Universities now have more digital channels than ever to communicate with former students. But with inboxes increasingly crowded and digital content easy to scroll past, print continues to offer universities something different: a tangible, trusted and memorable way to stay connected. Well-designed print can complement digital activity and help institutions strengthen relationships, encourage participation and maintain a sense of community.

Keeping alumni engaged is about maintaining a meaningful connection long after graduation. Here are five ways universities can use print to improve alumni engagement.

1. Create alumni magazines people want to keep

A high-quality alumni magazine remains one of the most effective ways to showcase the life of a university beyond graduation. Rather than focusing solely on institutional news, successful publications bring the wider university community to life through graduate success stories, research developments, campus updates, interviews and features.

Print also gives universities the opportunity to create something alumni can spend time with away from a screen. Strong editorial content combined with high-quality photography, paper and finishing can turn an alumni magazine into something that feels valuable rather than disposable.

Universities can also use printed publications to direct readers towards additional digital content through QR codes, personalised URLs or calls to action, helping print and digital channels work together.

2. Personalise communications

Alumni audiences are diverse. A recent graduate may have very different interests from someone who completed their degree 30 years ago.

Using data to segment print communications allows universities to make messages more relevant to individual recipients.

This could include tailoring communications by:

• Graduation year
• Faculty or course
• Location
• Previous event attendance
• Alumni interests
• Giving history

Variable data printing can take this further, allowing names, imagery, messaging and calls to action to be personalised within individual pieces of print.

A personalised invitation to an event connected to someone’s former faculty, for example, is likely to feel much more relevant than a generic university-wide mailing.

3. Use print to promote alumni events and reunions

Events are an important part of maintaining relationships with alumni, whether they are class reunions, networking evenings, lectures, sporting events or fundraising occasions.

Printed invitations can give important events a greater sense of occasion.

A well-designed invitation arriving through the post can stand out in a way that another email reminder may not, particularly for milestone reunions or high-profile university events.

Print can also support the wider event journey through programmes, welcome packs, name badges, signage and follow-up materials.

Combining these materials with digital booking and event communications can create a consistent experience from the initial invitation through to attendance.

4. Tell compelling fundraising stories

Alumni fundraising is most effective when people understand the impact their support can have.

Print gives universities space to tell those stories properly.

Rather than simply asking for a donation, fundraising campaigns can use brochures, impact reports and direct mail to demonstrate how alumni contributions support areas such as scholarships, facilities, research or student opportunities.

Case studies and personal stories can make these communications particularly powerful.

Universities can also segment fundraising materials so that alumni receive information about causes or departments that are more likely to be relevant to them.

High-quality print can help reinforce the importance of a campaign while giving

recipients something tangible to engage with before deciding whether to support it.

5. Make print part of a wider alumni journey

Print is most effective when it works alongside other channels rather than in isolation.

For example, an alumni campaign might begin with a printed magazine, direct recipients to a dedicated landing page through a QR code, follow up with an email campaign and continue the conversation through social media.

This creates multiple opportunities for alumni to interact with the university while allowing each channel to play to its strengths.

Print can also help universities reconnect with alumni who may not regularly engage with email or social media.

The result is a more integrated approach where print provides a tangible point of contact within a much broader alumni engagement strategy.

Creating stronger connections through print

For universities, alumni relationships can last for decades.

Maintaining those relationships requires regular, relevant and engaging communication, and despite the continued growth of digital marketing, print remains an important part of that mix.

From beautifully produced alumni magazines to personalised campaigns and event invitations, universities can use print to create communications that feel more considered, memorable and valuable.

At W&G Baird, we work with universities and educational organisations to produce high-quality magazines, publications, direct mail and other printed materials designed to help organisations communicate effectively with their audiences.

If you’re planning your next alumni publication or engagement campaign, speak to the W&G Baird team about how print can support your communications.