The 5 “Bees” to Building a Successful
Network & 5 “Stingers” to Avoid
By Marc Corsini, IM ’80
The Birmingham Area Georgia Tech Network has a rich tradition as an alumni
association. Years ago, when I attended a Tech alumni function in Atlanta, I heard
several of the “ol’ timer Tech bigwigs” talking about the past successes of the
Birmingham group — mentioning several of our past-presidents and talking about
their many accomplishments.
My first real introduction to my local Network happened in the early 1990s when I
moved to Birmingham from Columbus, GA. Several of our semi-annual meetings
drew more than 100 alumni and guests. But then, during the latter part of the
1990s, the number of events dwindled, and participation declined significantly. By
the late 1990s, the Birmingham Area Georgia Tech Network was inactive. What
was once a strong, vibrant (and fun) organization was now a “wreck” — in the very
worst sense of the word.
I got re-involved in the Network in the early 2000s when John Q. Williams IM ‘69,
a local alumnus, called to say that he was getting the Network going again. He
asked if I would be interested in helping him jumpstart the organization. I agreed.
Before I knew it, I was the Network’s secretary.
John was president for two crucial years. Through his leadership, dedication and
(yes) sweat, the Network became active again. We regained some much-needed
stability. With John in charge, we got the Network scholarship program going
again; we started holding regular, semi-annual meetings; and the interest in our
group began growing.
A couple of years later, I was fortunate to be president. We went from no local
Network scholarships in the early 2000s to the two endowed local scholarships we
have today — the Homer Lloyd Scholarship and the Steven Ehrensperger
Scholarship.
Our Network hosts multiple events each year. We’ve held a golf tournament
benefiting our local scholarship program and A-T Fund. Today we are “buzzing”
better than ever. But this kind of thing doesn’t happen by accident.
It took a great deal of hard work, tremendous dedication and unflinching optimism.
And through it all, we followed what I like to call the 5 “Bees” to Building a
Successful Network. These 5 “Bees” have helped us take our Birmingham Area
Georgia Tech Network from gone to good, creating a lot of buzz along the way.
The 5 “Bees” to Building a Successful Network
By Marc Corsini, IM ’80, Birmingham Network
1. Between you and me. Communication is the lifeline for any organization.
If your alumni don’t know what is going on with the Network, then you
really don’t have an active Network. You can’t be the best and still be a
secret. We adhere to a business technique, known as “drip marketing.” This
is where you establish an ongoing communication (drip) with your audience.
These messages might very well be small, but they are consistent and
that adds up. In our Network, we use Facebook, Alumni Association sent
emails, phone calls, etc.
2. Go by the Book. The Network manual provided by Tech’s alumni office
offers a wealth of knowledge. Follow the book, and you will have a road
map for an exciting organization. Encourage all the members of your
leadership team to review the manual and to use it as the point of
reference for your Network. At the beginning of each year, create a
Network-specific manual that incorporates the official Tech Network
manual. Our latest version has seven sections — one of which is the
Network manual that the alumni office provides on-line. We use our manual
in a variety of ways. For one, we review the Network leader duties that the
manual describes. This allows us to set expectations for each leader. It also
outlines the appropriate duties for the team leaders. We use the tiering
system of the alumni manual as the barometer for what we want to
accomplish. We wanted to be the best organization we could be, so we used
Tier 1 as the measuring tool to monitor our progress.
3. Host Brilliant events. Fun and exciting events are key to growing a
Network. They get people in the doors and involved. Today, we all have too
many options and too little time, so it makes sense that busy alumni will only
support quality events (and organizations) that are worth their time and have
something significant to offer. Think about it: Today’s Network competes
with everything from local sporting events to children’s activities to quiet
nights spent at home. To stand out enough to attract a crowd, you have to
have innovative and interesting — absolutely brilliant — events that
inspire people to action.
4. Create a Buzz. No matter if you are a new Network, a struggling Network
or a vibrant Network with plenty going on, you have to create and maintain
a constant buzz about the group. Alumni and friends have to believe that
the Network is adding value to their lives. They have to know that it is fun to
be involved. They have to believe that it is worth their time and/or money to
make the Network part of their after-Tech lives. There needs to be a sense
of excitement and expectation in the buzz about your Network.
Keeping up the buzz might mean more to the strength of your Network
than anything else you do.
5. Buy in. To have a thriving Network, you must have a commitment from your
leadership group. They must be willing to help out and carry a part of the
load. Remember: The more people involved in the Network’s
leadership, the more you can — and will — accomplish. If one person
does it all, it is only a matter of time before burnout happens and the
Network goes back to “at risk” status. You will always have some team
leaders who agree to leadership roles but, for whatever reasons, don’t come
through. You have to make sure you have enough other alumni involved to
“fill in” and to take up the slack in an emergency. I suggest placing new
people in small leadership roles in order to assess how they do. If they
perform well, give them more responsibility.
Now, that’s only half of our success story. There are pitfalls to any worthwhile
endeavor. And in order to be successful, you have to work your way around them.
Here are the 5 “Stingers” that can cause problems:
The 5 “Stingers” That Will Damage a Network
1. Stop recruiting new, inactive and younger alumni. Stop recruiting today,
and you won’t have an active Network two years from now. We learned this
the years ago the hard way in Birmingham. If you don’t have a “president
elect” today, you are a “yellow jacket’s wing” away from an inactive
organization. Remember to always meet and greet at all Tech functions,
and get the alumni really involved.
2. One alumnus does it all. Remember: An alumni Network is a team
sport driven by multiple leaders — not only by “one guy or gal.” Just as
a business leader meets with a board of directors on a regular basis, your
Network leadership has to meet regularly in order to stay connected, plan
events, solve problems and keep up the buzz. Leadership truly is a group
effort.
3. Don’t have a Young Alumni committee. Attending alumni functions is like
exercising: You have to make a habit of it. And the earlier in life you start,
the easier it is to continue. Get your alumni in the habit — early in their
careers — of attending functions. That way there is a better chance of
maintaining a lifelong connection with Georgia Tech — one that will
help your Network grow and become successful.
4. Hold boring, predictable alumni events. In today’s society, a Network
competes for its members’ time and money much like an entertainment
event. Think of your Network as a local entertainment venue with exciting
offerings, and you’ll do just fine. Also, create a broad appeal to the
Network by offering different type events. Some alumni love Tech
sports. Some want “what’s-going-on-at-Tech-today” events, while others
want to invest in Tech’s future by focusing on the local Network scholarship
program. One of the best ways to know what your alumni want is to conduct
a simple and easy on-line survey.
5. Ignore the Network manual. The alumni association, with Jane Stoner’s
leadership, provides all of us with the tools we need to grow and maintain a
vibrant Network. Use it, or lose it.
I think I’m like a lot of other Tech alumni. I got involved with the alumni Network
not because I loved my experience at Tech — quite frankly, it was a struggle to get
through there. (That’s why Tech people always say to each other, “When did you
get out?” And, yes, that’s the kind of talk you’d hear from former inmates at a highsecurity prison!) I got involved with the Birmingham Network because of how proud
and grateful I am to have a Tech diploma. My involvement now is sort of like an
insurance policy; I invest in Tech as a way to enhance the value of my diploma.
The bottom line, though, is this: I’m honored to be a Georgia Tech graduate. I
want to give back to my school and maintain a lifelong connection to the
university and its alumni.
Now get out there and create a “buzz” in your own Network.
Go Jackets!
(Marc Corsini, IM ’80 is president of Corsini Consulting Group, LLC, a businesscoaching firm based in Birmingham, AL. He has been involved in the Georgia Tech
Birmingham Network for over 15 years. He’s been the Network’s president twice
and held most of the offices through the years. He’s a past board member of the
Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees. In 2013, he received the
Alumni Association’s Dean Griffin Community Service Award. Marc and his wife,
Susan, have three children. He can be reached at marc.corsini@gmail.com or
(205) 222-4622.)