Geneva Graduate Institute

Specialization

Academic and Research Sector

Members

Global Alumni Community

What was implemented

Salesforce Experience Cloud and AC MemberSmart

With a strong reputation in global education, the Geneva Graduate Institute is a world-renowned academic institution in Switzerland, celebrated for its excellence in international affairs, development studies, and global governance. With roots tracing back to 1927, the institute not only fosters critical thinking and interdisciplinary research but also shapes innovative solutions to global challenges, preparing future leaders in diplomacy, policy-making, and sustainable development.

Project Objectives

The institute envisioned a digital space to unite its diverse alumni community—an environment where former students could reconnect, share insights, collaborate on initiatives, and access exclusive resources. The primary objective was to create an all-encompassing alumni portal that would serve as a vibrant hub for:

• Networking: A dynamic member directory to facilitate seamless connections.
• Events: A robust event management system to promote and track both upcoming and past activities.
• News & Updates: A centralized news feed to keep alumni informed about the latest developments.
• Groups & Collaboration: Specialized features for creating and managing groups, ensuring that alumni can engage with peers sharing similar interests or professional backgrounds.

All of these objectives were focused on creating a single, intuitive digital space where alumni could actively engage with the institute and each other, without the friction of disconnected tools or fragmented experiences.

Our Approach & Solution

Advanced Communities delivered a tailor-made alumni platform designed to support Geneva Graduate Institute’s diverse, international alumni community and its need for scalable engagement, communication, and event management. The solution focused on three core areas:

Member Engagement & Networking

By integrating AC MemberSmart, the platform provides a robust member directory with advanced filters, enabling alumni to easily reconnect based on graduation years, academic background, or professional paths. Enhanced group functionality and automated membership rules further support meaningful peer collaboration.

Events & Communication

To support a connected alumni experience, advanced event management tools enable seamless participation management, complemented by a centralized News page and Salesforce Chatter integration for real-time communication and timely updates across the community.

User Experience & Data Management

A customized UI/UX aligned with the institute’s brand ensures intuitive navigation, while two-way Salesforce synchronization allows alumni to update personal and professional data independently, keeping records accurate and up to date.

The Solution in Action

Alumni Community Portal

Geneva Graduate Institute alumni portal homepage with hero slider and navigation

Events

Events page with alumni meetings, filters and online registration

Groups

Alumni groups and chapters presented as visual tiles

News

News page with latest articles and updates

Member Directory

Member directory with filters by location, graduation year and more

Benefits & Results

4,500 profiles activated in 2 years

100+ alumni groups in the portal

60% less time on data updates

The new alumni portal has transformed how the Geneva Graduate Institute engages with its global community, providing a single, intuitive platform that enhances connectivity, simplifies management, and keeps alumni informed and involved:

• User-Centric Design: Alumni can quickly find relevant news, events, and resources without navigating multiple sections or external tools.
• Empowered Networking: Alumni actively reconnect and engage through an intuitive member directory designed for professional and academic networking.
• Streamlined Event Management: Alumni can discover events, register, and manage their participation directly within the portal, with all event-related information and updates available in one place.
• Optimized Communication: Centralized news and real-time updates reduce reliance on email chains and disconnected channels, keeping alumni informed inside the platform.
• Operational Efficiency: Automated group assignments and profile synchronization reduce manual administration for staff while keeping member data accurate and up to date.

And here’s what Geneva Graduate Institute said about our performance:

Marcello Finocchiaro, Carine Leu

Deputy Head of Information Systems, Head of Alumni relations

When we started collaborating with the Advanced Communities team, we were strongly impressed by the level of preparation, strong motivation and extreme willingness to provide a very rich solution well adapted to our needs. During the implementation phase, the Advanced Communities resources were highly efficient, reliable, dedicated and always found the most effective solutions to meet our requirements. Despite deadline and budget constraints, the go-live date was respected to the satisfaction of the Geneva Graduate Institute. We strongly recommend this company, this solution and the great team behind it.

Learn more about AC MemberSmart:
Visit AC MemberSmart page on the Salesforce AppExchange.

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