Why Your Alumni Publication May Outperform Your Next Email Campaign

Written By Brooke Schumann

When inbox fatigue is real, print shows up differently

SPI (Schumann Printers, Inc.) to the rescue — print saving alumni engagement from the spam folder.

Advancement and alumni relations teams are being asked to do more with engagement than ever before.

  • Increase participation

  • Support fundraising initiatives

  • Reinforce institutional pride

  • Drive attendance at events and volunteer opportunities

And do it all through communication channels that are increasingly crowded.

For many institutions, digital outreach has become the default method of staying connected with graduates after commencement. Email newsletters, social media updates, and online giving platforms allow teams to communicate quickly and at scale. But speed does not always translate to connection.

Inbox competition continues to grow. Open rates fluctuate. Messages are often skimmed and forgotten within seconds. Even the most thoughtfully crafted digital communication can disappear into an environment where attention is fragmented across dozens of competing priorities. The challenge advancement teams are facing is not a lack of communication. It is a lack of presence. Most digital outreach is designed to create impressions. Advancement work depends on creating relationships.

Printed alumni publications offer a different kind of interaction. A thoughtfully produced magazine or newsletter does not rely on an open rate to be seen. It arrives physically in an alumni’s home or office and remains there. On a coffee table. On a desk. In a shared living space. It exists in the same environment as family photos and personal milestones. From a media behavior standpoint, that matters. Print occupies space instead of competing for it. It invites intentional interaction instead of passive scrolling. It signals that the message it carries is worth time and attention.

For advancement professionals, this creates an opportunity to:

  • Tell longer form institutional stories

  • Highlight alumni achievements in a meaningful format

  • Reinforce institutional identity beyond the screen

  • Support fundraising initiatives through integrated QR codes

  • Drive traffic toward digital giving platforms

  • Reach alumni who may not actively engage with email or social media

When paired with personalized mailing lists and digital follow up, alumni publications often function as the physical entry point into a broader multichannel engagement campaign. A printed piece can guide recipients toward event registration, volunteer opportunities, or online giving in a way that feels less transactional and more relational.

For print professionals and marketers alike, the continued effectiveness of alumni publications offers an interesting case study in how people respond to media right now. At a time when nearly every interaction is mediated through a screen, physical communication is often perceived as more deliberate and more credible. In highly relational environments such as higher education advancement, that perception can influence both engagement and response.

At Schumann Printers, we partner with colleges and universities to produce alumni publications that are built to last because school spirit should be something you can hold onto. Interested in exploring how a printed alumni publication could support your engagement strategy? Contact us here.

Curious how top alumni publications are evolving to drive engagement in 2026?

Brooke Schumann
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