I have a client, a large financial services company, that has a
successful college internship program.  I've been asked to explore the
possibility of organizing an alumni club that would include anyone who
was ever a part of the internship program, whether they went on to
work for the company or not.

I'm looking for information (reports, articles, other documents) that
makes the case for alumni clubs -- what value alumni clubs bring to
both members AND the sponsoring organization (whether it be a college,
business or othe institution).  Also, how they're organized.

Of particular interest are business-oriented alumni networks like
those organized by Mckinsey Consulting, Procter & Gamble, Kraft,
Clorox, General Mills, etc.

My search thus far has only turned up information on college and
university alumni clubs -- like a calendar of programs they offer and
how to set up a local chapter.  This is NOT what I'm looking for.

I AM looking more for a historical perspective ("such-and-such an
organization was looking for a way to keep track of former employees. 
It was believed that doing so would provide.....").  I'm NOT looking
for a "to-do" list ("here's how to set up a local chapter...").

Hello -

Please note: this answer is not finished until you're satisfied with
it.  If you require additional information/clarification, please ask
before rating this answer.  Thank you for your understanding.


The following are resources on the subject of alumni
network/organization implementation:

Select Minds
http://www.selectminds.com/jsp/Front/Main.jsp?session_id=BEB44C769244DDBAC00233813E0A2762.WWW2&lf=0&cmd=resource&page=research_white_paper.shtml
Four separate white papers with real world research on this specific
topic, one each from Harvard Business Review, Consultant's News,
Corporate Leadership Council and Career Innovation.  Click on the
respective ">> abstract and request your copy" link underneath each
heading to access an abstract of the article as well as a
request-article form on the right side [where you can enter in contact
information to have the article immediately emailed to you at no
cost].

Select Minds
Alumni Relationship Management at work
http://www.selectminds.com/jsp/Front/Main.jsp?session_id=BEB44C769244DDBAC00233813E0A2762.WWW2&lf=0&cmd=resource&page=research_case.shtml
See how other companies are using Alumni Relationship Management to
save money, generate new business, and outplace strategically [click
on each article at the site]:
•  Ernst & Young: New business generation
•  Accenture: Cost savings through rehiring
•  Sapient: Strategic outplacement
•  Healthcare: Productivity and recruitment savings in a tight labor
market

Select Minds
Networking takes on a new meaning
http://www.selectminds.com/jsp/Front/News.jsp?cmd=newsdetails&News.news_id=37
More than 300,000 people registered in the first six weeks, anxious to
become reacquainted with former colleagues and companies. However, the
concept of company alumni has far wider and more important
implications for business.
Aside from nostalgia, keeping in touch with previous employers and
employees can afford a host of professional advantages all round, as
Richard Chiumento, 46, managing director of human resources
consultancy Chiumento, points out: "Rehires tend to remain with a
company twice as long as new hires because they know the company
culture. That is just one good reason to encourage companies to set up
corporate company networks...-> see more at link provided

Select Minds
Alumni Relationship Management At Work
http://www.selectminds.com/nc/pdf/0097_financial_news_02-16-03.pdf
If the story has a moral behind it, it is that people like to stay in
touch. Many feel an irresistible urge to catch up with old
acquaintances from school or work and see how their lives have
unfolded.   Unfortunately, investment banks show little inclination
for tapping into this fascination. They have made thousands of their
employees redundant over the past two years; many will never speak to
each other again. Those who... -> see more at link provided

National Institute of Business Management
Build corporate alumni networks now
http://www.nibm.net/content/SR-SIS-009.pdf
Reason: Keeping ties with former employees through so-called alumni
networks is the secret weapon in managing amid layoffs.  Former
employees, one of the most overlooked and untapped talent sources, can
be the best source of new business through their contacts and business
relationships. Focusing on alumni relations bolsters a company's
"employment brand," morale and retention.  Latest example: Agilent
Technologies launched a comprehensive alumni network... -> see more at
link provided

Washington Technology
Staying in Touch With Former Employees Good for Business
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/16_1/workplace/16358-1.html
It started with comments made during exit interviews. Employees about
to leave SRA International Inc. in Fairfax, Va., would acknowledge
they liked the company and would consider referring colleagues to the
systems integrator.  Recruiters decided they should capitalize on this
good will, said Kerri Koss Morehart, director of recruiting. The
company recently launched a formal alumni program to encourage former
employees to return to the firm and to refer others... -> see more at
link provided

Fast Company
Hire Today, Gone Tomorrow
http://www.aptium.com/Hire Today Gone Tomorrow-FastCompany.pdf
Every company that's serious about talent is wrestling seriously with
some vexing questions: How do we hold onto our best people? 
Minimimizing employee turnover now ranks with finding new employees as
one of the toughest challenges in this talent-scarce economy.  So why
are some executives-seniors leadesr at respected companies actually
celebrating the departure of talented people?

Job Circle
Article: Don't Burn Employee Bridges: Exit Interviews and Alumni
Networks
http://www.jobcircle.com/career/articles/x/njtc/3223.xml
Keeping updated information about former workers lies behind the idea
of corporate alumni networks. Over the decades, McKinsey & Co., the
consulting firm that helps companies devise business strategies, has
won a reputation as a training ground for the nation's business elite.
Young college graduates, often those with most bountiful post-college
options, frequently choose McKinsey, knowing that the experience they
gain as junior strategy consultants can one day propel them into the
boardrooms of the country's largest and most influential companies...
-> see more at link provided

Project 55
The Alumni Network -- Establishing an Alumni-based Public Service
Organization
http://www.project55.org/tan_establishing.html
There are two basic models for an alumni-based public interest
organization. The first is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit
corporation with its own board of directors and officers. It is this
model which Princeton Project 55 elected to use. A few other
organizations have made a similar choice. The second model is an
organization formed as part of the college or university alumni
association or as part of some other division of the college or
university. There are advantages to each model. -> see more at link
provided

Bankrate
Loving your ex's: How to keep former employees working for you
http://www.bankrate.com/yha/news/biz/Biz_ops/19991018.asp
With unemployment low, turnover high and careers looking more and more
portable, companies are likely to have more ex-employees than current
ones. There are several important reasons for maintaining a good
relationship with your former workers. -> see more at link provided

Notre Dame Alumni Clubs
Excellence in Teaching - Best Practices
http://alumni.nd.edu/cont_ed/eit_bestpractices.html
Here are some ways that Notre Dame Alumni Clubs have used
the Excellence in Teaching Conference and Outstanding Educator Awards
to enhance
their programs... -> see more at link provided



Search strategy:
   alumni network OR association OR organization OR networks "white
paper" OR
   whitepaper OR white-paper
   association, network, club, organization "has proven OR proved"
   "alumni network helped"
   "alumni network allowed"
   "corporate alumni networks" 
   alumni "case study"
   alumni "former employees can"
   alumni "former employees" "they found"
   "alumni website has proved" 
   "value of the alumni club"
   "alumni club has benefited"
   "mckinsey alumni"
   "alumni clubs are"
   "alumni clubs will"
   "purpose of an alumni club"
   "alumni club allows"
   "alumni club will allow OR enable"
   "alumni club brings"
   "the company" alumni
   "successful alumni club OR organization OR clubs"
   "instituted +an OR +their OR +its OR +the alumni * for"
   "the OR an alumni * has"
   "alumni club +is"
   "alumni * has benefited"
   [other possible keywords: makes, benefits/advantages, ROI]

---

Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 19 Jul 2003 16:26 PDT

First line of the search strategy was misformatted: 

alumni network OR association OR organization OR networks "white paper" OR
   whitepaper OR white-paper

Great job.  On the mark.  Fast turnaround.

"Of particular interest are business-oriented alumni networks like
those organized by Mckinsey Consulting, Procter & Gamble, Kraft,
Clorox, General Mills, etc"

As far as I know, Clorox has no alumni network. Can you verify? If it
does I'd like to join. Thanks for the interesting question.

heavykev-ga