AT27. Examining How Alumni Make Sense of Their Relationships with their Alma Maters with Dr. Kevin Fleming

Today, I talk with Dr. Kevin Fleming, Co-Founder and CEO of Prosper, a consulting firm that provides guidance to nonprofit organizations to transform their engagement and philanthropic programs, specializing in fundraising practice, Board management, volunteer programs, event planning, and communications.
Today’s trend lines include:
– student experience is the strongest indicator of alumni involvement,
– pots of water framework for alumni engagement, and 
– trends in higher education.

Bio
Kevin has 20 years of expertise in alumni engagement and non-profit management, paired with exceptional knowledge and skills within the realms of college student development and teaching.  Through experiences at Mount Holyoke College, Emerson College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Bowling Green State University, the University of Connecticut, and James Madison University, he has led transformations of alumni boards of directors, overall alumni engagement and communications strategies, volunteer programs, signature events, staffing alignments, and cross-departmental collaborations at several institutions.  Kevin approaches organizational change through excellent listening skills, a positive and collaborative nature, collegiality, humor, and gratitude, providing the foundation through which he fosters unity and common purpose amongst community members and the accomplishment of shared successes.

An educator and researcher by nature, Kevin’s background in teaching makes him an excellent meeting facilitator. Additionally, he is a thought leader in the areas of alumni engagement and fundraising.  He authored his dissertation on “Examining the Influence of Graduate Student Experience on Graduate Alumni Giving,” and has published a ground-breaking theory of alumni engagement in the peer-reviewed Journal of Philanthropy and Education, entitled “The Pots of Water Framework for Alumni Engagement.” He also serves as a member of the Council and Support of Education (CASE) District I Board of Directors, and serves as the co-chair of the Horizon Issues Committee.