Message From Leadership
Dear Members of the Georgia Southern Alumni Community,
At Georgia Southern University, our guiding vision statement is clear and leads us in all that we do: People. Purpose. Action: Growing ourselves to grow others. This mission inspires all we do, and it guides us as we seek to create meaningful opportunities for our more than 162,000 alumni worldwide to engage, connect, and contribute in ways that honor our shared values and propel our University forward.
It is with great pride that we share a bold, future-focused strategic plan for the Georgia Southern Alumni Association. This plan reflects the priorities outlined in the University’s strategic plan and positions our alumni network as a driving force in achieving the ambitious goals of Together We Soar, our $300 million comprehensive campaign set to culminate in 2030.
Over the past year, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with alumni leaders, volunteers, University administrators, deans, faculty, and staff. We listened deeply to your insights through surveys, focus groups, and benchmarking studies. We also worked closely with University leadership to ensure that our vision for alumni engagement aligns with Georgia Southern’s broader institutional priorities.
This plan recognizes the essential role our alumni play in advancing Georgia Southern’s mission— whether through philanthropic investment, mentorship, advocacy, or community leadership. It underscores the need for stronger connections, innovative programming, and new platforms for engagement that will empower alumni to thrive personally and professionally while contributing to the University’s growth and impact.
As we strive toward the 2030 campaign goal, your Alumni Association will serve as a trusted partner and resource at every stage of life. Whether you are seeking to mentor a student, connect with fellow Eagles, discover new opportunities for learning and travel, or make a meaningful impact in your community, we want you to think first of Georgia Southern and your Alumni Association.
With your continued partnership, Georgia Southern will not only reach its $300 million campaign milestone but also create lasting change for generations of Eagles to come as we continue to SOAR Beyond!
Hail Southern!
Ava Edwards, Executive Director of the Alumni Association (‘19)
Curtis Williams, President, Alumni Association Board of Directors (‘09)
Our Vision, Mission and Values
Our Vision
Empowering alumni to stay connected, engaged, and invested in their University.
Mission
The Georgia Southern University Alumni Association strengthens the Eagle experience by fostering lifelong relationships and showcasing the power of the Georgia Southern alumni network. We connect alumni, students, and friends, recognizing the vital role these connections play in the University’s success. By engaging and inspiring Eagles, we cultivate pride, meaningful involvement, and investment that supports the continued growth and success of Georgia Southern University.
Our Values
Connection: Building lasting bonds across the Eagle community.
Career Networking: Creating opportunities to grow and connect.
Supporting Future Generations: Empowering the next generation of Eagles.
Generational Pride and Tradition: Honoring our shared Eagle legacy.
Strategic Partnerships and Service: Collaborating to strengthen, impact communities and give back
Goal Statements
Purposeful Engagement
By engaging the Georgia Southern alumni community through meaningful programming, we will help to enhance lifelong connections.
Alumni Brand Management
By consistently focusing on the importance of alumni connections, we will continue to build, strengthen and sustain affinity and pride for Georgia Southern while establishing a strong foundational reputation for the Alumni Association.
Student and Early Alumni Cultivation
By creating a culture of lifelong connection that spans the student continuum, we will promote engagement into the early alumni years for uninterrupted engagement.
Culture of Philanthropy
By building a culture of philanthropy among the alumni community, we will contribute to the vibrancy of the Georgia Southern learning environment and support the University’s financial goals.
Data Integrity
By improving data quality and utilizing analytics for engagement tracking and alumni feedback, we will make data-driven engagement decisions.
Purposeful Engagement
By engaging the Georgia Southern alumni community through meaningful programming, we will help to enhance lifelong connections wherever they are.
Core Strategies
- Create a tiered engagement strategy for markets that have the greatest concentration of Georgia Southern alumni.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive event strategy to enhance campus and regional engagement in alignment with the advancement goals of the University.
- Strengthen current Georgia Southern special interest group structures; explore additional groups to expand opportunities for alumni engagement.
- Facilitate a cross-campus goal sharing process that encourages collaboration with University partners for whom alumni engagement is a priority.
- Build and promote a culture of sustained involvement that will engage and connect alumni to Georgia Southern and to each other.
- Develop programs that maximize the impact of the Georgia Southern alumni network for professional development and career advancement.
Alumni Brand Management
By consistently focusing on the importance of alumni connections, we will continue to build and sustain affinity and pride for Georgia Southern while establishing a strong foundational reputation for the Alumni Association.
Core Strategies
- Develop a brand strategy that positions the Alumni Association as the desired portal for alumni engagement and as a vibrant and essential campus partner.
- Segment alumni audiences based on key demographic/generational groups to foster more impactful, relevant communications.
- Enrich the digital media experiences by applying new features and techniques to create valuable, memorable and engaging visitor connections.
- Develop a campaign that shares how alumni can benefit from any level of engagement and volunteerism with Georgia Southern.
- Prioritize messaging within the Alumni Association website and other media channels to elevate awareness of the importance of philanthropy at Georgia Southern.
Student And Early Alumni Cultivation
By creating a culture of lifelong connection that spans the student continuum, we will promote engagement into the early alumni years for uninterrupted engagement.
Core Strategies:
- Create programs from the “nest to network” that promote lifelong connections to Georgia Southern, with efforts assisted by key campus partners (Office of Career and Professional Development, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs).
- Reassess the roles of the Student Alumni Association (SAA) and the Young Alumni Council (YAC) as essential to student and new graduate engagement.
- Optimize existing pathways for alumni mentoring/networking for students and recent graduates.
- Advance the relationship with recent graduates as they enter post-graduate life and instill a sustained culture of engagement throughout their first decade via events, and opportunities to engage with the University.
Culture of Philanthropy
By building a culture of philanthropy among the alumni community, we will contribute to the vibrancy of the Georgia Southern learning environment and support the University’s financial goals.
Core Strategies
Drive alignment of every Alumni Association engagement initiative with the University’s fundraising goals.
- Support strategic Annual Giving initiatives that contribute to growth in the alumni participation rate and donor pipeline goals.
- Ensure that board members, chapter leaders, volunteers and other stakeholders are highly informed and supportive advocates of Georgia Southern’s fundraising priorities.
- Leverage peer-to-peer relationships and personal outreach to identify and cultivate donor prospects, recording the number of hand offs to the Office of Development.
- Ensure that all current and future Alumni Association staff possess an understanding of how engagement contributes to institutional philanthropic goals.
Data Integrity
By improving data quality and utilize analytics for engagement tracking and alumni feedback, we will make data-driven engagement decisions.
Core Strategies
- Collaborate with Advancement Services and other campus departments to lead and streamline an alumni data intake and reporting process.
- Identify parameters and benchmarks for measuring all relevant forms of alumni engagement.
- Implement alumni survey on a biennial basis to assess Georgia Southern alumni attitudes regarding engagement and giving.