Every summer, the Bonner Foundation welcomes summer interns who expand the capacity of our team and contribute to the network through resource development and strategic initiatives. This article is one of two highlighting projects completed by the 2025 summer interns. To promote the Foundation’s Communications strategy, which brings visibility to Bonner Programs and opportunities to get involved, our team focused on enhancing processes to connect current students with the extensive network of alumni, partners, and stakeholders.
This work centered on transitioning the alumni network to LinkedIn, as a familiar and readily used social platform. To support this process, National Bonner Interns worked on aggregating and creating a comprehensive database. This work involved reviewing and streamlining hundreds of existing data sources and spreadsheets from multiple sources.
Naya Adla, a Bonner Leader at Stetson University, led a data analysis project to create the Foundation's centralized alumni list—resulting in a database with more than 34,000 alumni records from across the country. By reviewing and correcting inconsistencies, Naya organized key information such as campus affiliation details. Thanks to these efforts, the Foundation will be able to share the respective alumni lists with our campuses to leverage our alumni network by reconnecting, sharing opportunities, and strengthening engagement across the overall national Bonner network.
"I've worked with data before, but this project was different—it wasn't just about organizing information, it was about reconnecting a community. Each entry in the alumni database represented a real person with a story rooted in service and leadership. Seeing how data could help bring those stories back into focus reminded me why this work matters—not just technically, but humanly." — Naya Adla
With the effort to lead our transition from BonnerConnect to LinkedIn, Olivia Gray, a Bonner Scholar from Spelman College, spent three weeks focused on transitioning alumni from BonnerConnect into the LinkedIn group. She sent direct messages to over 3,000 alumni and collaborated with the Foundation's communications team to promote the shift across all social media channels. The outcome was a measurable increase in engagement. As a result, the Bonner Foundation's LinkedIn Alumni Network Group gained 300 new members, representing a 187% increase in joined members within two weeks.
"Helping transition the Bonner alumni to LinkedIn allowed me to envision new ways our community can stay connected—and how existing bonds can continue to grow. I'm excited to see alumni celebrate each other's work and continue to thrive beyond our own life endeavors." — Olivia Gray
As we continue to leverage Notion as an operations tool, Michael Deem, a Bonner Leader from Rider University, supported this initiative internally with the Foundation's communications by testing automation solutions using Zapier and Notion to enhance our communications across various platforms. This effort strengthens connections throughout the Bonner Network by leveraging emerging tools that bring staff, students, and alumni closer together. He assessed existing processes, identified opportunities for time efficiency, and helped develop our initial automation framework.
"My time with the Bonner Foundation has shown me how powerful it can be when people are given the right tools to bring their ideas to life. It's been incredible to know that the work I've done this summer will continue to support and inspire others long after my internship ends." — Michael Deem Jr.
Utilizing the Foundation’s Notion platform, the staff and intern team also worked with eighteen programs to boost their operational efficiency using this versatile digital workspace. Michael worked with Bobby Hackett to create a three-session pilot program that guides campuses in integrating Notion into their daily operations. The initiative focuses on centralizing information management, planning events like Bonner Orientation, and improving community partner engagement. Interested institutions can learn more about the pilot program or contact Bobby Hackett at rhackett@bonner.org to schedule a call.