Alumni Engagement Toolkit

The Retriever Alumni community is 100,000-strong and represented by the UMBC Alumni Association, founded in 1970. All UMBC graduates (undergraduate and graduate) are automatically members of the association for life, and pay no membership fees. The association is led by a board of directors – volunteer graduates who support advancing the mission and vision of the association and, by extension, UMBC, through their visibility as alumni leaders and active participation in the ongoing work of the board and its committees. To learn more about the board, visit alumni.umbc.edu/alumniboard.

The Office of Alumni Engagement works to keep alumni connected and engaged with one another, current students, faculty, staff, and the University as a whole. We accomplish this work by engaging campus partners, alumni volunteers, and beyond, to serve the interests of the alumni community through programs and events and involve alumni in the advancement and support of UMBC.

If you have questions about this toolkit, contact Stanyell Odom, Director of Alumni Engagement, stanyell_odom@umbc.edu.

Alumni Data

The Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA) manages the University’s database of records for alumni information, and we are entrusted to ensure that it is distributed and used for legitimate purposes. We support departments/programs by providing the information they need, when they need it, for one-time use only. To ensure accuracy and data integrity, we advise against maintaining independent alumni databases.

Requesting Alumni Data

To request alumni data, visit alumni.umbc.edu/datarequest and complete an easy form. You will need to fill out a data policy form signed and approved by a director or department chair before the request is considered complete.
The average turnaround time is 10 business days from the date of the completed data request.

Updating Alumni Data

If you are faculty or staff, go to alumni.umbc.edu/campusupdate to send the update.
If you would like to invite alumni to update their own information, encourage them to fill out the form at alumni.umbc.edu/update. They may also send an email with their information to alum@umbc.edu.

If you have questions about alumni data, please contact Advancement Services at advancementservices@umbc.edu.

Alumni Engagement Grant Program

Our office provides co-sponsorship for events and programs that engage alumni in meaningful ways. If your department or program is interested in organizing a program that would include or highlight alumni, visit oia.umbc.edu/engage-alumni/alumni-engagement-grant-program for more detailed information on the program. For any questions, contact Jess Wyatt, Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, jwy@umbc.edu.

Requesting Alumni Swag

Are you hosting an event with alumni attending, or just need to have a thank you gift on hand for when alumni drop by? Let us know, and we can provide you with some fun options! Please be sure to give us at least two weeks notice. Contact Bernadette Darby at darbyb@umbc.edu to make your request.

Alumni Updates

We encourage you to share information about any alumni visit at alumni.umbc.edu/campusupdate.

Also, if they have news to share, encourage them to submit a class note to the UMBC Magazine at alumni.umbc.edu/shareyournews.

Alumni Events

You can find upcoming alumni events hosted either by our office, or other campus partners, at alumni.umbc.edu. You can see (and share!) an archive of past alumni events at flickr.com/umbcalumni.

If you are hosting an event including alumni featured guests or participants, let us know! Send us a list afterward at alum@umbc.edu so we can update our alumni database. As we build profiles of our alumni activity, it is helpful for campus partners to be aware of all the ways graduates have been connected and engaged with the campus.

Honoring Alumni

The UMBC Alumni Association presents annual awards in October to honor alumni and faculty for their professional and personal achievements and service to the University. Please visit alumni.umbc.edu/alumniawards for more detailed information.

Alumni Communications

The Office of Alumni Engagement communicates with alumni through emails, The Retriever Roundup – a digital monthly alumni news source, UMBC Magazine, social media, and limited print pieces. If you have engagement opportunities to promote to alumni, we are happy to work with our alumni development and communications team to help with promotions. Also, please note:

If your office produces communications that are shared with alumni, please add us to the distribution list at alum@umbc.edu.
Add, follow, or like the UMBC Alumni Association social media linked below.
Please include grad years and majors for alumni on departmental websites and other messaging. Also, if any members of your department or colleagues are alumni, we encourage them to include their grad year in their email signature line and business cards.
For more information about alumni style including ways to reference alumni, listing of grad years and majors, publications, and more, visit the UMBC Style Guide at styleguide.umbc.edu.

Giving and Fundraising

UMBC’s Annual Giving Program actively reaches out to alumni and parents throughout the year. If you are interested in raising funds for your department or program, we can help with developing language, facilitating approval processes with the UMBC Foundation, and strategizing the best approach through direct mail, phone, or online engagement. For more information, contact Carl Fowlkes, Director of Annual Giving, at cfowlkes@umbc.edu. Questions about major gifts and planned gifts should be directed to Kim Robinson, Director of Major Gifts, at trowbrid@umbc.edu.