An international school like no other

Founded in 1952, the American Embassy School (AES) in New Delhi has grown into one of the leading international schools in the world.

Today, it serves approximately 1,100 students from more than 70 nationalities. About 35% of students are children of diplomats, with many others connected to NGOs, the UN, and the World Bank. With an ever-changing community, strong alumni connections are essential to maintaining a sense of continuity and belonging.

From fragmented alumni to a thriving, cohesive community

Despite having decades of engaged former students and community members, until recently AES lacked a formal alumni program.

While longstanding alumni maintained informal social groups, the school team had no central database or structured approach to help connect alumni across generations and geographies.

Although many students and families spend only a few years at AES, they often leave with deep, lasting connections to the school and wider community. To harness these relationships and keep alumni engaged and invested, the AES team sought a system that could capture data, and provide a foundation for community, mentorship, networking, and future fundraising.

Laying a solid foundation with ToucanTech

Following an extensive search for the right software, in December 2020 AES partnered with ToucanTech to launch its official alumni program. ToucanTech provided AES with a centralized database, custom forms, and engagement tools, alongside a user-friendly website — enabling the school to track alumni, maintain accurate profiles, and communicate more effectively with its community.

The platform’s flexibility has enabled AES to digitize previously offline records, gather career information, and build structured workflows for events, newsletters, and mentorship programs.

Monthly newsletters quickly became the heartbeat of the program, featuring alumni spotlights, event invitations, and reminders to update profiles. Social media amplified engagement, highlighting alumni achievements in line with AES’s motto: “Enter to learn, leave to serve.”

Starting from scratch with no alumni data, AES has now grown its network to more than 3,000 records in just three years — a remarkable milestone that reflects both the power of ToucanTech and the persistence of the AES team.

Building momentum through events and connection

Events have also become central to growing the AES alumni community.

The 70th anniversary in 2022 was a turning point for the community, which welcomed alumni from as far back as the 1970s for a week-long celebration.

Graduating seniors are also welcomed through an annual alumni induction ceremony with music, dancing, personalized gifts, and alumni speakers — an amazing opportunity to encourage new alumni to join the online community and become active members from day one.

AES also rely on creative engagement strategies to increase engagement with their community:

• Teachers traveling abroad often host alumni events, leveraging the small team’s reach while connecting with alumni who live further afield.
• Faculty members sign up as staff on the platform, allowing former students to reconnect with the teachers who shaped their experience at AES.
• Custom forms, birthday greetings, and event albums also work well to encourage alumni to log in and interact with the network, a great way to gradually convert offline contacts to active online members.

Results that speak for themselves

Today, AES boasts a thriving global alumni network with more than 3,000 members across multiple continents. Crucially, 76.5% of records are now contactable, compared with just 63% three years ago. Nearly half of all alumni (45%) have created accounts on the platform, transforming offline connections into an active online community.

Beyond the numbers, alumni feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly valuing access to yearbooks, event albums, and a single hub for community updates.

ToucanTech has also helped AES create a more structured alumni office. Staff can now streamline workflows and reporting through filtering, exporting, and custom forms — saving time while powering mentorship initiatives and career networking.

Website design and updates are also intuitive, and responsive customer support ensures the AES team can quickly bring new ideas to life.

Looking ahead

AES plans to build on its already strong foundation by expanding mentorship programs, launching a dedicated careers and jobs board, and establishing location-based alumni clubs in the US, UK and beyond.

The school is also exploring future fundraising initiatives, pending compliance with its unique bilateral governance agreement.

Advice for other schools

Drawing on eight years of experience, AES shares some practical advice for other schools who are either looking to start an alumni program from scratch, or build on an existing program:

• Start small and ensure your data is as accurate as possible;
• Leverage big anniversaries and milestone events to engage your alumni;
• Make full use of your supplier’s resources, tutorials, and examples from other schools.

AES New Delhi demonstrates how an international school can build a thriving alumni community from scratch with the right strategy and tools. ToucanTech’s platform, combined with thoughtful engagement, events, and a culture of connection, has enabled AES to create a global network that continues to grow, strengthen, and inspire.