UNCW Alumni Association

Communication Audit

Prepared by
Anastasia Meenach
Fall 2020

Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 4
Methodology 7
Audit Diary 8
Results 9
Conclusions and Recommendations 13
References 15
Appendix 15

Executive Summary
The UNCW Alumni Association is nearly 90,000 strong. While the alumni network, student
enrollment and donors are growing, alumni donors are not growing exponentially on par the
same way the alumni number and student enrollment is. This is important as UNCW heads into
the public phase of a comprehensive campaign with an alumni donor goal of 50,000.

As of Fall 2020, the biggest communication gap within the UNCW Alumni Association
exists internally. The University Advancement staff are small but mighty and while they do great
work, there is a lot of work to be done. Meetings that don't adhere to their allotted time or an
agenda end up causing employee burnout and lowering employee’s bandwidth. Issues in internal
communications will be visible to audiences in external communication. Instituting an agenda,
enforcing a time limit, concluding meetings on time will cause employees to prioritize and
prepare which will lead to more efficient and effective meetings. Additionally, creating a
distinguishable and recognizable brand identity will help bring more brand awareness and
community to the UNCW Alumni Association to advance donation solicitation efforts to achieve
the alumni donor goal of 50,000.

The UNCW Alumni Association can benefit from breaking down communication barriers
and fostering more conversations internally and with alumni. The communications team relies on
the alumni team and other University Advancement colleagues for content ideas.
Introduction
The UNCW Alumni Association is an association of graduates from the University of North
Carolina Wilmington. The UNCW Alumni Association requires no fee or membership
application to receive benefits or participate. There are nearly 90,000 Seahawk graduates who
are included in the UNCW Alumni Association family and that number is quickly growing as
UNCW continues to have record-breaking enrollment numbers. Half of current UNCW alumni
graduated within the last decade. The UNCW Alumni Association is adapting to the shift in
younger graduates with new chapter structures and event programming to appeal to a younger
demographic.

The mission of the UNCW Alumni Association is “The UNCW Alumni Association is
the lead supporter in the university's strategic vision. Our purpose is to connect and involve
alumni, students and friends in the promotion and advancement of the university.

The association serves all Seahawks, requiring no fee to receive benefits or participate in
chapters. We engage alumni with one another, and in the life of the university and its students,
through regional, affinity, reunion, student and career-based programs. We encourage alumni to
get informed of opportunities to connect; be involved as event attendees, volunteers, mentors,
employers and ambassadors; and invest in UNCW by giving back philanthropically.”

The UNCW Alumni Association makes themself known to future alumni through
programs such as the Involvement Carnival, Commencement Toast and more. At these events
there are usually tchotchkes such as bumper stickers, pens or lapel pins that Seahawks can wear

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to show their spirit and promote the brand further. Another way they spread brand awareness is
through the bimonthly newsletter, social media and the biannual UNCW magazine. Aside from
graduation, one of the biggest ways the UNCW Alumni Association reaches alumni is through
Homecoming.

The UNCW Alumni Association is relevant to alumni. Messaging from the association
resonates and appeals to alumni by utilizing campus beauty shot imagery and other components
that pull on the nostalgia. Communications strategies are also segmented to speak to what
resonates most with various alumni groups.

The UNCW Alumni Association offers value to Seahawks. There is a positive association
with the UNCW Alumni Association. Every graduate is automatically part of the UNCW Alumni
Association at no charge. In recent years, the UNCW Alumni Association has added a $5
registration fee for previously free events in order to create more perceived value around the
event and give alumni more buy-in. Event attendance has increased with this fee strategy. With
no fee, this dissolves any extrinsic hurdles. Alumni are intrinsically motivated to be an active
member of the association to feed into their nostalgia.

Brand loyalty is inherent to the UNCW Alumni Association. The heart of the UNCW
Alumni Association is to cultivate loyalty to UNCW. Most active members of the UNCW
Alumni Association had a positive experience at UNCW and feel connected to the university.
The UNCW Alumni Association capitalizes on that and deepens the relationship after
graduation.

There is usually a strong love and passion between alumni and the association but there is
opportunity for self-connection. Most Seahawks have the past connection but not necessarily the
current or future connection. There are also frequent opportunities for individual interactions but
there could be more diversity in regards to brand-related activities. The UNCW Alumni
Association seems to offer the same “networking” events with alcohol. There is an opportunity
for professional development events or events/communications related to personal growth such
as finance classes/tips or a presentation about the realities of buying a home, things most
Seahawks will experience. Commitment to the UNCW Alumni Association is strong, many
people feel a sense of connection to their alma mater. Most alumni experience a sense of
intimacy with UNCW and the UNCW Alumni Association. There are strong memories and
personal associations and experiences they can attribute back to UNCW such as meeting their
best friends, finding their spouse, enjoying four(or five) years etc. Perceived brand partner
quality looks different for everyone in the UNCW Alumni Association. The UNCW Alumni
Association has been kind to white alumni, hosting events relative to things that matter to them,
communicating with them on important things to them but there is opportunity to increase the
brand partner quality for minority alumni such as Black and Latinx. These alumni groups don’t
see themselves well represented in UNCW Alumni Association communications or feel a strong

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tie to events currently hosted by the UNCW Alumni Association because the events don’t appeal
to their interests.

The UNCW Alumni Association operates within the Division for University
Advancement. The Division for University Advancement has a communications team of three
including a director, web specialist and social media specialist. UNCW will be going into the
public phase of a comprehensive campaign in February 2021 and a lot of the behind-the-scenes
preparation and continued execution will rely on the Advancement communications team.

The purpose of this communication audit is to provide the UNCW Alumni Association
with recommendations to streamline their communication plan to be more effective in reaching
alumni as the public phase of UNCW’s comprehensive campaign commences. This is important
because there is a 50,000 alumni-donor goal as part of the campaign and alumni-donors are
critical to the university’s longevity and success.

The UNCW Alumni Association is guided and advised by an elected group of volunteers,
the Board of Directors. There are six regional chapters, Cape Fear, Charlotte, DC, NYC, Triad
and Triangle, in addition to six academic and affinity chapters, Cameron School of Business,
Communication Studies, Watson College of Education, African American Graduate Association,
Crew Club and Wilmington College, and a Latinx interest group. Each regional chapter is led by
a volunteer steering committee.

The UNCW Alumni Association is experiencing so many changes such as adding the
new position of Director of Communications for University Advancement, new steering
committee leadership, the launch of the public phase of a comprehensive campaign and a rebrand
in development. These findings and recommendations are based on internal meetings and current
communications practices. A recent Vision Point survey provided numerous information and
data which could have otherwise been gleaned through focus groups. With so many revolving
aspects in the UNCW Alumni Association there was little opportunity for conversations about
opportunities for improvement.

The goals of this audit were to:

● Source opinions and perceptions of the UNCW Alumni Association from students,
alumni and UNCW employees.
● Extract themes and ideas from messages.
● Propose recommendations for ways to more effectively reach and appeal to alumni.

Methodology

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As the social media specialist for the UNCW Alumni Association I am privy to a lot of helpful
information to conduct this audit. Most of the research instruments I utilized were previously
prepared information and observations.

With UNCW heading into a comprehensive campaign, the Division for Advancement
utilized a third-party vendor Vision Point to conduct a 20-minute quantitative baseline perception
and advancement online survey to alumni, parents, current students and faculty and staff. Alumni
and parents were surveyed in July, while faculty, staff and students were surveyed in September.
This information was presented to the Division for Advancement, including myself, in mid-Fall.
As this information was so expertly prepared, I used it to guide and inform my
recommendations.

As an internal employee I participated in and observed Alumni/Events Monthly Planning

and Debriefing meetings and Communications teams meetings. These meetings helped to
understand the internal affairs of the UNCW Alumni Association and how their mission aligns
with UNCW’s overall mission.

I also analyzed content and analytics of the bimonthly newsletters, social media accounts
and websites. The information gleaned from these channels was necessary to diagnose
opportunities for improvement in reaching the younger alumni audience.
Audit Diary
A variety of bimonthly alumni newsletters, website updates and social media posts were
collected and reviewed for this audit. These artifacts were selected because the UNCW Alumni
Association is focused on targeting their young alumni who are more digital-savvy. The mission
of the UNCW Alumni Association is to engage and connect with alumni.

The newsletter is sent out every two months and serves as an update to alumni about
what’s going on around campus and within the Seahawk network. Upcoming events that may be
of interest to alumni are shared here along with relevant news. The newsletter is very thorough
and filled with content. The communications team changes small things in the newsletter to
appeal to specific groups of alumni through segmentation. Often regional meetups are
specifically included to local alumni, someone in New York won’t get an email about a Cape
Fear meetup. There are also variances in photos, subject lines and copy.

Social media is a way to ensure the UNCW Alumni Association and UNCW have a
constant background presence within Seahawks’ minds. The UNCW Alumni Association pages
utilize throwback photos to elicit nostalgia, they share professional development opportunities to
continue serving Seahawks and they post relevant UNCW-related news. The alumni social
channels differ by platform but the content is very similar with minor edits to be optimized on
each platform.

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 The website is the landing page and hub for everything alumni related. There is a lot of
information on the website and it’s very easy to digest and find what you’re looking for. The
purpose of the website is to further connect alumni and provide all the details for an event or
initiative.
Results
I examined internal meetings and external communications. While the UNCW Alumni
Association is an external brand, the internal workings are important as UNCW will be
launching the public phase of a comprehensive campaign in February 2021. University
Advancement is spearheading this initiative and the UNCW Alumni Association will see many
residual effects including a rebranding. This is an opportunity for the association to redefine their
why and who they are as a brand. Then they can implement behaviors conducive to a culture
reflective of that brand. It’s important the internal workings of the UNCW Alumni Association
and University Advancement are congruent with the UNCW Alumni Association’s culture and
reflective of their brand.

The internal meetings I observed exposed a disorganized and chaotic culture. The
alumni/events team seemed to include the communications team too early in discussions and set
meetings without a clear agenda as a result meetings were long and participants left with little to
no action items or follow-up tasks. This added additional stress and pressure on a small
communications team who is already operating on limited bandwidth.

The monthly alumni/events meetings are usually scheduled for an hour. The meeting on
Wednesday, November 4th was allotted an additional 30 minutes in the beginning to review
results of the Homecoming survey. The agenda was as follows:
1. Review Homecoming Survey
2. Define programs offered by UA for Homecoming 2021
3. Decision on Virtual/In person Celebration
4. Regularly scheduled program – content from traditional meetings.
● Round table SWOT for past month events from all perspectives
○ Events debrief on event items; Comm debrief on Communications; Project
lead debrief on processes and alumni relationships formed
● Roundtable looking forward 3 months
○ What does events, comm, project leads need?

Everyone in the meeting had access to the results of the survey and it was unnecessary to
go over the survey results line by line. For future planning, it would be most beneficial if a few
key insights from the survey were shared with the group. During the discussion of homecoming
programming no clear programs were set. This part of the conversation should have been a
discussion solely among the alumni team as they are in control of what types of programming

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would be most valuable to the audience. Events and communications should be brought in once
an idea is decided. It is imperative for internal departments to adhere to their responsibilities in
order for the entire department to run and function properly. By including too many people in the
planning phase it restricts any decisions being made in a timely manner. People are weighing in
in areas beyond their professional area of expertise. The agenda item regarding whether the
celebration would be in person or not should have been a two minute item where the decision
and reasoning was communicated with the staff but this item also became drawn out and a
discussion ensued. This meeting was allotted extra time but the agenda was not kept in a timely
manner and we were not able to get to item four.

This meeting contributed to the culture of University Advancement being stretched too
thin and focusing on the wrong priorities. This was reflected by the agenda not being adhered to
and the meeting including unnecessary attendees. The lack of prioritizing is something UA
addressed in a division meeting last Spring and is still a work in progress for the division as a
whole. Usually, there are a few members of the team who guide the meeting and ensure it stays
on track who are cognizant of time but that did not happen in the meeting I observed. As we
neared the conclusion of the original meeting time, people were allowed to leave but it is
difficult to leave a meeting when nothing has clearly been established.

The UNCW Alumni Association invites too many outside departments into meetings too
early on. The goals for an event need to be determined within their department before bringing in
members of other departments. While it is beneficial to hear outsiders' opinions and perspectives,
these meetings consistently run over the allotted time and have the people weighing in on areas
outside of their professional areas of expertise which renders them ineffective. The other
departments are not responsible for the ideation of an event. They are responsible for the
communication or execution etc. As a communication executive I would recommend internal
communications are evaluated and changed to be more reflective of their goals. This will help
establish the UNCW Alumni Association as a more legitimate, stronger department which will
be reflected when engaging with constituents externally. The more streamlined internal
communications and meetings can get, the more successful events and communications will be
as they will focus on their areas of expertise.

The University Advancement Communications team meets weekly on Tuesdays at 10

a.m. for an hour. Historically there hasn’t been an agenda because this meeting was previously
between two people. With the addition of the Director of Communications, the meetings have
gotten more dense. For the meeting I audited on November 24th, there was an agenda all team
members contributed items too. The meeting opened up with some chit-chat that has become
more appreciated since the pandemic to maintain connection among colleagues. The chit-chat
subsided after 10 minutes and the meeting moved onto business. Every item on the agenda was
addressed and allocated next steps and additional responsibilities as necessary.

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 This meeting showcased the culture of Advancement and UNCW as a whole of doing
more with less and being a good steward of resources. The communications team is small and
successful for all responsibilities they manage. The culture reflected from this meeting is the
division cares about employees and their mental well-being. This is apparent due to the time
allowed to catch up and continue to build better relationships. It’s important to create a flexible
agenda and adhere to it. If networking or socializing becomes a trend, allot time for it and build it
into the agenda. These meetings consistently go as scheduled and are productive and efficient.

Next, I examined the UNCW Alumni Association’s external communications. The

alumni website is the hub for alumni filled with resources to connect Seahawks. There is a lot of
information on the website and it’s very easy to find what you’re looking for. The purpose of the
website is to further connect alumni and provide all the details for an event or initiative. It is a
hub of resources for alumni. As soon as you hit the landing page “connect” is easily spotted
twice and the word carries through as you scroll down the website. This shows the priority the
UNCW Alumni Association has in connecting alumni. The website is intended to communicate
to all alumni whereas the social media channels are directed to more targeted groups.
Throughout the website you see opportunities for alumni to get involved through volunteering,
giving and more. The website communicates these opportunities exist but has few stories of
impact to support the value this connection provides. On the homepage is a quote from Julie
Andrews sharing her thoughts on being connected but there is room for more opportunity here.

According to system theory, organizations are sums of their parts. The UNCW Alumni
Association is the sum of volunteers who make up regional and affinity chapter steering
committees who guide the UNCW Alumni Association. While there isn’t much about this on the
website, the website is where people can begin to get connected into a volunteer role. The
steering committees cannot operate without the paid employees of the UNCW Alumni
Association and their professional expertise, while the UNCW Alumni Association cannot truly
operate without the guidance and insight of the volunteers. These two groups coexist with each
other to create the existing system. There isn’t a lot of information about how valuable the
steering committee members are on the website as the UNCW Alumni Association is
transitioning to a new leadership model for chapters. The steering committee model is an
example of organizational control theory in the form of bureaucratic control by which there is a
system in place to influence behavior such as the bylaws of the UNCW Alumni Association.

I also examined the October/November edition of the bimonthly alumni newsletter. Out
of the first four pieces of content, two are giving messages. There is a lot of real estate dedicated
to events and news. The newsletter communicates connection opportunities for alumni through
giving, participating in events and staying updated on news. While the newsletter is very clean,
simple and digestible, there isn’t a clear high priority initiative. There are only four images and
only two with people. Most newsletters are personalized with the recipient’s information at the
top and sometimes relevant conditional content which provides that much more value to an

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individual because it was created for them. This edition has conditional content for May grads
encouraging them to check their mailboxes for their first UNCW magazine and conditional
content for UNCW Latinx alumni regarding Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. This edition
of the newsletter is lacking friendly alumni faces near the top to help draw the reader in and
personalize the UNCW Alumni Association’s messaging. The photos are high quality but don’t
appeal emotionally to the audience.

I examined the UNCW Alumni Association social media channels separately and
together. The majority of the content was similar from platform to platform with a few small
variances. The Twitter account was recently created and doesn’t have the engagement or
followers the Facebook and Instagram account have. On Facebook and Instagram stories, there
are a few initiatives directed at connecting alumni with other Seahawks and UNCW such as the
Instagram Takeovers and tours. Both initiatives personify the UNCW Alumni Association brand
to provide value and connection while encouraging engagement. Graphics, images and other
assets were similar across email, web and social media. There is a loose theme but more
consistent imagery could improve brand recognition especially compared to other UNCW
departments. There are a lot of throwback photos of campus and activities to bring alumni
mentally back to campus but there is not a lot of content appealing to where alumni are today.
Alumni without monetary means are looking to give back their time and skills, a case could be
made for more volunteer opportunities for young alumni to share their career path, lessons
learned in the professional world or as a mentor. This type of content would perform well on
social media and appeal to the current students who make up a large part of the audience on the
UNCW Alumni Association’s Instagram account.

Two years ago the student giving Instagram page was inactivated and University
Advancement began encouraging students to follow the UNCW Alumni Association at the
Involvement Carnival in the beginning of the year and at different events geared to seniors such
as the Seahawk Showcase. It makes sense to encourage people to follow one account versus
asking them to follow an account that is only temporarily relevant and then attempting to switch
them to a new account. The adoption of one account has increased the overall student following
for the UNCW Alumni Association Instagram in conjunction with the Student Giving Trivia
initiative which awards a $50 gift card to a student every two weeks for asking a giving-related
question correctly. This initiative also instills early on in students the awareness of alumni giving
and it’s value. This is especially relevant as the university heads into the comprehensive
campaign with a 50,000 alumni-donor goal.

The UNCW Alumni Association is in a unique position because it isn’t its own entity.
The UNCW Alumni Association operates under the university advancement arm of UNCW. This
contributes to the opportunity for the association to better incorporate brand into organizational
culture. Recently, the director of the UNCW Alumni Association moved under the associate vice
chancellor who has more of a strategic role. This new organizational structure will help the

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UNCW Alumni Association better define their brand and how that contributes to organizational
culture because the associate vice chancellor can help steer the UNCW Alumni Association into
having the necessary conversations. Here is the current organizational chart.

Conclusions and Recommendations

UNCW Alumni Association Strengths
1. The UNCW Alumni Association captures the love and adoration generations of
Seahawks have for the university and taps well into nostalgia.

UNCW Alumni Association Weaknesses

1. Internal processes and procedures put additional and unwarranted stress on members of
the team who are already stretched too thin.
2. With 68% of alumni remaining in North Carolina and 42% of them staying in the Cape
Fear area, more alumni should be involved and volunteering in the association.
3. Only 25% of alumni identify as part of the UNCW Alumni Association and only 10% of
engage in activities and events.

UNCW Alumni Association Opportunities

1. Young alumni are seeking to connect through volunteering, mentoring and networking.
The UNCW Alumni Association can focus more on appealing to where alumni are now
versus where they were as students.
2. The UNCW Alumni Association can focus on telling more people-focused stories,
especially diversity stories.

Immediate Recommendations
1. Create and adhere to internal communications policies and procedures. Internal
communication and cooperation between University Advancement departments and
campus partners is integral to external communication success. Being aware of
employees' bandwidth while setting and following clear expectations will lead to more
efficient and effective decision making and less employee burnout when everyone feels
respected. This can be achieved by creating agendas and distributing them prior to
meetings and ensuring each item gets discussed during its allotted time. If the discussion
doesn’t conclude in that time frame then activate a parking lot and circle back at the
conclusion of the meeting as time allows or schedule a follow-up meeting. Resolving this
issue internally will be imperative as the steering committee chapter structure changes. If
this problem can be resolved internally, it will set a new precedent for external
communications.
2. Record and distribute minutes following meetings. This will ensure the agenda is being
followed and action steps and responsibilities are being doled out. Recording minutes
will help reinforce the necessity of a meeting or showcase how discussions are going off

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 on tangents or in erroneous directions. More productive internal meetings should lead to
better meetings which leads to less meetings which leads to more time for employees to
focus on their work.
3. Personify alumni to University Advancement employees. As the UNCW Alumni
Association strives to personify themselves to alumni, it’s important that the employees
behind-the-scenes see their audience as people too. Instead of looking at personas, share
snippets of alumni stories regularly at meetings or through an internal newsletter to better
communicate who the UNCW Alumni Association is trying to reach. This will also lay
the groundwork for a potential beat system the communications team could leverage for
future content planning purposes.
4. Have regular internal planning and prioritizing meetings for the department as a whole.
University Advancement had a planning meeting in January of 2019 and it set clear
expectations across the department and allowed people to say “no” to initiatives that were
not identified as a priority. As a result, more important initiatives were executed better.
This type of meeting needs to be a regular occurrence.

Future Planning
1. Utilize small focus groups to test content. As the UNCW Alumni Association goes
through large shifts in the coming months it is important to have a direct line of
communication with alumni and see their reactions to the content the UNCW Alumni
Association is producing. Small focus groups will help the UNCW Alumni Association
identify what is missing from their messaging and if the content is having the desired
impact and resonates with the audience.
2. Implement a way to receive more employee feedback. There is not a procedure or avenue
for employees to provide feedback. If employees feel comfortable, they can provide
constructive feedback to their supervisor during performance reviews or routine meetings
but it may not always be a safe space nor the correct person to receive the feedback.
Create a system for people to submit feedback and have it be addressed. With so many
employees working in silos there is internal discord.
3. Invest in more communications team employees. The communications team has grown
by two positions but with the added responsibilities of campaign messaging, their
bandwidth is still limited. Additional help will allow the individuals on the team to better
focus on their area of expertise. Digital communication is especially important as UNCW
heads into the public phase of a comprehensive campaign during a pandemic that will
have no in-person events.
4. Create a new and improved brand for the UNCW Alumni Association. This will help
unify alumni and give the corporate culture something to embrace. Create a
distinguishable UNCW Alumni Association identity from the university’s. Adopt the new
branding and integrate it into UNCW Alumni Association communications channels.
Once the focus groups and an avenue for employee feedback are organized, begin
learning what the UNCW Alumni Association means to key constituents and how that

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 can be communicated through a new brand identity.

References
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.
Heath, Robert L. (2018). “Fully Functional Society Theory” The Handbook of Communication
Engagement, eds. Kim A. Johnston and Maureen Taylor. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons.
Littlejohn, Stephen W. (2009). “System Theory” Encyclopedia of Communication Theory.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Müller, Monika (2016). “Brand-Centered Control” A Study of Internal Branding and Normative
Control. Organization Studies. 38(7): 895-915.
Scott, Cliff (2009). “Organizational Identity Theory” Encyclopedia of Communication Theory.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tracy, Sarah J. (2009). “Organizational Culture” Encyclopedia of Communication Theory.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Appendix

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