How to keep graduates connected with branded merchandise

 Since leaving, have you thought about your alma mater?  

Most likely, you haven’t - but you’re not the only one.

One survey found that, in the UK, over half (58%) of graduates say they don’t engage with their university at all. And even fewer actually donate (9%).

Often, they’re a single line on your CV.

And for universities, this is a problem.

Many rely on the donations of former students to fund things like scholarships, improve campus facilities, and cover operational costs that government grants fail to cover.

However, if you’re currently tasked with re-engaging your alumni, why not try creating meaningful, authentic, and personalised brand experiences that give graduates a reason to reconnect?

We know – sounds like a lot – but that’s where branded merch comes in.

Read on to find out why and how branded experiences can transform your graduate engagement problem.

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In Short…

• Alumni satisfaction and engagement drop sharply within months of graduation - largely because contact feels transactional, not personal.
• The root causes are structural: fundraising-first outreach, fragmented data, under-resourced teams, and little visible value for younger alumni.
• Graduates go quiet for ordinary reasons - busy life stages, one-way communication, or a lost point of contact - not because they've stopped caring.
• Genuine re-engagement starts with mentorship, campus involvement, nostalgia and small, low-pressure first steps rather than a straight donation ask.
• A handful of UK universities are already proving this works, from Kent's 60th anniversary homecoming to Surrey's alumni mentoring network.

What is a brand experience?

Think of a brand experience as every touchpoint a student will have with your university. From social media and email marketing to the content you publish, the events you host, and the merch you give away.

But the thing is - there’s the brand experience you can control, and the one you can’t. You have no control over what people say, think, and share about your brand, such as via word of mouth, online reviews and even what your own team thinks.

However, when done well, a positive branded experience can be one of the most powerful ways of gaining brand loyalty and recognition.

Image source: Brand Revolution 

What makes a good brand experience?

A good brand experience often achieves one or more of the following:

1. Engages the senses

Experiences that include one of the five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch) are more memorable, and therefore more effective at engaging participants.

2. Understands its audience

There’s no point organising a brand experience that won’t be on your audience’s radar, geographically or thematically. Make sure you keep track of what’s currently trending with alumni, and authentically join those conversations. From live events and cultural moments, there are so many ways you can show you understand your consumers beyond a cold email.

3. Personalised

Personalisation matters, and your brand experience is no exception. Use segmentation when sending emails, personalise your content to solve actual audience problems, and tailor experiences to cultural moments that resonate with them.

Read more: Planning your next event? Here’s what’s trending, according to our experts

Why universities struggle to keep graduates connected

There are numerous reasons why a university may struggle to keep its graduates connected. These include:

1. Fundraising-heavy content

From the very first touchpoint after a student has left, many universities will ask for donations. Especially within a graduate's first year, many do not have the disposable income to give back to their universities, and this disconnect in understanding often fractures the relationship between graduate and institution.

2. Data issues

With many universities having hundreds, if not thousands, of graduates over the decades, it can be difficult to keep the alumni records up to date. Plus, with updated student systems, CRMs and event platforms, it can be hard to audit whatever scattered data the university does have.

3. Overstretched staff

Often, universities don’t have dedicated staff solely for engaging their alumni. Instead, graduate relations are handled by staff covering other events, comms, data and fundraising, making alumni outreach sporadic at best.

4. No visible value

It’s getting harder to engage graduates as universities aren’t using the opportunity to give them any tangible value, such as mentoring, job opportunities or access to peer networks. Therefore, graduates often opt out of any further contact.

Branded experiences to re-engage graduates

The key to re-engaging graduates is to focus on authentically rebuilding the connection between them and the university. You can do this by:

1. Offering networking opportunities

One of the greatest struggles graduates have is gaining connections in their dream fields. By offering virtual networking events or industry-specific alumni panels, you’ll give graduates a strong reason to stay connected with you.

By leading with a value, such as the networking opportunities above, but also merchandise or mentorship opportunities, you’ll be giving them a reason to stay in contact, which is low-effort with potentially high rewards.

2. Rethink your email strategy

Email segmentation should be your new best friend when sending emails to graduates. An email sent to all isn’t specific or personalised enough, and will often fall flat. And if you do segment, don’t just do it via year groups; send according to intent, industry, or subject.

Then, set up a sequence that’ll send re-engagement emails over a set period of time, rather than the one-off “come back” emails.

3. Use your already engaged alumni

Use your existing engaged alumni to your advantage by giving them the tools to be some of your most cost-effective engagement channels.

This can look like personalised communication, light gamification tactics, and tiered recognition strategies.

4. Update your current content

Content that’s tied to a specific year group or era tends to perform better than a generic update, because it's personally relevant. So use nostalgia factors such as old branding, retired mascots, or references to iconic university stories to reminisce with past students.

Reconnect through people, not just the brand, by prioritising authentic messages from familiar faces, such as popular staff members, alumni, or local legends.

Image source: The University of Kent

What not to do to engage graduates

1. Don’t let alumni become an afterthought

Don’t forget about your alumni until they actually become alumni. Think about every current student as someone who will one day be a graduate, and start building the alumni relationship now.

Schedule career panels, event judging, retreats and mentoring roles to give current students direct access to people who were recently in their position.

2. Don’t ask for donations first

Also, don’t make your first contact with your alumni asking for a donation. Asking someone to confirm their email address is a lot easier to fulfil than asking for money straight away. But it builds the habit of giving, and so you can build up to the donation request slowly.

How to re-engage alumni with promotional merchandise

Promotional merchandise is a super useful tool to re-engage old and new alumni alike. You can create bespoke, personalised experiences that are tangible for alumni to enjoy.

By utilising promotional merchandise in your re-engagement strategy, you’re adding value to the relationship between you and the graduates, rather than just asking for donations.

Here are a few ways we’d re-engage lapsed alumni with promotional merchandise:

1. A welcome back gift

Consider sending out a small, thoughtful item when someone officially joins the alumni network. It could be a tote bag, a notebook, or a branded mug, but whatever you choose, it’ll signal that the relationship isn't over just because they've left.

2. Celebrate milestone moments

Five-year, ten-year, and twenty-five-year reunions are natural opportunities to send something more memorable, such as apparel, a keepsake item, or a co-branded product that reflects your university.

Read more: 5 Outerwear brands for improving brand visibility

3. Prioritise event merchandise

Alumni events, homecomings, and networking evenings are made even more special with merchandise - think enamel pins, embroidered caps, or premium drinkware.

4. Daily essentials

Your alumni are busy professionals now, so give them something that they can use daily, such as a good water bottle, a charging cable, or a quality pen.

Read more: How an AI cap became a storytelling masterpiece

Why promotional merchandise works in your engagement strategy

Merch works because it gives graduates something that digital communication can’t: a physical reminder of the relationship between them and the university.

The right item can reinforce a sense of belonging after graduation, reminiscing on shared memories or thanking alumni for getting involved.

And because alumni relationships can span generations, there are plenty of opportunities to make merchandise gifting feel personal and thoughtful.

It’s all about expanding and continuing the university experience after graduation.

Read more: The ultimate student welcome pack guide for universities    

Real university graduate re-engagement campaign examples

And don’t just take our word for it - here are some of our recent favourite university graduate re-engagement campaigns:

1. We Are Kent

The University of Kent is throwing a weekend-long homecoming built around the university's 60th anniversary, bringing decades of alumni back to campus for events, exhibitions and a gala dinner. It’s an excellent example of alumni outreach that’s built around a strong sense of shared belonging rather than a fundraising pitch.

2. Proud to Be Surrey

Proud to Be Surrey is an ongoing campaign by the University of Surrey celebrating their student and alumni community, built around real stories and a peer-to-peer mentoring network that connects current students with alumni.

Image source: University of Surrey

3. Centenary merchandise

When celebrating its centenary, the University of Reading unveiled a new and exclusive range of merchandise that blends heritage-inspired design with modern style.

Image source: University of Reading

How to measure alumni engagement

Part of the problem with managing alumni engagement is measuring it in the first place.

We’d recommend tracking:

• Digital interactions: Such as comments, shares, and any content alumni tag the institution in.
• Email engagements: Open rates, click-throughs and replies, compared across campaigns over time.
• Event participation: Registrations, attendance and post-event engagement.
• Volunteer involvement: The number of alumni acting as mentors, panellists, or chapter leads.
• Non-financial giving: career advice offered, internships provided, or support given to student initiatives, alongside traditional donation metrics.

FAQs

1.  Why do alumni stop engaging with their university?

Mostly because communication feels one-way - a steady stream of donation requests rather than anything personal or valuable to them.

2. What's the most effective first step in re-engaging lapsed alumni?

Something small and low-pressure, like confirming contact details or a single-click response, tends to rebuild engagement habits more effectively than asking for a donation or event attendance straight away.

3. Does branded merchandise actually help with alumni engagement?

Yes — thoughtful, well-timed merchandise gives universities a reason to make contact that isn't a fundraising ask, and can reinforce nostalgia and belonging in a way pure comms can't.

4. What kind of merchandise works best for re-engaging alumni?

Items with genuine daily use tend to perform best - quality drinkware, tech accessories, or apparel - rather than novelty giveaways that get quickly discarded. Pairing something practical with a personal touch, like a milestone or year-group reference, makes it feel considered rather than generic.

5. How often should universities send merchandise to alumni?

There's no fixed rule, but tying merchandise to specific moments - joining the network, graduation anniversaries, or a major event - works better than a regularly scheduled drop. It keeps each item feeling meaningful rather than routine.

Bringing graduates back into the fold

Graduation might mark the end of a student’s time on campus, but it doesn’t have to mark the end of their relationship with your university.

The most effective alumni engagement strategies give graduates a reason to stay connected, either through mentoring and networking opportunities, personalised communications, milestone events or reminding them of the memories and experiences they shared at university.

And promotional merchandise can play a vital role in this, too.

A thoughtful welcome gift, nostalgic keepsake or useful everyday item gives alumni something tangible to associate with their university and creates another opportunity to strengthen that connection.

Successful alumni engagement is about more than securing donations; it’s about creating a community graduates still want to be part of.

Ready to build your own graduate re-engagement strategy?

Browse our academic merchandise range and start creating branded experiences that keep your alumni connected, wherever they go next.