ABOUT ANZAAN
Building Stronger Alumni Associations
ANZAAN – the Australia New Zealand Alumni Association Network – exists to help school and university alumni associations build stronger, more connected and sustainable organisations.
Across Australia and New Zealand, alumni associations are doing important work: keeping communities connected, maintaining traditions, supporting schools and students, organising events and creating lifelong relationships.
But many are also trying to solve the same challenges – often with limited resources and largely on their own.
ANZAAN brings together the technology, knowledge, community and hands-on support to help them succeed.
WHY ANZAAN EXISTS
Alumni asociations need to evolve
Many alumni associations were established decades ago. Since then, the world around them has changed significantly.
Member expectations have changed. Technology has changed. Privacy requirements have changed. The way schools communicate with their communities has changed. And younger alumni expect very different ways to connect and engage.
At the same time, associations continue to grapple with familiar challenges:
How do we find and stay connected with our alumni?
How do we engage younger generations?
What does good governance look like?
How should we work alongside our school?
How do we build an effective events programme?
How do we create genuine value for members?
How can we generate sustainable revenue?
What technology do we actually need?
How do we build an association that will remain relevant for the next generation?
ANZAAN was created because associations shouldn't have to answer these questions alone.
Our role is to bring together technology, shared knowledge, practical expertise and a community of alumni leaders to help associations move forward.
WHAT WE DO
One Network - Three Ways We Help
Whether you are establishing a new alumni association, rebuilding one that has lost momentum, or looking to modernise an established organisation, ANZAAN can help.
Our support is built around three core offerings:
ANZAAN App
ANZAAN Annual Conference
ANZAAN Advisory
1. The ANZAAN App
The technology to connect your community.
A branded alumni app gives your association a modern platform to connect and communicate with its members.
Manage your alumni database, share news, promote events, run polls and keep your alumni community connected – through an app carrying your own association's identity and brand.
It provides associations with practical technology without the cost and complexity of having to develop their own solution.
2. The Annual ANZAAN Conference
Our annual conference brings together alumni association leaders, committee members, school representatives and experts to share ideas, learn from one another and explore best practice.
The inaugural ANZAAN Conference was held in June 2026 and demonstrated just how valuable it is to bring people facing the same challenges into one room.
Each year, the conference will provide practical sessions, real examples, new ideas and opportunities to build relationships across the alumni sector.
3. ANZAAN Support
Practical hands-on-help to build a stronger association.
Sometimes an association needs more than information or a template. It needs someone to help get the work done.
ANZAAN provides hands-on support for associations wanting to establish, strengthen or modernise their organisation.
That could mean helping establish a new association, reviewing governance and structure, developing an engagement programme, improving membership, creating an events calendar, strengthening the relationship with the school, developing revenue opportunities or putting the right systems and processes in place.
We can work alongside your committee and school team to turn good intentions into practical action.
BUILT AROUND SHARED KNOWLEDGE
We Don't Need to Reinvent the Wheel
One of the most powerful ideas behind ANZAAN is also one of the simplest.
Many of the challenges facing alumni associations have already been solved by another association somewhere else.
One organisation may have developed an excellent governance model. Another may have found a successful way to engage younger alumni. Another may have built a thriving events programme, generated meaningful sponsorship revenue or developed a highly productive relationship with its school.
ANZAAN creates a way for those ideas, experiences and lessons to be shared.
Through our network, annual conference, research, resources and hands-on work with associations, we are building a growing body of practical knowledge about what works.
When one association learns, the whole network can benefit.
OUR VISION
Stronger Associations | Stronger Communities
Our vision is to see school and university alumni associations across Australia and New Zealand operating with confidence, purpose and professionalism – creating lasting value for their alumni, their schools and their wider communities.
We want ANZAAN to become the place alumni leaders turn to when they need:
Technology to connect.
People to learn from.
Knowledge they can use.
And practical support to make things happen.
WHO ANZAAN IS FOR
Built for everyone who cares about alumni
ANZAAN is for people and organisations involved in building and supporting alumni communities, including:
School and university alumni associations
Old Boys' and Old Girls' associations
Past students' networks
School foundations and trusts
Advancement and development teams
Community engagement teams
Presidents, Chairs and trustees
Volunteer committee members
Alumni relations professionals
Whether your association has been operating for 100 years or you're considering establishing one for the first time, there is a place for you within ANZAAN.
JOIN THE ANZAAN COMMUNITY
Where do you want to start?
You might need a better way to connect your alumni.
You might want to learn from other associations and attend our next conference.
Or you might need practical help to get your association moving.
Whatever stage you're at, ANZAAN is here to help you build something that lasts.
