See the alumni moments you’re currently missing
Your alumni are getting promoted, changing companies, and stepping into leadership right now. We find those moments, build the outreach, and deliver it to your team — ready to send.
Spark Plug is a managed service — not software. We do the research and deliver a finished report. Nothing for your team to install, learn, or manage.
No obligation • No IT involvement • Delivered in 7 days
BUILT BY A PRACTITIONER
“I spent 20 years as the person in the seat you’re in now. I built the service I always wished I had.”
I led alumni engagement and annual giving at Ohio University, Ohio State, Western Governors University, and the University of Oregon. I watched alumni hit career milestones my team never saw and sent outreach that arrived months too late. Spark Plug exists because I know what it's like to care deeply about this work — and not have the visibility to do it well.
Erin Essak Kopp | Founder & CEO, Spark Plug
THE RESEARCH IS CLEAR
Alumni don't feel known. And the cost is real.
The 2026 National Alumni Survey — 82,000+ alumni across 31 institutions — confirms what practitioners have sensed for years: most alumni don't believe their institution knows who they are. Not their career. Not their interests. Not what they care about. Meanwhile, 82% of alumni are actively giving — just not to their alma mater.
14%
feel their institution understand their career
The other 86% feel partially or completely unknown.
42%
don't consider their alma mater a philanthropic priority
That rises to 59% among Gen Z graduates.
24x
more likely to donate when they feel "very connected"
Connection is the strongest predictor of giving.
$500K+
average lifetime giving when alumni feel "extremely well known"
Versus under $4,000 when they feel not known at all.
Source: 2026 National Alumni Survey — 82,252 respondents across 31 colleges and universities
WHAT WE DO
We find what your alumni are doing right now — and prepare the outreach for you.
Your team doesn't need another platform. It needs someone to do the research, identify the moments that matter, and deliver a finished product you can act on immediately.
1. We research
We study publicly available career data across your alumni base — promotions, company changes, relocations, board appointments, new ventures.
2. We prioritize
Not every update warrants outreach. We identify the moments that are meaningful, timely, and realistic for your team to act on.
3. We deliver
Your team receives a finished report with strategic context and draft outreach for each alumni — personalized, ready to send or adapt.
We do the work. Your team reviews and decides what to send. That's it.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Not a data feed. A finished deliverable.
Every Proof Scan and Activation Pack includes strategic intelligence and ready-to-use outreach — not raw data for your team to interpret.
Each activation card recommends specific engagement pathways tailored to your institution
START HERE
See what you're missing — for free.
We'll research your alumni base and deliver a finished Proof Scan showing what's actually happening right now — career moves, leadership changes, geographic shifts — with strategic context and sample outreach your team can use. It's not a sales pitch. It's proof of what's out there.
No data uploads · No CRM access · No obligation · Delivered in about a week
THE SHIFT
You don’t engage more. You engage better.
Before Spark Plug
Engagement driven by calendars and campaigns
Outreach feels generic or delayed
Alumni updates surface randomly - if at all
Staff rely on instinct instead of visibility
After Spark Plug
Alumni moments are visible as they happen
Outreach is timely, personal, and grounded in real context
Staff act with confidence, not guesswork
Alumni feel seen — and they respond
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR GIVING
The first touchpoint matters more than any solicitation.
Spark Plug doesn't ask your alumni for anything. It helps your team show up with something worth saying — a congratulations, a mentoring invitation, a connection to a regional chapter. The giving conversation comes later. And it comes warmer.
The research confirms it: alumni who feel connected are 24x more likely to give. Alumni who feel known average lifetime giving above $500,000. When you reach an alum at the moment of a career milestone — before they're asked for money — you're building the trust that makes every future ask more credible.
Declining participation isn't a generosity problem. It's a trust and relevance problem. Signal-based outreach is how you begin to solve it.
SERVICES
Start with proof.
Scale when you’re ready.
START HERE
Proof Scan
FREE
See what's happening across your alumni base right now — and what your team could do about it. We research your alumni and deliver a finished report with career moves, leadership changes, and strategic context, plus sample outreach your team could personalize and send. No commitment required.
DEEP DIVE
Intelligence Report
$3,500/one-time | $1,500/quarter
Get a clear picture of where your alumni are, what industries they're shaping, and what it means for engagement, programming, and giving — with specific recommendations your team can act on. Available as a one-time report or quarterly.
ALWAYS-ON
Alumni Signal Briefs
from $1,500/month
Your team always knows what's happening across your alumni base — and always has something timely and relevant to say. We do the research, identify the moments that matter, and deliver prioritized signal briefs with draft outreach your team can act on immediately. Includes a quarterly Intelligence Report.
“This surfaced alumni moments we care about — but don't consistently see. It immediately felt usable.”
— Director of Alumni Engagement, Private University
Start with proof, not a pitch.
See what’s already happening for your alumni — and what becomes possible when those moments don’t pass quietly.
No obligation · No IT involvement · Delivered in about a week