How West Point Association of Graduates gives its alumni what they want with Hivebrite

The West Point Association of Graduates Alumni Network strives “To be the most highly connected alumni body in the world.”

The West Point Association of Graduates has been using Hivebrite since 2017. The team chose Hivebrite as their solution to fulfill their mission and engage with their alumni. WPAOG offers managed spaces for collaboration and sharing. Our platform enables them to stay connected, share experiences with other alumni, and promote West Point’s ideals.

The community challenge

Leaving active military duty can be challenging, so connecting alumni with others who understand their experience is especially important. WPAOG’s vision is to be the world’s most highly connected alumni body.

The organization formally ran its alumni community on another platform that was discontinued. This presented an opportunity to find a new platform to improve and modernize the alumni experience.

The team previously used multiple tools to engage alumni. Finding one platform that could consolidate and optimize all engagement efforts was a top priority. Syncing data between the online community and WPAOG’s CRM was another non-negotiable requirement for the new platform.

The Hivebrite solution

With Hivebrite, WPAOG offers an exclusive branded space for its members to exchange, support each other, and collaborate. Members can search and connect with peers through the interactive custom directory based on 19 criteria, including class year, interests, and cadet company.

Hivebrite’s group feature empowers alumni leaders to create chapters and affinity groups within the global community to offer more tailored engagement opportunities. As of January 2024, WPAOG counted 265 vibrant sub-communities.

The team can now save time and improve member experience by managing memberships, events, and resources from one platform. Events and resources can also be shared across chapters and groups, boosting visibility and engagement.

Hivebrite teamed up with Zuri Group to enable seamless integration with WPAOG’s Blackbaud CRM system and its community platform. With all vital data in one place, WPAOG can understand membership and event participation data at a regional level and make data-driven decisions to refine engagement strategies.

The outcome

The WPAOG community has become a highly engaged digital hub for alumni, driven by strong adoption and sustained member participation. As of January 2024, more than 36% of eligible members had activated their accounts, with the community continuing to grow through an average of 275 new user activations every month throughout 2023.

Engagement has remained consistently strong, with the platform averaging more than 3,000 active users and over 22,500 visits per month. These metrics demonstrate the community’s value as a destination for networking, communication, and alumni engagement.

The platform has also streamlined event management at scale. In 2023 alone, members organized an average of 46 events per month, creating a steady flow of opportunities for alumni to connect, learn, and engage. The ease of creating and managing events through Hivebrite has empowered both staff and volunteers to deliver a rich and active community experience.