Working with Campus Partners

Bringing on a new app is a great opportunity to strengthen and expand cross-campus partnerships. While technically it does not take multiple offices or even multiple people to run a Wisr site, we find that the more successful networks leverage resources from across campus to entice users with fresh content and multiple voices. Many hands make light work!

Hopefully you included your close campus partners in your decision to invest in Wisr, but if you haven’t it is not too late to get their buy-in, ideally before launch, although we like to think it is never too late. While you may have had some initial plans and goals in mind for your Wisr site, we suggest starting with an open conversation with your close campus partners in identifying the value THEY see for themselves and your constituents in Wisr. A helpful way to begin is to think about your average expected user and the multiple advantages Wisr could have in their connection to your institution. You should consider access to resources, advice and mentorship, connection to peers, virtual events, and news and information. Chances are that even that short list touches many different aspects of your institution and notably does not all come from one source. Once you connect your site’s possibilities with the offices around campus that provide those resources (and it may be more than one for each), you have your list of campus partners to get started on your roadshow.

Keep in mind that while ultimately you are working to create resources for your users, you will need to think about what value Wisr can bring to your campus partners for their time and energy in contributing to the Wisr site. Marketing opportunities? Identifying prospects for fundraisers? A wider audience for programs or news? It is also helpful to set expectations on the time commitment for your partner offices which may vary depending on how integral each partner is to the success of your site and whether your site supports a short-term program or a long-term initiative. Your closest partners may need to dedicate some portion of a staff member’s time to site operation and maintenance, while others could have a very light touch of as little as 30 minutes a week. Your designated customer support associate and Wisr strategist can help you come up with a plan for reaching out to campus partners as part of your kick-off and implementation or at any point during your Wisr contract.

Campus partners can also be helpful when it is time to launch your Wisr network. Being in a position to take advantage of the multiple channels and communication methods of offices across campus will not only help you reach a wider audience but when prospective Wisr users see the same message from multiple angles, it shows a coordinated and streamlined approach for them to access information instantly creating a sense of harmony and community.