Helicopters or Helpers: Using social media for parent engagement and fundraising.
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Helicopters or Helpers? Using Social Media for Parent Engagement and Fundraising CASE Social Media and Community 2013 Susan T. Evans | Senior Strategist | mStoner
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Parents of college students continue to hover as much as they did when their children were high school students. They want to be involved, they need to be involved, they WILL be involved. We also know that parent giving to higher education is on the rise and, interestingly, parents often feel more connected to the institutions their children attend than they do to their own alma maters. Social channels offer a powerful engine for driving communication and engagement with parents, especially when integrated with your website content. We'll talk about what works and how to get more bang—and maybe more bucks—from parents on social. Whether or not you have a formal parent program at your institution, you'll benefit from this discussion about this important stakeholder group. This presentation was part of the program for the 2013 CASE Social Media and Community Conference.
Transcript of Helicopters or Helpers: Using social media for parent engagement and fundraising.
Helicopters or Helpers?Using Social Media for
Parent Engagement and Fundraising
CASE Social Media and Community 2013Susan T. Evans | Senior Strategist | mStoner
Susan T. EvansSenior Strategist
mStoner@susantevans
B.A., Spanish Language & Literature
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Social is maturing.
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A long relationship with higher ed AND...
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A long relationship with higher ed AND...How I learned not to be a helicopter parent.
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Jack William & Mary
Class of 2010
Rebecca Peabody Conservatory
Class of 2013
Not just at the end.
UC RiversideLoyola University Chicago
Grinnell College
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page 12
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page
Parents Fund
Family Weekends
Parent Orientation
Parent Leadership Boards
Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement
“Since 2000, nearly 150 schools have launched parent and family programs, almost doubling the number of existing
programs.” (CASE Currents 2011)
"Today's parents have been their kids' soccer coach and classroom moms, so their involvement doesn't stop when they drop their child off at college." —Melissa Gentry Director of Parents Programs University of South Carolina
One Big Happy Family | CASE Currents | January 2011
They hover...
Parents are turning to social media to help them feel close to their kids
when they’re at school.
Especially on Facebook.
Phone Home: Tech Draws Parents, College Kids Closer (NPR 2012)
Especially on Facebook.
Phone Home: Tech Draws Parents, College Kids Closer (NPR 2012)
"I'm friends with my daughter on Facebook, I'm friends with most of her friends on
Facebook, and she's friends with most of my friends on Facebook."
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“There’s growth in the use of social media to engage current students and their parents.”
• 51% use social to communicate with parents of current students
• 45% use social to communicate with parents of prospective students
2012 CASE Social Media Survey
2012 CASE Social Media Survey
Not at all and not muchNot at all and not muchNot at all and not much2010 2011 201241% 42% 38%
To engage parents of current students.
Quite a bit and extensivelyQuite a bit and extensivelyQuite a bit and extensively2010 2011 201230% 31% 35%
“I know a lot of people who signed up for Facebook just to keep up on their
kids. I just talk to mine.”
“I use to it to keep up with what’s going on on campus. Then I can email my son
and remind him about speakers and events he should go to.”
page 22
When do you (especially)have their attention?
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1. Applying.
Have posted comments or asked questions on the Facebook page of a college on your list.
• Students: 15%• Parents: 26%
Noel-Levitz | 2011 E-Expectations ReportThe Online Expectations of Prospective College Students and Their Parents
Follow tweets from a campus on your list.
• Students: 19%• Parents: 12%
Noel-Levitz | 2011 E-Expectations ReportThe Online Expectations of Prospective College Students and Their Parents
Have visited YouTube or other video sites to look at schools on your list.
• Students: 27%• Parents: 17%
Noel-Levitz | 2011 E-Expectations ReportThe Online Expectations of Prospective College Students and Their Parents
pageExtraordinary Families Extraordinary You
Parents marketing your school on YouTube.
pageExtraordinary Families Extraordinary You
Parents marketing your school on YouTube.
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2. Safety.
pageUNC Charlotte Admissions: Parent to Parent
Students talking to parents about safety.
pageUNC Charlotte Admissions: Parent to Parent
Students talking to parents about safety.
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3. Emergency. Crisis.
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4. Customer Service.
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4. Complaints.
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5. Fundraising.
“There is a slow but steadily growing acceptance that social media
effectively amplifies institutional communications—though less certainty
about its value in fundraising.”
2012 CASE Social Media Survey
“On average, communications and marketing staff tend to think they’re more successful; development staff think they’re
less successful. This makes sense: The outcome that defines success for a
development officer is dollars raised.Everyone acknowledges that it’s very hard
to raise money through social channels right now.”
2012 CASE Social Media Survey
2012 CASE Social Media Survey
Not at all and not muchNot at all and not muchNot at all and not much2010 2011 201238% 49% 46%
To raise private funds.
Quite a bit and extensivelyQuite a bit and extensivelyQuite a bit and extensively2010 2011 201231% 24% 26%
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The Upside of Helicopters?
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Parent giving is on the rise.
“Parents of alumni view their donations as giving back to the school that helped propel
their children into fulfilling careers and lives.”— CASE Currents (November/December 2011)
2010: Parents gave nearly $540 million to U.S. higher education (a 49% increase from 2001).
—Council for Aid to Education’s Voluntary Support of Education Survey
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“While the number of institutions that use social media for fundraising has
increased, only 33 percent have raised more than $10,000 directly through
social media.”
—Michael Stoner, president of mStoner
Chronicle of Higher Education
http://www.alumnifutures.com/2011/09/bucky-challenge.html
UW-MadisonThe Bucky Challenge
Parents issued a social challenge.
http://buckychallenge.wisc.edu/
Keep some things in mind.
Half of all adult Americans own a tablet or a smartphone.
One-third use mobile to view news stories and video at least once a week.
Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism
#mobile is #social
Social content is huge on the mobile web.
Mobile + Social = Social + Mobile
What do parents do?
Integrate your social properties for multi-channel communication.
They will be hovering everywhere...
myPortal
yourAlumniCommunity
.edu
page
Make it personal and emotional.
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St. Michael’s College Graduation
St. Michael’s College 2010
St. Michael’s College Graduation
St. Michael’s College 2010
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Be ready to feed the beast.
What if you need more?
http://eduniverse.org
Join the network for intergalactic .edu knowledge.
How are parents an audience for your social channels?
