Challenge: Competing for Loyalty Before the Search Even Begins
Alumni engagement and enrollment teams at Siena University faced a common but pressing challenge: how to cultivate the next generation of Saints before they ever set foot on campus? With increasing competition among regional colleges and universities, Siena needed a proactive strategy to deepen its connection with alumni families, particularly younger alumni between the ages of 25 and 40, and keep them connected to the institution while building pride in their alma mater.
Siena had taken meaningful steps to engage families over the years: hosting a legacy family photo on move-in day, featuring legacy families in a monthly social media series, and sending onesies to alumni who announced a new baby through Class Notes in the alumni magazine. But these efforts were episodic. What was missing was a sustained, structured way to stay in touch with alumni through their own life cycle: one that engaged not just the alumni themselves, but their growing children.
Solution: A Milestone-Based Gifting Program Spanning 18 Years
Siena University launched “Born to be a Saint,” a milestone-based gifting program that delivers branded merchandise to the children of alumni at meaningful life moments, from birth through move-in day. Each touchpoint was carefully selected to resonate with a child’s developmental and emotional stage, reinforcing the Siena identity throughout their upbringing.
The Gifting Cadence
The program delivers at six key milestones:
| Milestone | Gift |
| Birth | T-Shirt |
| Kindergarten | Backpack |
| Age 10 | Notebook |
| Age 16 | Sunglasses & Keychain |
| Campus Visit | Sling Bag or Socks |
| Move-In Day | T-Shirt |
Merch Designed to Matter
Each item was thoughtfully selected to be age-appropriate and genuinely useful: a backpack a kindergartener will carry every day, a notebook a 10-year-old will fill with ideas, and sunglasses and a keychain gifted at age 16 to teenagers who may be learning to drive. A sling bag or socks are perfect for showing legacy pride during a campus visit. Each gift contributes to making the Siena brand part of a memorable milestone. Every product was designed around Siena’s branding, colors, and identity, ensuring consistent, positive brand exposure over more than a decade.
Outcome: Turning Alumni Pride into a Multi-Generational Tradition
150 Families and Growing
Since launching, “Born to be a Saint” has enrolled 150 legacy families in the program, with more joining as alumni share news of milestones. Siena is actively tracking campus visit participants through to Decision Day to measure the program’s downstream impact on enrollment.
Making Prospective Students Feel Like They Already Belong
The program’s impact has been especially visible during prospective student days on campus. Before each event, Siena’s alumni engagement team sent personal emails to legacy prospective students, inviting them to stop by a special table for an exclusive gift (and most did). The moment became more than a merch handoff: it opened conversations about the extended, lifelong family that students are welcomed into when they attend and graduate from Siena.
The response from alumni families has been overwhelmingly positive. Legacy family members attending campus visits reported feeling genuinely recognized and celebrated, deepening their own connection to Siena alongside their children’s growing interest.
A Program Rooted in Franciscan Values
“At Siena, we believe being a Saint isn’t just something you become at graduation; it’s something you grow into over a lifetime. ‘Born to Be a Saint’ celebrates that idea by welcoming the next generation into our community from their earliest years and reinforcing the values, traditions, and sense of belonging that define Siena. Rooted in our Franciscan value of community, the program cultivates enduring connections that carry Siena’s traditions forward across generations.”
— Cherisse Young, ’96, M.A., Director of Alumni Engagement, Siena College
Key Results
The program has delivered meaningful impact across alumni engagement and enrollment:
- 150 legacy families enrolled since launch, spanning alumni ages 25–40.
- Deepened alumni engagement among younger graduates, keeping them connected to Siena through their children’s milestones.
- Increased on-campus engagement during prospective student days, with legacy students actively seeking out Siena’s alumni team for their exclusive gift.
- Strengthened Siena’s identity as a family-first, community-centered institution, rooted in its Franciscan mission.
- Ongoing tracking of campus visit participants through Decision Day to measure long-term enrollment impact.
“Born to be a Saint” is more than a merch program. It’s a long-term enrollment strategy wrapped in the warmth of a gift. By meeting legacy families where they are, at every stage of childhood, Siena University is ensuring that the next generation of Saints doesn’t just choose Siena; they grow up knowing they belong there.
