A group of former students of Sydney Boys’ High School established the Sydney High School Old Boys Union (SHSOBU) as the school’s alumni association in 1892, making it the oldest almuni organisation in Australia. Since then, the Old Boys Union has operated to support its community of former students and staff, through an international network and kind volunteers. The SHSOBU launched their new alumni platform with ToucanTech in 2021, with over 1,000 alumni signing up since their launch. 

Promoting Life Memberships to graduating classes

Alumni pay a Life Membership fee to become a full member of the alumni community, which grants them access to a range of online resources as well as networking opportunities, exclusive invites to events, mentoring and job support. Current or recently graduated students are offered a discounted price to become an alumni member, and receive their Life Membership during a special presentation to welcome them into the alumni community. Parents were encouraged to support their sons by purchasing a Life Membership so that they can take advantage of the full benefits and opportunities throughout their career. Memberships were available to purchase via their alumni platform, with over $40,000 AUD raised which will contribute to the overall running of the Union, events, mentoring, interviews, as well as supporting the school.

Lifelong careers support

Mentoring and career development are an integral part of the SHSOBU, with positive anecdotes from across the years of how the community has supported career opportunities. One example that has been shared is of a recently graduated alum who had not received any job offers despite his excellent grades, but after speaking with the SHSOBU Mentoring coordinator and receiving advice on his interview approach, secured several offers in management consulting and strategy advisory from his preferred company in just two weeks. The SHSOBU has many featured mentors across every industry that are helping younger alumni to enter the workplace successfully and supporting them in their career progression. 

Sharing important updates with alumni 

The SHSOBU committee shares a newsletter, ‘Flying Higher’ with alumni each month, including updates on upcoming events, details on school development, and promoting a range of Old Boys clubs to take part in including an orchestra and a lawn bowling club. This round-up of the newsletter shares lots of links back to the alumni platform to encourage members to log-in and check out the latest updates. 

Building a brighter future for Sydney Boys High School

There is a strong culture of philanthropy within the alumni community, and there are several ways that Old Boys can support the future of the school; from new school buildings and the bursary programme, to a new initiative to enhance the digital learning technologies available in classrooms to support interactive and collaborative learning for students. In December 2021, they raised almost $20,000 for various projects to end a fantastic year’s fundraising. 

The thriving alumni network is matched by an online platform packed with content & opportunities, which supports not only alumni and current students, but also the future of the school. We’re looking forward to seeing their online community grow in 2022 and finding new ways to connect with one another.

To find out more about creating an exclusive community to bring your alumni together, speak to a member of the ToucanTech team.