BECOMING THE BIGGEST AND BEST

Strategic Plan of the Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc.

Archie In 2004, when I accepted the challenge of leading the Ohio State University Alumni Association into the 21st century, I accepted the responsibility of steering a 125-year-old organization through a process of transformational change.

We all know that continuing to do what you did yesterday will not prepare you for the inevitable changes that today and tomorrow bring.

As an organization, we began by embracing the vision of being the biggest and best. Being the biggest member-based alumni association will provide us with a membership that can have a significant impact through its breadth, depth, and diversity. Being the best will allow us to better serve Ohio State and inspire present and future alumni to stay connected with each other in lifelong friendship and in support of our alma mater.

We intend to meet tomorrow’s challenges with this focused, action-oriented strategic plan. What we do now builds the foundation for what will happen throughout this century. I believe our members, our vision, our plan, and our alumni and friends can make the Alumni Association an indispensable asset to The Ohio State University.

I invite you to join us in this exciting journey.

-Archie Griffin

A NEW DIRECTION
The Alumni Association is your gateway to Ohio State and fellow alumni for a lifetime of connections, learning, and service. This Strategic Plan is our roadmap to better serve the best alumni membership in the world—by becoming the biggest and best alumni association in the world.

The plan establishes five major goals that we invite you to pursue with us as we adapt to the opportunities and challenges of 21st century technologies, demographics, and lifestyles. We recognize that alumni interests are varied and change with the passage of time. We are committed to offering programs and services that give alumni—at every stage of life—multiple opportunities to connect, be informed, learn, feel pride, give back, and pay forward.

A great university deserves a great alumni association. We will seek to draw each and every graduate into a lifelong connection with Ohio State and inspire alumni to serve and advocate on behalf of their alma mater. We will do this through enhanced partnerships with colleges, student programs, and university departments, and by sharing the university’s story with alumni worldwide through world-class communication.

This is an exciting time for the Ohio State University Alumni Association as we chart a bold course to realize our vision. There is much to be done and much success to be achieved, and our alumni and friends are at the heart of all we do. With your support and feedback, we will become the acknowledged and unchallenged “biggest and best” dues-supported alumni association in the world.

OUR STRATEGIC GOALS

We will be the gateway through which alumni connect with Ohio State and with each other and serve the university through

A Web site that is a comprehensive, user-friendly resource for all alumni interaction;
A magazine that presents the intellectual vigor and excellence of Ohio State and celebrates connections and milestones in alumni life; and
Multiple programs that facilitate alumni interaction with Ohio State through service, continuing education, entertainment, and investing in the university’s future.

We will cultivate student loyalty to the alumni world by visibly contributing to their campus experiences through

Year-by-year programming that supports and engages students at each stage of their college careers;
Support of the Student-Alumni Council and other leadership development opportunities; and
Operating a student-focused alumni relations office on main campus and welcoming students to Longaberger Alumni House to celebrate milestones in student life.

We will become the biggest dues-supported alumni association by demonstrating exceptional service and indispensable value through

An alumni database that is comprehensive, current, and customer-oriented;
Alumni input and feedback via personal, print, and online interaction on topics important to alumni and the university;
Expanded opportunities for alumni relationship building through both established clubs and societies and new forms of affiliation; and
Membership benefits that enhance the Alumni Association brand, meet lifestyle needs, provide competitive value, and generate revenues to support programming.

We will develop a virtual alumni organization accessible to alumni all the time through

Online global access to core programs and services;
An open forum for the alumni voice to be heard and shared; and
A Buckeye Network that links alumni with each other and with students for mentoring, career development, and Buckeye connections around the globe.

We will give alumni the tools to influence public opinion about Ohio State around the world through

Multi-media communications that give alumni specific and timely information about the strengths and challenges of their university;
Informing and being informed by clubs, societies, Advocates, and newly emerging alumni affiliation groups that can influence public opinion in their communities; and
The collective power of 400,000 alumni as global ambassadors to tell the Ohio State story.