni? Although institutions vary on the specifics, the segment is most commonly defined as alumni within ten years of graduation – meaning ages can range from 20 to 32. A person in their young twenties is in an entirely different stage of life than someone in their thirties. They each will desire different forms of engagement with their alma mater. For example a fresh graduate might be looking for resources to start a career for while a thirty year old may desire programs that promote career advancement.

What alumni are coming to your events? Tracking your attendance and attendee demographics will allow you to pinpoint your target audience. If your finding that few of your youngest alumni – such as those in their early twenties – are attending your galas, you may need to further segment your young alumni group or split some of your events into two separate ones.

Career Services

Recent college graduates are looking for all the help they can get in order to begin their careers. These alumni are interested in developing skills such as resume building and networking. Host professional development events that are in partnership with your career services office. Use surveys to find out from your alumni which skills they need for their careers and match them with other alumni within the same industries. Show your young alumni that they have access still to on campus resources. To appeal to young alumni in their late twenties and early thirties, plan a seminar about money management or investing in real estate, such as Georgia Tech’s Home Buying Seminar. In planning these events, try to avoid timing that conflicts with the work day or typical social evenings.

Chapter Events

Alumni regularly move around the country for careers, personal reasons or both. When adjusting to a new city, updating their alumni profile isn’t necessarily a top priority. Provide “Welcome To The City” events through your alumni chapters. You could ask for alumni to update their contact information as part of the registration process or during check-in. Keep in mind the pricing of your events for young alumni — some are cost-conscientious.  If you’re noticing that few young alumni attend your events that cost over $15, consider special pricing for this segment.  

Social Events

Young alumni enjoy attending social events both on and off campus. Happy Hours and Watch Parties have proven to be successful events at institutions — but not every social event has to be at a bar. To switch it up, try hosting events at venues on campus that alumni wish they had time to go to while they were students such the planetarium like OSU’s Stargazing at Ohio State. Try fun and creative events such as Georgetown’s cooking class.

Engagement Now, Donations Later

Young alumni may not be in a financial place to give back to their alma mater now, but through these event suggestions you’ll be able to build a culture of philanthropy. At each event share with your attendees that alumni contributions made the event possible. Your young alumni are your institution’s future donors.

This post originally appeared on Attend’s Event Management Blog