Celebrating Alumni Career Milestones and Increasing Alumni Engagement

Congratulations! Celebrating Alumni Career Milestones and Increasing Alumni Engagement:

In 2020, Florida Institute of Technology began using LinkedIn SalesNavigator for both

prospecting and updating alumni employment data. In the summer of that year, the university

began utilizing alumni employment updates as a means of reaching out to and engaging alumni.

Every day, the Annual Fund Contact Center and the Major Gifts Team receive lists of alumni

who have updated their LinkedIn with new employment data. All of these alumni are contacted

and offered congratulations and an opportunity to connect with a Philanthropy Specialist or a

Major Gift Officer for further conversation—submitting a class note, learning about engagement

programs such as mock interviews or advisory boards, and contributing to the university. The

program currently reaches over 3,000 alumni each year and has an average response rate of

approximately 40%. In 2022, Florida Tech won a CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Award for

this program.

About the Speaker:

Steffanie Brown is the Director of Prospect Research and Advancement Services at Florida

Institute of Technology. She has been with the university since 2011, and previously served as

assistant for database operations at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

Steffanie has spent 23 years in development in higher education, including time spent in

communications, database operations, gift processing, and prospect development. She is a former

board member of APRA Florida and has presented at both APRA and AFP chapter events in

Florida. She has also worked with the Prospect Research Institute, in advisory and content

review capacities. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of West

Georgia and her master’s of divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.