Myra Norton to Discuss the Role of Social Networking on Program Development, Marketing, and Fundraising.
Baltimore, January 2008 – Community Analytics, a research organization that applies the principles of social networking to drive organizational performance, will present at the Academic Impressions’ Alumni Affinity Conference on March 26, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. Academic Impressions is an organization that helps to advance higher education strategies by fostering meaningful dialogue. Myra Norton, CEO of Community Analytics, will lead three sessions on alumni social networks, data gathering and tracking, and linking affinity and interest to annual funds.
“We plan to discuss how networks of advice‐seeking among alumni can be leveraged to improve university events, increase participation, and drive donations,” said Norton. “I think the attendees will gain an interesting perspective on the dynamics of social networking through our research and implementation with a variety of colleges and universities.”

In the first workshop, Norton will focus on systems of influence and show how networks can be used to better engage alumni and boost fundraising. Norton will demonstrate how academic professionals can reach major gift prospects through an understanding of the peer‐to‐peer connections that exist among alumni.
In the second session, Norton will educate attendees on the ways to gather and track affinity data, as well as methods to utilize this data for years to come. At a third session, Norton will discuss the degree to which alumni interest groups should be permitted to direct their gifts and ways to leverage these groups when college or university policies do not offer this type of flexibility.
Joining Norton on the Academic Impressions’ expert panel will be three other academic professionals from across the nation. The group will offer tools to help increase the percentage of alumni engaged, reach new alumni with nontraditional connections, increase attendance at reunions and events, and create more compelling reasons to give back to institutions.
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About Community Analytics:
Community Analytics is a research organization based on the principles of social networking. We understand human networks and the roles they play in the decision making process.
We offer customer engagement solutions that deliver measurable results in an ever‐changing and customer‐driven business environment. Through a combination of proprietary research and analytical techniques, Community Analytics helps you uncover these networks and create strategies to connect them with your brand.