If your alumni organization is to have success in recruiting new members and keeping existing members engaged, it is important that you are able to create a single unifying brand for your organization, even if it encompasses multiple high schools.

This can be challenging, of course, as the experience of attending one of those high schools may have been very different than attending one of the others. In addition, each high school has its own mascot, colors and slogans, which means an alumni organization that comprises multiple high schools will need to develop its own brand from scratch.

One example of an organization that has done this quite well is Philly Alumni, based in Philadelphia. A look at the organization’s website (www.phillyalumni.com) should give other similar large alumni organizations with multiple schools some excellent ideas for creating a unifying alumni network.

The following are just a few of the components that stand out:

• The introduction: The first thing you see when you visit the page is the “We are the Class of Philadelphia” introduction. Right off the bat, this is an organization stating it is for all Philadelphia alumni, and not geared toward any particular school. The use of the Philadelphia skyline is a nice touch—it’s a reminder that it’s an organization for everyone who had the shared experience of attending a Philadelphia high school.
• Strategy: The organization makes it clear that its purpose is for all public school alumni to “stay connected, support students, and most importantly, show off that public school pride.” It’s not just about being an alumni of a specific school—it’s about having pride in all Philadelphia public schools and supporting future generations of public school students.
• Events: The organization features information about its citywide alumni Homecoming weekend, an event geared toward alumni of all schools to bring them together in their hometown.
• Featured grads: The home page features profiles of graduates of Philadelphia public schools and their achievements.
• Merchandise: The organization sells “Philly Alumni” and “Class of Philadelphia” merchandise, using brand colors and fonts.

You can follow Philly Alumni’s lead to create a unifying branded experience for alumni in your network. See if there are any elements you can integrate into your alumni engagement efforts moving forward.