Student Community Partners

 

We have all come to love and appreciate the flexibility in working remotely, but there is no doubting the value in spending time together in person. Last week we enjoyed a superb few days together in a sweltering hot and sunny Belfast. It was our first team retreat of 2022, Belfast generally gets the nod because it is so convenient, friendly and welcoming.

The timing is important. August is an end of year of sorts, especially for all of us working in the Higher Education sector, time to reflect on a cycle almost complete and make plans for 2023.

For CampusConnect, the past 12 months has been our busiest period to date so this was an opportunity to take a step back and focus on what has been working well and where (we collectively feel) we can develop.

Our bespoke community programmes for each of our university partners have grown significantly in 2022, more student members, university teams, and a wider list of stakeholders all participating in different ways to support the needs of new members (applicants). Some of these communities have been developing and growing for more than 5 years and, as a result, have clear demonstrable impact and KPI’s. In these cases ‘buy in’ and resource allocation are more forthcoming, but for those looking to formalise their community strategy, resourcing can be a challenge.

Lack of resourcing is the most common challenge for universities developing student communities in 2022.

Building community and belonging among new students is a resource intensive endeavour! Unfortunately, it is not simply a case of bringing your new students or applicants together in an online space and hoping communities will form.

In order for a student community to be successful, it has to be properly resourced, structured and moderated to maximise member value and experience. To ensure ongoing resourcing and support, community data must be aligned with institutional KPIs - namely conversion, progression, and ultimately student success.

Our community management, support, and expertise ensure successful community programmes that deliver long term institutional value.

We recognise the long term value derived from developing stronger student communities for all our university partners. Today’s applicants are tomorrow’s peer ambassadors, advocates and alumni. By maintaining consistent ongoing community engagement we are securing this ongoing and future value for each of our university partners.

Our goal is to develop a community that strengthens the connections and multiple affiliations your students have with your institution. To do so effectively, our community management service contains all of the support a team requires to ensure a successful outcome for all community members and demonstrable Institutional ROI.

There are 5 main components:

  1. Guided student community engagement and ongoing moderation.

  2. Ambassador and staff training, on-boarding & support.

  3. Promotional support & cross team engagement.

  4. Community engagement data reporting & insight (conversion/progression).

  5. Peer community cultivation/retention of the best ambassadors and advocates.

Interested in learning more about the CampusConnect boutique community service for universities? Schedule a walk-through.







 
 
 
Declan Sweeney