Tell us a little bit about your job and your team’s mission? 

As the Manager of US Onboarding, I lead a team of onboarding specialists whose mission is to deliver a smooth, value‑driven onboarding experience that shortens time to value and ensures long‑term customer satisfaction. We guide clients from the sales handover through discovery, configuration, data migration, and launch. We focus on ensuring a seamless journey from sales to onboarding, with a focus on the customer’s goals and objectives. We work with a wide range of clients—from established organizations (Fortune 500) to top education partners. Beyond managing the workflow, I’m hands‑on with escalations, process improvements, and cross‑department collaboration to keep evolving the onboarding experience and meeting customer needs. Our overarching mission is to set clients up for long‑term success and create a seamless transition into their ongoing lifecycle with Hivebrite.

What do you like most about working at Hivebrite?

Hivebrite feels like home. I joined in 2019 when there were only seven of us building operations in the US. What I appreciate most is the opportunity to grow with the company alongside many of the same people who were here on day one. It’s been great to see how the company has evolved—and equally rewarding to witness the growth of so many talented teammates across the organization.

You started as a CSM, then an onboarding specialist, and now a manager. Was that always the plan?

Honestly, it wasn’t the plan. I followed what interested me. Early on at Hivebrite, we all did a bit of everything: I handled onboarding and later acted as the CSM for the same accounts. When the teams eventually split, I was the only person who wanted to stay full‑time in onboarding because it was what I enjoyed most. Helping customers set up their communities—and the challenge of working with different companies and industries—was what I loved then and still love today. From there, it naturally led me to a leadership role where I could support other onboarding specialists and help the team grow.

You hadn’t managed before your current position—how did you take on that challenge?

I hadn’t officially held the manager title before, but I had served as a team lead both at Hivebrite and in previous organizations. Stepping into a manager role came with a different level of responsibility, and I took that seriously. I invested in developing my management style through self‑learning—reading books, listening to podcasts, and exploring different approaches to leadership. It also helped that Hivebrite invested in our growth with formal manager training, which gave me additional tools to be successful.

How do you work with your team and what are your rituals?

We run global team meetings and US‑based team meetings, and of course we stay connected via our Slack channel. We try to be supportive of one another and stay in touch daily. From my side, I bring the experience I’ve gained at Hivebrite, stay close to each team member, and remain available to support them. I like being on the field with the team and with customers—it’s where the work is most energizing.

Your department is spread across the globe—how do you handle that day to day?

In a global team, time management is essential. I start my day earlier to handle topics with team members outside the US. I typically prioritize those conversations in the morning, ideally before 12pm ET, when most of our EU colleagues are offline. It’s actually quite manageable—and fun—to work with people across the world. Despite the time zones, my work‑life balance is really good, which is something I truly value at Hivebrite.

In your opinion, who thrives at Hivebrite?

People who are adaptable, collaborative, and genuinely enjoy solving problems. Those eager to learn, bring high energy, and can identify issues while proposing solutions tend to shine. As a growing company with ambitious goals and ongoing initiatives, we need people who can contribute to shared objectives and confidently take on projects that help us move faster. Folks who embrace change, take initiative, and are motivated by delivering value to customers will thrive here. And importantly: people with ideas. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen new ideas welcomed. If you have an idea with a plan, Hivebrite will let you run with it—which amplifies creativity and growth.

Fun fact

My name is Albert, after my father, Alberto. He has nine brothers, all with names starting with the letter “A.” My brother’s name also starts with an A—Alan.

Al’s journey shows what’s possible when people are trusted to lead. Hivebrite gave him the space to take ownership, and he’s turned that into real impact for customers. After wearing multiple hats early on, he now leads US Onboarding—helping clients launch smoothly while coaching his team as they grow. “Hivebrite feels like home,” he says: a place where you’re trusted, supported, and set up to do your best work.

Interested in joining Hivebrite? See our open positions here.

The post Meet Al Choute, Hivebrite Onboarding Manager appeared first on Hivebrite.

From junior to senior: Luc’s growth journey

Why Hivebrite feels like home

The Hivebrite office stands out as more than a workplace—it’s where creativity meets community. Team bonding happens naturally through after-work gatherings and planned activities. Luc recalls a memorable hackathon focused on enhancing the app’s global search capabilities: “We were munching pizza, geeking out, and ended up in third place. It was fun!”

The tech team’s vibe is like a family. “Everyone’s close, and we genuinely enjoy hanging out.” Whether it’s coding side-by-side or jetting off for “Nomad” trips together, the team’s bond is real.

A fun anecdote? These bonds extend beyond regular office hours. At a recent offsite, the Larzac squad (SRE team) created their own pop-up “557” store, named after their bungalow number. With handmade menus, playful themes, and plenty of good humor, the initiative became a highlight of the trip, showcasing the team’s creativity and sense of fun.

Making an impact beyond code

Advice for future Hivebriters

Fun facts and team rituals

Why join Hivebrite?

The post Code, Connect, and Grow: Luc’s Story as a Senior Dev at Hivebrite appeared first on Hivebrite.

At Hivebrite, we support all kinds of communities — from tight-knit, passion-driven networks to global organizations with hundreds of chapters.

As these communities grow, community managers rely on our technology to scale those essential “you belong here” moments through smart segmentation, seamless group management, automations, and data-driven engagement.

But every community leader knows: even with automation and advanced features, tailoring content to each member’s evolving interests, identifying who needs a timely nudge, and moderating conversations with nuance is nearly impossible at scale.

This is where AI comes in.

Our AI philosophy: Amplifying human connection and community impact

At Hivebrite, we believe technology should strengthen—not replace—human connections, help people focus their time where it matters most, and support better decision-making. And we believe AI should be used to solve meaningful problems for our customers and their members—not serve as a vanity buzzword chasing trends.

Our approach to AI is twofold:

First, we focus on creating more meaningful, relevant connections for members by intelligently surfacing opportunities that align with their interests and goals. Our technology understands the nuances of community relationships, helping members discover the right people, content, and events — at just the right moment.

Second, we aim to support and simplify the community manager’s experience by automating routine tasks and providing actionable insights to inform strategic decisions. Rather than replacing the irreplaceable human touch that makes communities special, our AI tools work behind the scenes to augment community managers’ capabilities — giving them more time to focus on relationship building, content curation, and community culture.

More generally, we’re embedding AI holistically across Hivebrite, ensuring that every feature and improvement delivers real, tangible value in the day-to-day work of community management.

Delivering AI that makes a difference

Hivebrite’s approach to AI is practical, deep, and grounded in how real communities work. Every capability we develop is shaped by our platform’s advanced foundation and our commitment to meaningful outcomes.

Our AI ecosystem features both currently available capabilities and innovative solutions in development:

AI Matching with Orbiit

Our journey into AI-powered community management began with the strategic acquisition of Orbiit, a pioneer in intelligent matching technology. Through Orbiit’s technology integration, we can now offer smart member matching based on customizable criteria such as industry, interests, and experience, while automating the coordination of one-to-one and small group connections. Orbiit also streamlines communication and scheduling workflows, while providing robust feedback collection and analytics.

AI-Driven People Recommendations

To help members build meaningful professional relationships within their communities, we’re enhancing our platform with smart connection features powered by artificial intelligence. The platform will intelligently analyze member profiles, interests, and activities to suggest relevant connections throughout the community experience – whether members are browsing profiles, attending events, or engaging in group discussions. These contextual recommendations will help facilitate organic networking opportunities while tracking relationship development over time. By surfacing the right connections at the right moments, we’re making it easier for members to discover and connect with peers who share their professional interests and goals, creating a more vibrant and interconnected community.

AI Content Recommendations

AI Content Recommendations will help surface the most relevant content to members based on their interests, behavior, and engagement patterns. This personalized approach will help drive deeper engagement by connecting members with content that matters most to them, whether that’s news articles, events, or discussion threads. The system will continuously learn and improve its recommendations through member feedback and interaction data.

AI-Enhanced Search

Our next-generation AI search experience will be powered by advanced natural language processing. Members will be able to find exactly what they’re looking for using conversational queries, while getting intelligent suggestions and results that understand context and intent. The search will work across all content types – from forum posts to event descriptions – providing a unified discovery experience.

AI Admin Copilot

To help community managers focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks, we’re introducing admin automation to Hivebrite. This powerful new capability will intelligently handle routine communications and processes, freeing up valuable time for community managers. Our automation features are designed to drive higher activation rates, improve engagement metrics, and create smoother administrative workflows while ensuring consistent member experiences across your community. By reducing manual effort and eliminating friction points, AI Admin Copilot will empower community managers to concentrate on what truly matters – building meaningful relationships and delivering strategic value to their communities.

AI Moderation Assistance

To help community managers nurture safe, inclusive, and vibrant discussions at scale, we’re introducing AI-powered moderation tools that can automatically flag potentially inappropriate content for review. This will help ensure community guidelines are consistently enforced while reducing the manual workload on moderators. The system will be fully configurable to match each community’s specific standards and needs.

You can expect a continued investment in interoperability so AI-powered insights flow across your entire technology stack as well as ongoing innovations, driven by customer feedback and real-world results.

What sets Hivebrite apart

Depth & interoperability

Many platforms offer AI features, but few can match the depth of Hivebrite. Our platform already supports complex, multi-layered communities with high engagement. This gives AI the data and context to deliver insights and automation that are both personal and actionable. The power of AI in Hivebrite comes from its integration with our existing capabilities and the richness of the experiences we enable.

Hivebrite is also designed for interoperability. AI-driven insights and automation can be shared across the other systems and tools you use, creating even greater value from your community data.

Our commitment to responsible AI

As we expand our AI capabilities, we recognize the critical importance of implementing these technologies thoughtfully and ethically.

Privacy and security remain at the forefront of our development process – community data is extremely sensitive and must be protected and processed with the highest standards of security.

We believe in complete transparency about how our AI systems make decisions, ensuring that community managers and members alike understand how and why certain recommendations or matches are made. This transparency extends to putting control firmly in the hands of our users, allowing them to customize their AI-powered experiences and choose how they engage with these features.

We walk the walk: we began our AI journey with Orbiit, a solution that gives administrators complete control over how AI is used to spur connections. Data remains secure, member privacy is respected and the community experience is never compromised.

Our approach to AI development is guided by a comprehensive set of ethical principles that prioritize user trust and community wellbeing. Every new feature undergoes rigorous evaluation to ensure it aligns with these principles and adds genuine value to the community experience.

Last but not least, as a company, we use AI in our own daily operations. We also rely on the Hivebrite platform to run both our internal and external communities. This ensures that every innovation we bring to market is shaped by real-world experience and delivers genuine value to the communities we serve.

Shaping innovation together

Since day one, our approach to innovation has been rooted in true partnership with our customers. Every new capability starts with listening to community managers, administrators, and members to identify concrete opportunities and challenges. Through this deep collaboration, we ensure that what we build reflects the realities of day-to-day community management — not just our own assumptions.

Innovation at Hivebrite does not stop at the product. We’re fortunate to partner with more than 1,000 customers across diverse industries — building relationships that go far deeper than the transactional model often seen in SaaS. This closeness gives us unique insight into how organizations operate: their tools, processes, and ways of working. We bring those learnings back into Hivebrite, adapting our own practices, experimenting alongside our customers, and evolving together. This approach keeps us agile, responsive, and always aligned with the real needs of the communities we serve. As a true partner, it’s something we want to give back — by sharing what we’ve learned along the way.

This post was crafted through collaboration between Jean Hamon (CEO), Usha Iyer (Chief Customer and Growth Officer), Tarek Kamoun (Chief Product and Technology Officer), and Allie Bhutani (Head of Brand Marketing)—to reflect Hivebrite’s dedication to your community’s success and the future we’re building together.

The post Enhancing community connections: Hivebrite’s vision for AI innovation appeared first on Hivebrite.

The past few years have brought unprecedented worldwide changes. A global health crisis reshaped daily life, economic uncertainty touched countless families, social movements sparked widespread discussions, and political divisions grew deeper. Through these challenges, one truth became crystal clear: human connection stands as our greatest resource and shield.

When physical distance became necessary, the absence of regular social contact affected people profoundly. Simple moments – sharing lunch with colleagues, celebrating birthdays with family, or meeting friends for coffee – suddenly vanished from daily routines. This sudden shift showed just how much these interactions matter to our mental and physical wellbeing. Healthcare workers reported increased cases of anxiety and depression linked to social isolation, while researchers documented the physical toll of prolonged separation from support networks.

Yet, despite these difficulties, people showed remarkable adaptability. Communities banded together in new ways. Neighbors organized grocery deliveries for elderly residents. Religious groups moved services online but maintained their spiritual connections. Teachers found creative ways to keep young students engaged through screens. Business teams developed new rituals to preserve workplace culture despite physical separation. These efforts proved that meaningful bonds can survive and even grow stronger through adversity when people commit to maintaining them.

Studies consistently confirm the vital role of social ties in human health and success. People with strong community connections report better stress management, stronger immune systems, and greater life satisfaction. Organizations that emphasize relationship-building see improved employee retention, higher productivity, and more innovation compared to those focused purely on tasks and targets. In times of economic hardship, social networks often provide crucial leads for job opportunities or business partnerships. During political tension, community dialogue helps bridge divides and find common ground.

Shared purpose

People naturally seek others during tough times. Groups united by common goals become essential support systems when things get uncertain. Professional groups create spaces where members share job opportunities and career wisdom. Alumni networks support graduates through career changes. Charitable organizations bring together people wanting to help their communities. These networks offer support, resources, and belonging when people need them most.

Digital tools have changed how we maintain these bonds. Community technology providers allow organizations to build meaningful relationships across distances – connecting professionals worldwide for mentoring, learning, and collaboration. Some of these systems go beyond basic messaging, with tools for events, discussions, and resource sharing that help members work together effectively. Unlike regular social media platforms, these community platforms encourage deeper involvement through specific discussions, team projects, and organized networking.

Mission-driven communities create value in expected and surprising ways. Members form special interest groups, meet locally, or join online learning sessions. Someone might solve a work problem through past discussions, while others find career guidance through alumni connections. Environmental groups can gather volunteers quickly when needed. By connecting people with shared values, these communities build support systems that help in everyday life and during crises.

Authentic connection

Real relationships matter more than collecting casual contacts. Strong mission-driven communities take a different approach from social media’s focus on self-serving quick reactions. These dedicated groups create lasting benefits through honest exchanges, real bonds, and prioritize providing value to members. Communities provide resources, programs, growth opportunities, and avenues to connect. Members discuss their experiences, seek answers, and solve problems together, which leads to actual results – career growth, new solutions, or successful team efforts.

Professional and educational groups demonstrate this well. Senior members guide newcomers in industry groups, creating lasting bonds that strengthen entire fields. Technical communities enable detailed problem-solving that sparks new ideas. Alumni groups help graduates boost each other’s careers through job leads, training sessions, and advice. New graduates benefit from experienced alumni’s wisdom, while established professionals stay linked to their school networks.

Charitable organizations see this effect multiply. Close-knit volunteer teams work better and act faster when needed. Groups match people’s abilities to projects, share successful methods between locations, and respond quickly to urgent needs. These relationships often become long-term commitments, with volunteers staying involved and bringing new people to support the cause.

Knowledge sharing

Information exchange builds strong communities. When communities enable members share their knowledge and stories, they create a valuable resource that helps everyone grow. Each shared idea adds to a practical knowledge base that guides others past common mistakes and toward new possibilities. This sharing becomes especially valuable during uncertain times, when trusted advice can make a real difference.

Online discussion spaces let members ask questions, celebrate wins, and work through problems together. Digital libraries store useful documents, templates, and examples that benefit future members. Mentoring programs connect experienced members with those ready to learn, creating clear paths for growth. These different channels ensure knowledge reaches those who need it, whether they joined today or are looking through past discussions.

This shared knowledge touches many areas. People changing careers can learn from others who succeeded in similar moves. Groups facing tough choices can study how others handled comparable situations. Community projects can use methods that worked elsewhere. Each interaction makes the group’s knowledge stronger, helping current members while creating value for future participants.

Social impact

Community management platforms help organizations connect to more people across the globe. These technologies manage many key tasks – organizing volunteer schedules, tracking donors, running fundraising efforts, and measuring results. By reducing paperwork and administrative work, organizations can spend more time on their main goal: creating positive change.

Aid groups show how these platforms improve humanitarian work. Teams use them to gather volunteers during emergencies, track supplies, and keep donors informed. The systems help record their impact through data and reports, showing supporters how their help makes a difference. This openness builds trust and encourages lasting support.

Educational institutions find these platforms valuable for strengthening their communities, well past graduation. They can be used to track student progress, provide support services, and keep alumni connected in ways that benefit past and current students. Alumni are able to connect current students with internships and mentors. Alumni groups organize networking events and raise funds for scholarships and improvements.

Business and professional groups use communities to foster new ideas and teamwork. They create places where members share industry updates, tackle new challenges, and build partnerships. Small business owners connect with mentors, new companies find investors, and businesses discover talented people through organized networking.

Understanding and collaboration

Digital technology has enabled communities to transform from location-based gatherings to global networks. Bringing people together across cultures has become crucial in the ever-changing global landscape. Strong communities build bridges between different backgrounds, encouraging respect and understanding. These connections remove old barriers, challenge set beliefs, and create real appreciation for different viewpoints. As worldwide challenges grow more complex, this cultural understanding becomes essential for finding solutions that work across borders.

When people from different cultures meet through shared interests, learning happens naturally. A programmer in São Paulo might share new solutions with peers in Seoul. A teacher in Nairobi might exchange classroom methods with educators in Vancouver. Vaccine researchers in the UK may share new insights with field workers in Rwanda. These meetings go beyond simple exchanges, letting members learn different ways to solve problems and work together. The resulting knowledge often leads to improved methods of working and living.

Cultural connections are beneficial far beyond career growth and employment related successes. Members learn communication skills for global relationships. They see different approaches to leadership, teamwork, and solving conflicts. This knowledge helps in business and personal life, building stronger partnerships worldwide. Young professionals gain early exposure to global views, preparing them for international work.

These diverse communities spark new ideas. Different backgrounds bring fresh solutions to old problems. Traditional methods from one culture might solve modern challenges in another. By welcoming varied voices, these communities help members develop skills needed in today’s connected world.

Reducing friction

Public social media websites that are sometimes used for community building seem to be built to increase conflict. Feeds tend to push arguments to the top, rewarding heated fights over useful discussions. This might increase user numbers and engagement, but it reduces conversation quality and leaves many people feeling exhausted or hesitant to contribute.

Community platforms built around shared goals work differently. Many communities hosted on community management platforms are private groups, requiring criteria or at minimum a form request to join. By organizing groups around specific missions, interests, career aims, or shared causes, these spaces guide talks toward useful results. People join because they want to grow and contribute – not to argue. The tools support this by showing helpful content, connecting mentors, and making it simple to plan events or work together. They also support moderation to ensure community members are respectful and feel welcome.

Clear rules and active guides keep discussions on track. Instead of letting talks turn into fights, moderators steer conversations back to helpful ground. This careful attention helps members feel safe sharing their stories and asking questions, making sure everyone can take part without fear of harsh responses.

Resilient networks

Communities prove their worth by helping members through life’s challenges. Strong networks catch people during hard times and push them toward better things. If someone loses their job, the community might share job openings, give interview advice, or make key introductions. During personal struggles, these same groups provide emotional support and practical help that keeps members moving forward.

Community support shines during big changes. Someone switching careers might get advice from others who made similar moves. A new business owner can learn from experienced entrepreneurs’ successes and mistakes. During big shifts, like economic changes or industry updates, these networks share important information and opportunities. Members discuss ways to handle uncertainty, share knowledge about new trends, and help spot new possibilities.

These helpful relationships work both ways, creating a web of support that makes everyone stronger. Someone who helps others today might need help tomorrow as things change. People who got support often become eager to help others facing similar challenges. This back-and-forth builds strong networks that grow better over time. By turning personal struggles into shared challenges, communities help turn hard times into chances for growth.

Building tomorrow’s communities today

As we face bigger challenges, strong communities become key to making progress. These groups combine different views, skills, and resources needed to tackle major issues too big for any one person – like environmental problems or social fairness. They create places where ideas can grow and improve through group wisdom, providing the teamwork needed to find lasting answers.

In order to preserve the important work of community building, we need  both good technology and real human connections to not only survive but thrive. While new tools help bridge distance and organize work, communities truly thrive on genuine relationships built through shared experiences and team efforts. Groups must improve both their technical systems and their relationship-building programs, creating spaces where members feel valued and ready to support through regular meetings, mentoring, and clear communication.

The communities we build today shape how well we handle tomorrow’s challenges. Connected groups respond better to environmental problems, support economic changes, and push social progress forward better than people working alone. By strengthening these networks now, we build systems that can handle change while keeping the human connections that give our work meaning. These efforts become most valuable during difficult times, when strong communities provide crucial support that helps members navigate uncertainty and find new opportunities.

This careful balance between digital tools and human bonds will define successful communities going forward. As technology advances, remembering to prioritize real connections becomes even more important. The most effective groups will blend online convenience with meaningful personal interactions, creating spaces where members can easily connect while building lasting relationships.

The post Why Community Matters More Than Ever appeared first on Hivebrite.

Alumni naturally seek connections with each other—whether through LinkedIn, Facebook, messaging apps, or other platforms. Universities must now decide whether to guide these relationships or watch from the sidelines. Research shows that taking charge of alumni networking brings substantial benefits.

The modern alumni network reality

Gone are the days when alumni connections meant yearly gatherings and paper updates. Today’s graduates want quick digital access to professional connections and meaningful ways to stay linked to their university community. They’ll build these networks with or without official support.

Today’s alumni juggle various online platforms to maintain their professional and academic relationships. They want quick access to resources and smooth connections between their work and school networks. This has completely changed how universities need to approach alumni engagement.

What universities lose by standing back

When universities don’t provide their own networking platform, they miss big opportunities and face drawbacks:

1. Missing valuable data

External platforms keep universities from accessing essential information about how their alumni engage. This goes beyond basic numbers – it means missing out on understanding career paths, professional interests, and participation trends. Such information could guide program updates, career services, and advancement plans.

Universities could use data about growing industries among recent graduates to shape new courses or research areas. Following alumni career changes could provide valuable guidance for current students. Without managing their own platform, universities can’t truly understand their alumni community’s changing needs.

2. Limited brand identity

Generic platforms make every organization look the same, making it harder for universities to showcase what makes them special. This sameness can weaken graduates’ emotional ties to their university. When interactions happen on standard platforms, the unique university experience becomes less memorable.

Standard platforms focus on their own identity over university needs. This waters down the university’s values and achievements, making them secondary to basic platform features.

3. Lost connection chances

Without direct access to alumni discussions, universities struggle to time their outreach well. This leads to missed chances for fundraising, mentoring programs, and event participation. Being unable to join natural conversations means universities often react too late to alumni interests.

It also becomes harder to find potential volunteers and donors. Strong alumni leaders might surface in external networks, but universities have few ways to work with these engaged graduates.

Benefits of owning your alumni platform experience

1. Data-informed decision-making 

Managing an alumni platform gives universities rich engagement data to guide many departments:

Understanding what works

Universities can track which content and events attract different alumni groups. They can measure detailed engagement, like time spent reading, sharing behavior, and popular discussion topics.

This knowledge helps target resources better. If data shows new graduates focus on career help while experienced alumni prefer industry discussions, programs can match these interests.

Spotting career trends

Universities can notice new professional directions in their alumni community quickly. This helps update career services and academic programs. When many alumni move into new fields, it signals opportunities for new courses or research.

Participation patterns

Details about how and when alumni engage help improve everything from email timing to event planning. This information shows the best ways to keep alumni involved throughout their careers.

Measuring success

Full platform data access helps measure how well alumni programs work. This covers both fundraising results and the value of mentoring, networking, and other activities.

2. Building university recognition

Unified experience

A university’s own alumni platform should matches its main digital presence, strengthening its brand identity. This consistent look helps maintain graduates’ connection to their university.

The platform can use university colors and design in an authentic way. This visual connection helps keep emotional ties strong.

Leading by example

Offering advanced digital tools shows a university’s dedication to progress and technology. This matters for universities wanting to stay known as forward-thinking institutions.

The platform itself proves the university’s technical skills and commitment to serving its community with current and evolving tools.

3. Better fundraising tools

Finding and building donor relationships

A university-run alumni platform helps identify promising donors by analyzing how graduates interact with content, join events, and connect with others. Teams can spot graduates who show both means and interest in supporting the university.

A graduate who often reads updates about scientific breakthroughs might welcome a chance to fund related research. Those who regularly help students or join networking events show dedication that could lead to financial support. 

A proper alumni engagement platform enables universities to develop nurture programs to engage and build stronger relationships with their alumni who may eventually become donors. 

Custom fundraising messages

Managing their own alumni engagement platform allows universities to fine-tune their outreach based on alumni interests and giving history. Rather than sending everyone the same message, teams can highlight different parts of campaigns to match what graduates care about most, based on their past involvement.

The platform makes it simple for active alumni to share campaigns and explain why they support their university to other graduates.

Demonstrate the impact of donations

A dedicated platform works well for showing how donations make real changes. Regular updates, success stories, and messages from students who benefit help donors see their impact. This builds trust and encourages ongoing support.

Scholarship donors can follow their recipients’ progress right on the platform, creating stronger personal connections.

4. Career support system

Student-alumni connections

The platform smoothly connects career services to help both students and graduates. Beyond job listings, it creates a complete career growth system. Graduates can share job openings with qualified candidates who share their university background.

Students and alumni can connect based on career goals, location, or skills, creating valuable networks that help everyone involved.

Deploying mentoring programs

An alumni engagement platform should support structured mentoring programs that can be tailored to the unique needs of your university. The system can pair mentors with students using multiple factors, helping to schedule meetings, and track the quality of matches.

Universities should have access to data and insights from each mentoring program, allowing them to refine their strategy, leading to better results for everyone.

Skill matching

Modern platforms can match skills with opportunities across the network. This connects hiring graduates with job seekers, or finds alumni experts for speaking roles, advisory positions, or consulting work.

Following career growth

By keeping graduates engaged long-term, universities can watch career paths and use this knowledge to prepare current students better. This information strengthens career advice, course planning, and student recruiting.

5. Managing Information Quality

Reliable Updates

With their own platform, universities ensure news about programs and initiatives stays accurate. This matters greatly as higher education keeps changing and competition increases.

The platform becomes the main source for university news and opportunities, reducing confusion and giving graduates trusted information about their school.

Sharing Graduate Stories

A university platform works perfectly for sharing graduate achievements in ways that help featured alumni and the school. These stories motivate current students, show the value of the education, and build pride among graduates.

The platform makes collecting and sharing these stories simple through easy submission tools and targeted sharing with relevant groups.

Promoting Academic Work

Universities can showcase new research, faculty work, and academic progress to interested graduates. This keeps alumni connected to university learning and can spark valuable teamwork between schools and businesses.

Guiding Conversations

Running the platform lets universities shape discussions that match school values and goals. This includes talks about industry changes, social topics, or university plans that encourage positive engagement.

6. Creating a Lasting Graduate Community

Giving Value to Graduates

The platform must offer clear benefits through special resources, networking, and professional growth tools. This could include library access, research materials, or extra learning options.

Graduates should also be able to share knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences.

School Benefits

Beyond better graduate involvement, a university platform provides useful data for planning, program growth, and resource use. It also helps departments work together more efficiently.

Including Students

Current students should join the platform before graduating, starting their professional networks and using graduate resources while still in school. Starting early makes them more likely to stay involved after graduating.

7. Keys to Success

Focus on Easy Use

The platform must be simple to use, work well on phones, and have features graduates actually need. Regular feedback should guide improvements.

Regular Updates

A strong update plan is needed, with fresh content for different graduate groups. This means mixing school news, industry updates, career help, and community content.

Working with Other Systems

The platform should connect smoothly with other university systems, like student records, donation tracking, and event planning tools. This makes administration easier and improves the user experience.

Data Protection

Strong security measures must protect graduate information and maintain trust. This includes clear privacy rules, security checks, and open communication about data use.

Final Thoughts

Having your own graduate networking platform is becoming essential for universities. The benefits go beyond just keeping graduates involved – they touch everything from student recruiting to fundraising to program development.

As digital tools reshape higher education, universities that manage their own graduate networks will build stronger communities, get more support, and make bigger differences in graduates’ lives. While creating a platform takes work, it pays off through better involvement, clearer insights, and stronger university backing.

Graduates will connect somewhere – the real question is who will guide and benefit from these connections. By running their own networking platform, universities can turn natural graduate connections into valuable assets that help everyone in the education community.

The post Beyond graduation: The critical role of institution-owned alumni networks in higher education appeared first on Hivebrite.

This year has been jam-packed with inspiring customer success stories, product innovation, an acquisition, and more!

Join us as we celebrate some of our proudest moments from this year.

Hivebrite acquired Orbiit to take community engagement to the next level

From left to right: Hivebrite Founder Jean Hamon, alongside Orbiit’s Founders Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen. Photo by Elena Rossini.

In 2024, we made a huge advancement in transforming community engagement by acquiring Orbiit, a leader in AI-powered member matching.

Orbiit’s philosophy? Make every connection count!

Community managers can now nurture meaningful, targeted member connections at scale with Orbiit’s AI-powered matching! Members no longer need to scour profiles and information to find people and resources most valuable to them—Orbiit does it automatically!

Orbiit also takes care of all communication, meeting scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

Together, we’re creating more vibrant, engaged communities where everyone feels at home!

Find out more about Orbiit and our acquisition here.

We made several major platform enhancements

In 2024, Hivebrite rolled out several exciting product updates designed to enhance both user experience and administrative capabilities. Two areas we are particularly excited about are our improvements to our mentoring and analytics modules!

Here’s a quick rundown of these improvements:

Mentoring: Drive growth through powerful mentoring connections

Our updated mentoring features have revolutionized how communities connect and grow. With a more intuitive matching algorithm, mentors and mentees are now paired based on their skills, interests, and goals, making connections more meaningful. We’ve also introduced a user-friendly interface that simplifies navigation and management of mentoring relationships. Plus, participants can now set goals and track their progress, keeping an eye on their achievements over time. These changes have boosted user engagement and satisfaction, making the mentoring experience more impactful and rewarding.

Discover more.

Analytics: Manage your community with intelligent analytics

We’ve revamped our analytics capabilities to offer community managers deeper insights and more actionable data. The new dashboards provide real-time analytics with customizable views, helping administrators keep track of key metrics like user engagement, event participation, and content performance. Advanced reporting features now allow users to segment data by various criteria, enabling more targeted strategies and decision-making. Additionally, Hivebrite now supports integration with third-party analytics tools, giving a comprehensive view of community dynamics. These enhancements equip administrators with the information they need to effectively drive engagement and optimize community management efforts.

Learn more.

We launched Community Therapy season two

Community Therapy is an on-demand video series that invites you on an unfiltered journey into the world of community building, featuring candid conversations with industry experts.

Each episode offers a welcoming space where community leaders openly discuss challenges, share practical insights, and celebrate their successes.

Season two offers eight engaging episodes covering a range of critical topics for community builders:

1. Building lasting relationships with members
2. Building a networking community
3. How community generates value and ROI
4. Helping employees thrive through community
5. Optimizing community operations for maximum impact
6. Exploring the intersection of community and psychology
7. Building peer-to-peer connections online
8. Empowering community groups and chapters

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting in community management, you’ll discover valuable advice and inspiration in every episode. Tune in now! 

Our CCO, Gonzalo Cayo, named Startup CCO of the Year

Hivebrite’s own Gonzalo Cayo was honored as Startup CCO of the Year at the annual GTM Awards! This award, celebrated at Pavilion’s GTM 2024 conference in Austin, shines a spotlight on go-to-market leaders who have shown excellence in sales, marketing, and customer success.

We couldn’t be prouder of the work of Gonzalo and his team and are excited to keep pushing the boundaries of success and innovation at Hivebrite!

Discover more here!

We welcomed new customers making global impact across industries

In 2024, we welcomed an array of new clients to Hivebrite including:

Pavilion: A private membership community dedicated to accelerating the careers of high-growth professionals through peer learning, executive education, and networking opportunities.

Muscular Dystrophy Association: A community to support individuals and families affected by muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases through advocacy, research funding, healthcare services, and connecting people facing similar challenges.

Relias: a community for healthcare professionals and organizations to access continuing education, training resources, and professional development opportunities, with a focus on improving healthcare outcomes through evidence-based learning and certification programs.

World Wildlife Fund: A global community dedicated to conserving nature and reducing the most pressing threats to Earth’s biodiversity, working to protect wildlife, preserve natural habitats, and address climate change through advocacy, education, and conservation initiatives.

University of Chicago Law School: A community of legal scholars, students, and alumni committed to excellence in legal education, groundbreaking research, and the advancement of law through rigorous academic discourse and professional development.

Watching our community grow with such passionate and diverse organizations is incredibly rewarding. Each new partnership brings fresh energy and ideas, and we are beyond excited to support them in building vibrant, engaged communities in 2025 and beyond.

We reinforced our commitment to data privacy and security

Hivebrite reached some exciting milestones in security certifications that we are proud to share with you.

We successfully retained our ISO 27001 certification, highlighting our unwavering commitment to top-notch information security management and best practices. Alongside this, we maintained our PCI-DSS certification, ensuring we uphold the highest standards in payment card industry data security.

We are also thrilled to announce that we achieved the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) Level 1 certification. TX-RAMP-certified products are highly valued because they demonstrate a strong commitment to cybersecurity and compliance with Texas state standards.

These achievements reflect Hivebrite’s dedication to safeguarding client data and reinforcing trust with our clients and partners.

The post Our 2024 highlights appeared first on Hivebrite.

Meaningful mentoring relationships are the cornerstone of thriving professional communities, creating pathways for knowledge sharing, career advancement, and lasting connections. At Hivebrite, we understand that effective mentoring programs do more than facilitate networking—they transform community experiences by fostering personal growth, accelerating professional development, and creating sustainable value for all participants. This deep appreciation for mentoring’s role in community success has driven us to significantly enhance our Mentoring module. We’re excited to share our enhanced Mentoring module, featuring improved matching capabilities, streamlined processes, and greater flexibility in how mentoring relationships are formed and managed. These improvements reflect our commitment to helping communities create more impactful mentoring experiences that deliver tangible value to every member, whether they’re sharing expertise as a mentor or seeking guidance as a mentee.

Choose your ideal matching approach

One of the key enhancements in our updated Mentoring module is the flexibility to choose between two powerful matching approaches, each designed to meet specific community needs and administrative preferences.

Enhanced admin matching: Pair participants based on specific criteria or preferences

Perfect for communities seeking curated connections, this approach enables administrators to:

• Take an active role in crafting mentor-mentee relationships
• Ensure consistently high-quality matches across the program
• Customize matching criteria with application data and profile fields
• Fine-tune matching criteria based on program insights
• Maintain quality control over mentoring relationships

User matching: Empower participants to select or request their own matches

Ideal for fostering organic connections, this self-selection approach offers:

• Greater mentee empowerment through direct mentor selection
• Increased program buy-in through participant choice
• Reduced administrative overhead
• Streamlined program management
• Natural relationship development

Both approaches can be implemented across different program types, and communities can even use different matching methods for various initiatives within their platform. This flexibility ensures that your mentoring program can evolve alongside your community’s needs while maintaining efficiency and engagement.

Benefits for admins and participants 

In developing these enhancements to our Mentoring module, we took a comprehensive approach, carefully considering both the administrative challenges of running successful mentoring programs and the user experience of community members seeking meaningful connections. Our updates deliver streamlined workflows for program administrators while creating more engaging and intuitive experiences for mentors and mentees. Here’s how the enhanced Mentoring module benefits each group of users:

For Community administrators

• Strategic oversight and control
  Tailor your mentoring experience with access to a variety of programs, offering different levels of depth and commitment to meet the diverse needs of all community members. Maintain complete visibility over all mentoring relationships and program performance.
• Customization
  Customize, monitor, and grow each program through branded program content including mentor/mentee application forms, mentor cards, and personalized communications each step of the way.
• Flexibility 
  Dedicated application processes for mentors and mentees are designed with the flexibility to incorporate additional questions along with the capability to set up the display rules and mandatory fields. Curate matches based on the fields application and profile fields you choose. 

For Participants

• Strategic networking
  Break down barriers to professional connections through structured, pre-vetted introductions to industry experts. Experience a more approachable way to build meaningful relationships without the uncertainty of cold outreach.
• Skills development
  Access personalized guidance from carefully matched mentors who align with your career goals and learning objectives. Benefit from direct knowledge transfer and practical insights that accelerate your professional growth.
• Simplified journey
  Navigate your mentoring experience through an intuitive platform that makes participation and relationship-building easy. Focus on building valuable connections while the platform manages the logistics.

How our customers use Mentoring

Hivebrite’s Mentoring module adapts to diverse community needs through various program types. Organizations can establish upskilling programs where industry experts provide targeted professional development, create alumni mentorship networks that bridge the gap between academia and industry, or implement onboarding buddy systems to welcome new community members. Whether connecting experienced professionals with emerging talent, linking alumni with current students, or helping newcomers navigate organizational culture, our platform facilitates meaningful relationships that drive both individual growth and community engagement.

With 90% of participants recommending their mentoring experience to others, organizations like APM are leveraging our platform to create impactful professional development programs that resonate with their community members. Check out their case study.

The future of mentoring

This update represents our commitment to helping our customers provide true value to their community members by creating more meaningful connections. Whether you’re managing a large-scale mentoring program or starting a new initiative, Hivebrite’s Mentoring module provides the flexibility and functionality needed to succeed.

Getting Started

Whether you’re launching a new mentoring program or looking to enhance an existing one, Hivebrite’s improved Mentoring module provides the tools and flexibility you need to succeed.

Ready to enhance your member’s value through powerful mentoring connections? Request a demo to see these new features in action.

Already a Hivebrite customer? Reach out to your Customer Success Team for more information!

The post Hivebrite’s Enhanced Mentoring module: Unlock members’ personal and professional growth appeared first on Hivebrite.

Meaningful mentoring relationships are the cornerstone of thriving professional communities, creating pathways for knowledge sharing, career advancement, and lasting connections. At Hivebrite, we understand that effective mentoring programs do more than facilitate networking—they transform community experiences by fostering personal growth, accelerating professional development, and creating sustainable value for all participants. This deep appreciation for mentoring’s role in community success has driven us to significantly enhance our Mentoring module. We’re excited to share our enhanced Mentoring module, featuring improved matching capabilities, streamlined processes, and greater flexibility in how mentoring relationships are formed and managed. These improvements reflect our commitment to helping communities create more impactful mentoring experiences that deliver tangible value to every member, whether they’re sharing expertise as a mentor or seeking guidance as a mentee.

Choose your ideal matching approach

One of the key enhancements in our updated Mentoring module is the flexibility to choose between two powerful matching approaches, each designed to meet specific community needs and administrative preferences.

Enhanced admin matching: Pair participants based on specific criteria or preferences

Perfect for communities seeking curated connections, this approach enables administrators to:

• Take an active role in crafting mentor-mentee relationships
• Ensure consistently high-quality matches across the program
• Customize matching criteria with application data and profile fields
• Fine-tune matching criteria based on program insights
• Maintain quality control over mentoring relationships

User matching: Empower participants to select or request their own matches

Ideal for fostering organic connections, this self-selection approach offers:

• Greater mentee empowerment through direct mentor selection
• Increased program buy-in through participant choice
• Reduced administrative overhead
• Streamlined program management
• Natural relationship development

Both approaches can be implemented across different program types, and communities can even use different matching methods for various initiatives within their platform. This flexibility ensures that your mentoring program can evolve alongside your community’s needs while maintaining efficiency and engagement.

Benefits for admins and participants

In developing these enhancements to our Mentoring module, we took a comprehensive approach, carefully considering both the administrative challenges of running successful mentoring programs and the user experience of community members seeking meaningful connections. Our updates deliver streamlined workflows for program administrators while creating more engaging and intuitive experiences for mentors and mentees. Here’s how the enhanced Mentoring module benefits each group of users:

For Community administrators

• Strategic oversight and control
  Tailor your mentoring experience with access to a variety of programs, offering different levels of depth and commitment to meet the diverse needs of all community members. Maintain complete visibility over all mentoring relationships and program performance.
• Customization
  Customize, monitor, and grow each program through branded program content including mentor/mentee application forms, mentor cards, and personalized communications each step of the way.
• Flexibility
  Dedicated application processes for mentors and mentees are designed with the flexibility to incorporate additional questions along with the capability to set up the display rules and mandatory fields. Curate matches based on the fields application and profile fields you choose.

For Participants

• Strategic networking
  Break down barriers to professional connections through structured, pre-vetted introductions to industry experts. Experience a more approachable way to build meaningful relationships without the uncertainty of cold outreach.
• Skills development
  Access personalized guidance from carefully matched mentors who align with your career goals and learning objectives. Benefit from direct knowledge transfer and practical insights that accelerate your professional growth.
• Simplified journey
  Navigate your mentoring experience through an intuitive platform that makes participation and relationship-building easy. Focus on building valuable connections while the platform manages the logistics.

How our customers use Mentoring

Hivebrite’s Mentoring module adapts to diverse community needs through various program types. Organizations can establish upskilling programs where industry experts provide targeted professional development, create alumni mentorship networks that bridge the gap between academia and industry, or implement onboarding buddy systems to welcome new community members. Whether connecting experienced professionals with emerging talent, linking alumni with current students, or helping newcomers navigate organizational culture, our platform facilitates meaningful relationships that drive both individual growth and community engagement.

With 90% of participants recommending their mentoring experience to others, organizations like APM are leveraging our platform to create impactful professional development programs that resonate with their community members. Check out their case study.

The future of mentoring

This update represents our commitment to helping our customers provide true value to their community members by creating more meaningful connections. Whether you’re managing a large-scale mentoring program or starting a new initiative, Hivebrite’s Mentoring module provides the flexibility and functionality needed to succeed.

Getting started

Whether you’re launching a new mentoring program or looking to enhance an existing one, Hivebrite’s improved Mentoring module provides the tools and flexibility you need to succeed.

Ready to enhance your member’s value through powerful mentoring connections? Request a demo to see these new features in action.

Already a Hivebrite customer? Reach out to your Customer Success Team for more information!

The post Hivebrite’s Enhanced Mentoring module: Unlock members’ personal and professional growth appeared first on Hivebrite.

Hivebrite announced Gonzalo Cayo has been awarded Startup CCO of the Year, as part of the second annual GTM Awards, an industry-wide program celebrating go-to-market leaders who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, and success in sales, marketing, customer success, operations, CEO/founder roles, and investing. Pavilion, the leading private global community for go-to-market (GTM) executives, CEOs, and founders in the B2B tech space, in partnership with TrustRadius, the leading buyer intelligence platform, announced award recipients in conjunction with Pavilion’s GTM 2024 conference.

Gonzalo Cayo leads a global customer success team of over 50 people at Hivebrite, dedicated to helping organizations make the most of the Hivebrite community platform. Gonzalo and his team ensure that clients receive the support and expertise they need to build vibrant communities to achieve their organizations’ goals. His leadership has been instrumental in positioning Hivebrite as the market leader for organizations worldwide.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award and be recognized alongside so many innovative leaders in the B2B tech space. At Hivebrite, we firmly believe that customer success is the cornerstone of any thriving business. We’ve dedicated ourselves to getting closer to our customers and reinforcing our teams worldwide which has taken innovation and customer relationships to the next level. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our entire team,” said Gonzalo Cayo.

In 2024, Hivebrite expanded its customer base welcoming esteemed organizations such as Pavilion, World Wildlife Fund, CareerSpring, Nurse.com, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This growth underscores Hivebrite commitment to delivering an exceptional product and outstanding support. “This recognition not only highlights our achievements but also inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in building impactful communities worldwide,” said Gonzalo.

Winners were determined by the GTM Awards judging panel, comprised of independent industry experts: Sam Jacobs, Founder & CEO of Pavilion; Allyson Havener, SVP of Marketing and Community of TrustRadius; Jacco van der Kooij, Founder of Winning by Design; Sangram Vajre, CEO of GTM Partners; and Debe Rapson, Co-Founder and Board Chair of Women in Revenue.

To learn more, please visit http://www.joinpavilion.com/gtm-awards.

About GTM Awards:

The GTM Awards is an industry-wide recognition program celebrating top go-to-market leaders who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, and success in sales, marketing, customer success, operations, CEO/founder roles, and investing. The program is sponsored by Pavilion and TrustRadius and aims to inspire professionals, foster a sense of community, and honor exceptional contributions in the dynamic B2B SaaS go-to-market landscape. For more information, please visit http://www.joinpavilion.com/gtm-awards.

About Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a full-stack online community platform designed for flexibility and scalability, empowering organizations to build, manage, and engage vibrant communities with ease. Hivebrite supports communities across all industry sectors with clients as diverse as World Health Organization (WHO), Boeing, Fullbright, and University of Notre Dame.

Get in touch today to discuss how together we can build a vibrant and engaged alumni community that supports your institution’s mission for years to come. https://hivebrite.io/demo

About Pavilion:

Pavilion was founded in 2016 as a support network for revenue leaders. Now, with over 10,000 members in more than 450 cities around the world, Pavilion is a place where CEOs, revenue leaders, and go-to-market teams from the world’s fastest-growing companies come together to build relationships, learn new skills, forge meaningful connections, and help individuals and organizations thrive. For more information about Pavilion, or to become a member, please visit https://www.joinpavilion.com/.

AboutTrustRadius:

TrustRadius delivers the most credible buyer intelligence platform, helping buyers confidently make decisions with comprehensive,vetted product information and customer-generated content. Technology providers are empowered to tell their unique stories, engage high-intent buyers, and gain customer insights. Founded by successful entrepreneurs and headquartered in the technology hub of Austin, Texas, TrustRadius is backed by Mayfield Fund, LiveOak Venture Partners, and Next Coast Ventures

The post Hivebrite’s Gonzalo Cayo named Startup CCO of the Year at the 2024 GTM Awards appeared first on Hivebrite.

The on-demand video series offers a judgment-free zone where industry leaders can speak openly about the challenges they face.

In each episode, you’ll find actionable insights and practical advice that you can apply to your own community-building efforts. It’s not just about airing difficulties-it’s about finding solutions and celebrating victories. Whether you’re an experienced professional or just getting started, you’ll find value in every minute of these candid conversations.

Hosted by Morgan Rice, a seasoned community strategist, season two offers eight engaging episodes covering a range of critical topics for community builders:

• Building lasting relationships with members
• Building a networking community
• How community generates value and ROI
• Helping employees thrive through community
• Optimizing community operations for maximum impact
• Exploring the intersection of community and psychology
• Building peer-to-peer connections online
• Empowering community groups and chapters

The entire series is live. Binge all eight episodes at once, or savor them one at a time—the choice is yours! Click here to start watching!

The post Introducing season two of Community Therapy appeared first on Hivebrite.

Paris, France — July 9, 2024 — Hivebrite, the all-in-one community management and engagement platform, today announced the acquisition of Orbiit, an AI-powered matching company. This strategic move underscores Hivebrite’s commitment to providing its customers with the best technology to build impactful communities.

Renowned organizations such as Santander, Euronext, the Obama Foundation, the U.S. Naval Academy, CERN, Roche, the University of Notre Dame, and the American Psychological Association trust Hivebrite to build private, branded communities for knowledge sharing, networking, mentoring, and ideation.

Orbiit’s technology will enrich Hivebrite’s offering by enabling AI-powered matching that pairs members with compatible profiles based on customizable criteria, including industry, experience, and interests. Community managers will be able to nurture meaningful relationships more efficiently, and members will experience more powerful and targeted connections, creating a more vibrant community for all.

From left to right: Hivebrite Founder Jean Hamon, alongside Orbiit’s Founders Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen. Photo by Elena Rossini.

Harnessing AI to amplify human connection not replace it

Artificial intelligence is being embraced throughout industries to enhance impact and simplify tasks, and the community-building industry is no different. The strength of relationships within a community significantly influences its engagement, and Hivebrite recognized the immense potential of Orbiit’s AI-matching technology to dramatically enhance the quality and quantity of connections while generating operational efficiencies.

Orbiit automates one-to-one or small group connections at scale and handles all communication, matching, scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

“People love meeting people, but context is crucial—especially when connections start online. Instead of sifting through endless profiles and information, our technology offers members access to the most relevant peers and high-impact resources precisely when they need them, enriching the community experience as a whole,” said Luuk Derksen, CTO at Orbiit.

Orbiit’s technology is already highly regarded in Silicon Valley for connecting operators from unicorn companies. Orbiit’s founders, Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen, hail from Bulgaria and the Netherlands, respectively. They met in New York, where they were inspired to create a technology that could revolutionize how people connect. Today, organizations, including Sequoia Capital, Atlassian, and the London School of Economics, use Orbiit to drive purposeful connections.

A perfect match to transform community engagement

Hivebrite and Orbiit share a strong customer base, including prominent organizations like New Enterprise Associates, Insight Partners, and Pavilion. These customers recognize the combined benefits of integrating both platforms to enrich community experiences and enhance networking opportunities for their members.

“Hivebrite and Orbiit joining forces will be transformational in improving our member experience. Together, these tools will undoubtedly amplify the value of our membership, fostering stronger connections and more meaningful interactions within our community,” said Carly Pallis, Chief of Staff at Pavilion.

“The acquisition of Orbiit marks an exciting milestone in our journey, significantly strengthening Hivebrite’s AI capabilities in a meaningful and impactful way. I love the analogy that one of our customers made recently: Hivebrite brings the home with its community platform, and Orbiit brings the soul with its AI-matching technology. It’s a match made in heaven!

Additionally, while Orbiit adds immediate value to any existing community platform, it also works effectively with a simple contact list, offering even more possibilities to our customers,” said Jean Hamon, CEO of Hivebrite.

“Insight is thrilled to see Hivebrite and Orbiit joining forces with this acquisition. By integrating Orbiit’s AI technology into its platform, Hivebrite further solidifies its leadership in the online community market. We are confident that this partnership will drive significant value for both organizations and the vibrant communities they serve,” said Peter Sobiloff, Managing Director at Insight Partners and Hivebrite board member.

This acquisition marks a pivotal advancement in community technology alongside another milestone: a new round of funding totaling $8 million. This latest round of funding follows a $37 million Series B announced in 2023. The new capital will further fuel Hivebrite’s platform innovation and reinforce its customer support for thousands of customers worldwide.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Hivebrite to transform community engagement,” said Bilyana Freye, Co-Founder and CEO of Orbiit. “This acquisition is a natural evolution from our successful collaborations with mutual clients, where we’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact we can achieve together. At Orbiit, our mission has always been to create meaningful connections at scale, and by combining Hivebrite’s product breadth with Orbiit’s depth of expertise in community matching, we can now offer the most powerful community platform on the market.”

Click here to learn more about Hivebrite and Orbiit and upcoming platform innovations.

About Hivebrite

Hivebrite is the leading all-in-one community management and engagement platform that helps organizations build, manage, and engage their communities. Hivebrite offers a wide range of tools and features designed to enhance community interaction and foster meaningful connections.

About Orbiit

Orbiit is an AI-powered matching company that powers curated 1:1 community connections at scale. Its technology enables members to opt into regular, topic-based 1:1 virtual connections and handles all comms, matching, scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

The post Hivebrite takes community engagement to the next level with the acquisition of AI-powered matching engine Orbiit appeared first on Hivebrite.

The survey enables institutions to compare their alumni engagement data with peers and regional trends, aiding in strategic planning and improving engagement practices.

You can download the full report here or keep scrolling for our three key takeaways!

What is alumni engagement?

Alumni engagement encompasses activities that foster a meaningful and measurable connection between an institution and its alumni, supporting the institution’s mission and strategic goals. CASE’s survey categorizes alumni engagement into four primary modes:

• Communication
  Communications involve interactive, meaningful, and informative exchanges with alumni that bolster your school’s mission, goals, and reputation. This includes active engagement on social media, such as likes and comments, and reciprocal email correspondence. Note that passive activities like receiving a mailed publication or email are not considered communication engagements by CASE.
• Experiential
  Experiential engagements provide meaningful interactions that inspire alumni and celebrate the school’s mission and accomplishments. These include both in-person and virtual activities like events, reunions, online book clubs, and digital forums.
• Philanthropy
  Philanthropic opportunities allow alumni to contribute financially or through in-kind support to advance the school’s mission and strategic goals. This includes various forms of monetary donations and material contributions.
• Volunteering
  Volunteer roles are structured and fulfilling positions that align with and support your school’s mission and strategic objectives. They include serving on boards or advisory committees, mentoring students, advocating publicly, and speaking in classrooms.

Each mode plays a distinct role in alumni engagement, and successful strategies often combine multiple modes to maximize impact.

3 key takeaways from CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement

1. Engagement patterns by graduation cohort

Alumni engagement patterns vary significantly by graduation cohort.

Communication engagement is highest in the first five years post-graduation and then declines.

Experiential engagement also peaks early but sees a resurgence later. Similar to communication engagement, experiential engagement is a likely precursor to philanthropic engagement.

Given the time and effort required to volunteer formally, every cohort has a low engagement rate. Essentially, one percent of alumni volunteer in every cohort.

Philanthropic engagement, however, increases steadily with alumni age.

Actionable takeaway: Develop targeted engagement strategies for each cohort. Focus on communication and experiential engagement for recent graduates to maintain their connection. Gradually introduce philanthropic opportunities as alumni age, leveraging their increasing capacity and willingness to give.

2. Regional variations in engagement

Alumni engagement strategies need to account for regional differences. For instance, philanthropy is more prominent in some regions, while experiential engagement is more common in others.

Understanding these regional nuances can help tailor more effective engagement strategies.

Actionable takeaway: Customize engagement strategies to fit regional preferences and cultural norms.

Conduct regional surveys or focus groups to gather specific insights and adjust your approach accordingly. For example, prioritize philanthropic appeals in regions with a strong giving culture and focus on events and volunteer opportunities in regions where those are more popular.

3. Challenges in data collection and reporting

Institutions report varying levels of confidence in their data for different engagement modes. While philanthropic engagement data tends to be more reliable due to established tracking systems, communication and experiential engagement data are often less robust.

Actionable takeaway: Invest in improving data collection and reporting mechanisms. Implement comprehensive CRM systems that capture all forms of engagement, train staff on accurate data entry, and regularly audit data quality.

Clear definitions and consistent tracking will enhance the reliability of engagement metrics.

Are you looking for more alumni engagement ideas? Download The Alumni Connection. It shares practical advice and personal experiences from thought leaders in the field to inspire advancement professionals to think creatively and strategically about alumni engagement.

The post CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement: 3 key takeaways appeared first on Hivebrite.