An almost universal groan: Keeping up with frequently changing student addresses

Asking for suggestions on handling the frequent moves of students and recent graduates generally elicited a groan as well as some useful suggestions. 

• Having student leaders update contact information using their access to peers with Facebook, MySpace, face to face contact and school lists is very successful while the students are still in school. 
• Collecting additional email addresses without .edu is encouraged by some associations.
• Trying a student address drive with the first chapters to submit updated contact information receiving an incentive for their chapter was doing very well at one organization. 
• Requesting the effective month of address changes and using the home, not training institution, as the primary contact is recommended by another association. 
• “Holding hostage” a sought-after certificate for two months after graduation to be sent to the new addresses is another way of gathering the updated contact information. 
• Capturing email addresses at the next required professional step of searching the online training registry works in some situations.  

If any other associations have any other helpful suggestions, please add them to the blog!  Keeping up with students’ frequent moves is an ongoing challenge. 

Comments

[David M. Patt, CAE]

Also ask for their cell phone numbers so you can call or text them. Those numbers don't change very often.