The new normal of alumni volunteering

Abstract

Many aspects of society have been forever changed by the pandemic and alumni volunteering programmes are no different. The University of Manchester quickly responded to campus closures and moved events online, starting small and building up, including larger, more complex events along the journey. Utilising detailed feedback from student audiences and alumni volunteers, the formats of events were continually honed, successful online speed networking events and roundtables were trialled. Now that teaching has resumed on campus, it is essential to look at what that means for both the volunteers and student audiences and make sure a programme of events that keeps up with their needs is being offered. Offering a mix of online and in-person events will not be enough, activity must be moved to hybrid formats to remain resilient against future challenges and to make sure that these programmes are accessible to everyone. This paper outlines successes with online events and stewardship, which has become the new normal since the pandemic, and how it is intended to develop this in line with the new hybrid way of working.