December 26, 2006
My brother and I received Christmas greeting cards today from the Ateneo de Manila University Office of University Development and Alumni Relations, via snail mail. I assume my Ate Vanny got hers today as well, being an AdMU alumnae herself and our neighbor down the street.
It was a very heartwarming gesture on the part of the alumni relations office to let us know that they care (and that we're still in their database). I'm sure there are no ulterior motives behind the act, save encouraging alumni to continue supporting school projects. Still, I can't help but wonder if the money spent on these cards could've been better spent elsewhere.
Let's say the cost of sending out a card (design, printing, materials, envelope, postage, manual labor, electricity, other logistical costs) amounts to around 4 pesos, which is likely a conservative amount. Let's put the total number of AdMU alumni (at all levels) in the tens of thousands; 50,000 is a good number to start.
If in fact they do send out Christmas cards to all these alumni, then the total cost of 200,000 pesos is enough to finance an Ateneo college education for two scholars each year! Even if my estimates were way off, the cost is still likely to be non-trivial. Think about it. Would the alumni of this proud Jesuit institution, with a tradition of building persons-for-others, prefer to receive a Christmas card every year, or give the gift of education to deserving youths?
I think the answer is obvious.
(I hope someone from the alumni office gets to read this. I'm sending them an email about my concerns and I'll post an update should I receive a reply.)
It was a very heartwarming gesture on the part of the alumni relations office to let us know that they care (and that we're still in their database). I'm sure there are no ulterior motives behind the act, save encouraging alumni to continue supporting school projects. Still, I can't help but wonder if the money spent on these cards could've been better spent elsewhere.
Let's say the cost of sending out a card (design, printing, materials, envelope, postage, manual labor, electricity, other logistical costs) amounts to around 4 pesos, which is likely a conservative amount. Let's put the total number of AdMU alumni (at all levels) in the tens of thousands; 50,000 is a good number to start.
If in fact they do send out Christmas cards to all these alumni, then the total cost of 200,000 pesos is enough to finance an Ateneo college education for two scholars each year! Even if my estimates were way off, the cost is still likely to be non-trivial. Think about it. Would the alumni of this proud Jesuit institution, with a tradition of building persons-for-others, prefer to receive a Christmas card every year, or give the gift of education to deserving youths?
I think the answer is obvious.
(I hope someone from the alumni office gets to read this. I'm sending them an email about my concerns and I'll post an update should I receive a reply.)
i do agree with your sentiment there. maybe they have some reasons and i'm quite interested with their reply to your concern. happy holidays! ^_^
I work in an alumni office and get comments just like yours with almost every mailing we send out. "if you didn't send this you'd save x amount in expenses that could go for a scholarship." But the truth is, the return on investment for those mailings is well worth it. If your donors aren't reminded that you're out there from time to time, they won't think to give to you. Our non-profit college could not exist without our donors and that simple holiday card sent during the season of giving goes a LONG way to making sure that ALL students that attend there can be educated. Not just one or two. Most universities and colleges - even the public ones - are under strain to cover operating costs. Most donors want their money to go toward scholarships so these schools have to find some way to buy paper for the library printers and light bulbs for the field house. I think if they are able to do that via a simple holiday card that also serves as a thank you and a kind greeting to their valued alumni, you should cut them some slack...and give them some money to the annual fund. they need it, trust me.
I think that it is important for universities to do what they can to help keep alumni feeling like they are part of the community of the university. If the only communication one recieves is one asking for money the tendency is to think "they are only interested in my money and not me." That is a human reaction but really it is not the case. Yes the money that alumni send back is important but that is not all that universities (and other organzations either) care about. Universities also want alumni to think of the current students as people, of other alumni as a extended family, and the university itself as a sort of home. That way the community will help its other members in many ways beyond just money.
Chirstmas cards help.
Hi all. Thanks for your comments. :)
@Jennifer: Great feedback. Your perspective is very valuable. :) I agree with you that it IS important to send out feelers to the alumni community from time to time to let them know that they are appreciated. But maybe you don't have to send cards to everyone, just the people who have been "disconnected" from the school community for a long time. I think there must be more effective and more direct ways that will yield better returns. I don't know if it's the same with others, but I honestly do not feel any more or less inclined to give back to my school after receiving a Christmas greeting card.
@Alfred: Great feedback as well. :) Like I mentioned above, I don't feel more a part of the Ateneo community just because I get cards on my birthday and on Christmas. Perhaps it's because I'm a recent graduate, I'm not sure. In addition, I have rarely met an Ateneo alumnus who wasn't keenly conscious of his/her Atenean identity. We know we are "family" not because we're part of the alumni association, but because we share a strong common bond with one another which has been built by the institution. Whatever contribution the Christmas cards make is probably negligible at this point. In my opinion, there is no perceivable need to further invest in building or strengthening those bonds, but instead, we should focus on capitalizing on our already strong sense of community.
Hi Mark, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday with your family and loved ones. Wishing you a safe and successful new year ahead.
Cheers,
B.
I do agree that no matter how "simple" the deed maybe of sending cards to each and every alumni..it works :D You know :D It even surprises me that Ateneo does not really go cheap in that aspect. My sister and I each got separate cards. I mean in ICA, when the alumni office found out that we were siblings, they started sending only 1 copy of everything for the both of us :D
Either Ateneo is that thoughtful or they haven't figured that out yet ;)