Bury Grammar School, an independent school in the UK, launched an exclusive online community for Bury Grammar School (BGS) alumni, which is now the central hub for all alumni communications. Members of the new online platform, ‘BGS Alumni Community’, which is free to join, are able to connect with other alumni professionally and socially, access mentoring opportunities, join a micro-community based on interests, industry or location, keep up-to-date with news from the school and alumni network and explore ways to give back to their community.

Launching the BGS Alumni Community 

The alumni team at BGS launched the new platform with a series of emails, segmented based on location and age to make the invitation to sign up feel relevant and welcoming. Since launching in 2021, over 1,200 alumni and supporters have joined the online community, taking the time to add to their own networks and update their contact details so they can keep in touch. 

Philanthropy at Bury Grammar School 

Bury Grammar School has been at the heart of the Bury community since its founding in 1570, and is rightly proud of its rich history and long-standing tradition of being an open and inclusive School, which welcomes all bright children regardless of means. They have a long history of philanthropy which has supported children from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds to realise their full potential through an exceptional education at Bury Grammar School.

In 2020, the 450 Bursary Campaign raised £1,101,336.12 to support current and future students. Over the past three years, legacy pledges totalling over £2 million have been made by friends of BGS. Their strong culture of philanthropy means that one in eight senior students are able to benefit from bursary funding, with an average bursary given of 81%, equating to 67 students with transformational bursaries, and 49 students with 100% bursaries. 

Alumni giving back to Bury Grammar

During celebrations for their 450th anniversary, Bury Grammar School launched a campaign for their bursary fund, in order to support a greater number of students. Alumni were extremely supportive of their mission, with over 70% of the gifts to the 450 campaign given by former students. By investing in a long-term alumni engagement strategy through their new online platform to steward and build relationships with alumni over time, this will hopefully lead to further donations for their bursary fund and other development funds. 

With such an enthusiastic and welcoming community, we’re looking forward to seeing this network grow, thrive, and give back to the next generation. To find out more about building a community that gives back, speak to a member of the ToucanTech team.