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What an Impressive
IVLP Delegation! Now What?

The Importance of Alumni Engagement

by Jason Yarashes, NCIV Staff

The number of wide ranging, diverse participants, who have enjoyed programs organized by NCIV member organizations in the United States, on the International Visitor Leadership Program and other exchanges continues to grow daily. Yet, in the midst of visiting delegations, appointments, and other time intensive operations, we seldom reach out to former exchange participants. Given that the overriding majority of International Visitors on such exchanges (in addition to U.S. Ambassadors and embassies abroad) describe the experience as immensely beneficial, it is of the utmost importance to “continue the visit” beyond the time they are actually in your city and find ways in which to keep them engaged.

Like many local community member organizations, NCIV is constantly looking for ways in which to incorporate former International Visitors into organizational events. Perhaps the most visible example is the IVLP Alumni Luncheon, which for the past seven years has been held on the Saturday of NCIV’s National Meeting. Last year’s speakers, Dr. Jemilah Mahmood of Malaysia and Ms. Nadwa al-Dawsari of Yemen, poignantly expressed not only some insight into their own lives, but also their tremendous affinity for the NCIV network. The 2007 speaker, Pascal Dupeyrat of France, has illustrated the benefits of fostering global relationships. Monsieur Dupeyrat founded and serves as Secretary General of the Cercle Jefferson. Comprised of more than 500 French IVLP Alumni, Cercle Jefferson organizes conferences, meets with future leaders who are about to begin an IV program and stands ready to welcome visitors from the United States of America. Such initiative, spawned in large part due to his experiences participating in an IV program, shows that the fruits of NCIV members' work can be seen far from home.

Moreover, the concept of engaging alumni of international exchange programs has become a topic of increasing importance in the public sector as well. Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. Department of State, has alluded to the wide scope of this global network and the somewhat underutilized resource that readily awaits tapping. In her opening statement in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she conveyed this message, stating, “I would also like to expand our outreach to ethnic communities in the United States to listen to their ideas about expanding our exchanges and finding creative ways to have them represent us overseas…I will also be looking for effective ways to engage the eight hundred thousand plus strong alumni of ECA programs who are often America’s best friends.”

Many CIVs have long been utilizing ‘effective ways’ of keeping alumni engaged in dialogue with the citizens of the United States at the local level. One useful strategy is to keep a detailed, up-to-date database of all exchange participants that visit your local organization (it’s never too late to start one of these!). Being able to access contact information of International Visitors readily enables your organization to keep alumni aware of network happenings and events through electronic updates, stay abreast of International Visitors’ efforts in their own respective countries…even email them quickly to receive their approval to be used in a photograph in the annual NCIV contest! The International Visitors Council of Los Angeles (IVCLA) has undertaken this very strategy by developing an alumni database over the last 15 years. Janet Elliott, Executive Director, IVCLA, notes, "one thing we do with the data is prepare an annual Directory of International Visitors to Los Angeles with countries, names and titles of our visitors to Los Angeles (for sensitive countries we don’t list names.)  It is a great marketing tool and paid tributes in the directory cover the printing cost. In our evaluation forms we ask permission to list them in the directory and hardly is it ever the case that someone declines." Further, Ms. Elliott says, "we also use the database to send visitors info about IVCLA – primarily through email now. We only use the last 3 years of the database for our distribution list, otherwise the information is too old and too many come back. We do update contact info and changes in their profession whenever we hear back from visitors – which isn’t as often as we like. Anything that has been updated in the last three years is included in our distribution list. We are working on a way to be more proactive in increasing dialogue between our alumni and IVCLA, by developing an alumni special message email once each quarter."

Another way that some CIVs have begun to realize the full potential of actively engaging alumni is through inviting them to speak at or participate in local events in the United States. As many participants gain a deep affinity for the communities they visit during their IV program, their propensity to return to a local CIV for a speaking opportunity or other large event increases with contact. For example, Ms. Al-Dawsari has returned several times to visit the Minot Area Council for International Visitors in North Dakota, as has Ambassador Abdoulaye Diop of Mali to the Tulsa Global Alliance in Oklahoma.

NCIV employs many of these efforts in its own overall communications strategy, including outreach to alumni through weekly and monthly electronic publications, IVLP spotlights, and increasing efforts to partner with citizen diplomacy-related organizations overseas.

As mentioned, one of the most important components to this alumni outreach strategy is the IVLP Alumni Luncheon. Last year, the event was sponsored by Carlson Wagonlit|Sato Travel, a corporate partner to NCIV, which provides the U.S. Department of State and its organizations world-class E-Gov Travel Services (ETS), travel and expense management products, and Travel Management Center (TMC) services. If you are acquainted with a former distinguished participant of the IVLP program whom you believe would be an inspiring speaker at a future Alumni Luncheon, please contact Mark Rebstock at mrebstock@nciv.org.

PICTURE: IVLP Delegation from Nigeria chatting with Ambassador Theodore Britton at the 2008 Southern Regional Meeting

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