‘A space for dialogue, learning and inspiration’ – is how Maria Endreva-Cherganova sums up what Alumniportal Deutschland means to her personally. She has also benefited substantially from the platform in terms of her career: ‘I was able to enhance my network and gain valuable experience in international cooperation.’ The German Studies professor at Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ dedicated herself for many years as an Alumniportal multiplier in Bulgaria, among other venues at the Bulgarian Careers Fair Association.

‘This role enabled me to act as a bridge between German institutions and Bulgarian alumni. So I got to know an impressive number of motivated specialists and young graduates who shared my enthusiasm for Germany and its culture’, recalls this alumna of the and the . Many of these contacts have lasted to this day.

The concept behind the Alumniportal

The Alumniportal Deutschland was founded in 2008 as a platform for all interested parties who studied, conducted research or worked in Germany, learned the language or completed a work placement. ‘Having invested in bright minds, it’s expedient to use their expertise in terms of topics and projects in which Germany has an interest’, is how Judith Schildt from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation describes the founding idea. This originated from the organisation ‘InWEnt - Capacity Building International’, which supported specialists and managers from the Global South with their professional development and eventually merged into the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Other cooperation partners of the Alumniportal were the DAAD, the Goethe-Institut and from 2010 the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. ‘Each partner organisation introduced its specific expertise. This gave rise to a platform that was more than the sum of its parts’, says Judith Schildt. In addition to development-related policy, there were cultural, research-related, academic, and economic aspects that also played a role from the start. ‘Soon after it was founded, Alumniportal Deutschland became perceived as the voice of the German government abroad.’ The number of registered members grew to around 175,000 within ten years.

A platform with international appeal

‘Alumniportal Deutschland became the platform for global diversity’, enthuses Dr Maija Kale. She contributed to the portal's rapid growth as a multiplier in Latvia. The Alumniportal enabled her to maintain a connection to Germany even years after her master's degree in Freiburg and to collaborate with people from a wide range of countries. ‘I really enjoyed working with the and the DAAD to organise language cafés in Latvia.’ The computer and social scientist also coordinated discussion groups on the portal: ‘It was extremely interesting to understand what certain topics mean in different contexts and regions of the world.’

Success through networking and dialogue

Word of the cross-institutional alumni platform’s success spread around the world, says Sabine Olthof from the – who ran the project from 2010 to 2019: ‘We soon had requests for advice from government ministers in other countries who wanted to set up similar portals.’ Since their launch, not only the newsletter for members, but also the freely accessible online magazine have provided information on a wide range of current topics from Germany. Catering to the very different target groups was a challenge, says Olthof. ‘But it also made the work particularly exciting.’ One subject area that has been and continues to be of interest to many alumni has played an especially important role since its foundation: . The Alumniportal Deutschland hosted well attended career fairs in various countries every year until 2019 and this became the precursor to online fairs. Sabine Olthof tells us that alumni have also been supported since the start in making a difference in their home countries. Alumni could therefore submit proposals for practical projects every year. Particularly promising ideas were further developed and implemented in collaboration with the Alumniportal.

The year 2019 brought a turning point: the DAAD assumed a lead role after the GIZ withdrew. The platform is no longer financed by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, but by the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). As it is an international online platform enabling activities across national borders and time zones, all events and formats have taken place digitally from an early stage. Alumniportal Deutschland became a pioneer in digital alumni work, setting an example for other national alumni platforms. Building on the momentum of digitalisation and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the digital focus was further expanded during the reorientation phase. The platform was modernised from a technical perspective and its content was realigned. The focus shifted from development cooperation to alumni-relevant formats and content, particularly on the topics of careers, research and science, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

New formats and Community Challenges

Many successful approaches and formats were retained in the relaunch, including the provided by the Goethe Insitute – such as reading passages, quizzes and the popular newsletter ‘Verstehen Sie Deutsch?’ (Do you understand German?). New formats were also established, such as digital discussion events and regular where alumni present their projects or talk about specialist topics. Annual Community Challenges relating to sustainability topics have also taken place since 2022. These involve alumni submitting innovative ideas and proposed solutions. The winners receive intensive coaching from a start-up consultancy to enable them to further develop their approaches. ‘From the submission stage to the presentations and final conference  the competitions involved a great deal of effort, but it was always well worthwhile’, says Alumniportal team leader Nathalie Baum from the DAAD: ‘The lively participation and great ideas showed how many exciting people belong to our community.’

Juan Carlos Schiappa-Pietra took part in the in which solutions were required to make urban areas more sustainable, equitable and resilient. As part of the competition, he also completed a two-week online course on social entrepreneurship, covering topics such as business model development and successful pitching techniques. Schiappa-Pietra says that the course was fantastic. The GIZ alumnus from Peru isn’t bothered that he didn’t make the final: ‘Taking part is everything! The Challenge was an extremely interesting experience that encouraged entrepreneurial spirit and initiative within our Community.’

Impetus for the future

After 2019, the increasing also resulted in the Alumniportal significantly expanding its services relating to career opportunities in Germany and career development. In addition to information events on the labour market and application procedures in Germany, free online courses were provided on communication, soft skills as well as academic and discipline-specific topics. Members could moreover apply for free . ‘This coaching helped me to gain greater clarity about my skills and career goals’, says Antonia Sikotakopoulou. The doctoral candidate at TU Dresden provides voluntary advice to international graduates who are thinking about pursuing a master’s degree course in Germany. The engineer from Greece explains that her interaction with other DAAD alumni and prospective students on the portal encouraged her to get involved.

Departure and new beginning

‘The Alumniportal has not only strengthened alumni’s connection to Germany, it has also contributed to a positive image of Germany around the world’“, says Nathalie Baum. Following the withdrawal of the Goethe Institute as a cooperation partner in 2024, the Alumniportal will be discontinued at the end of 2025, after 17 successful years. The DAAD and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation are planning a successor portal, which will however only be open to members of the networks of both organisations. ‘It was difficult for us to reach this decision’, regrets Nathalie Baum. ‘To achieve targeted and impact-oriented alumni relations, we prioritise alumni with whom we have a strong relationship and for whom we can develop bespoke offers.’ The successor portal will also continue to feature academic and scientific alumni events, and the job board and other formats will continue to be available. In addition to the  introduced in 2024, there will in future also be a mentoring programme for DAAD-funded mentors and mentees. Digital alumni activities continue to be very important to both organisations, emphasises Nathalie Baum: ‘We want to keep in touch with our beneficiaries also in the future, enable them to interact together and seek their expertise on issues that are significant in relation to cooperation with Germany.“