For those who haven't heard about it, Scond Life is an online community that boasts about 6 million "residents." Some 20,000 to 30,000 people are "in-world" at any given time. Second Life is a three-dimensional environment that is built almost entirely by the residents. Just about everything you can do in Real Life (RL), you can do in Second Life (SL). This includes having educational events, parties, gambling, selling items of various kinds, and, yes, fundraising.

So far, the organization that seems to have the strongest fundraising presence in SL is the American Cancer Society. They run "relays for life" in SL, and conduct a variety of other events there. I have been in contact with Randal Moss, their SL developer, and he has agreed to participate in the November AFP conference in Boston. The twist is that he will be in Ohio, and his "avatar" will make the presentation on a computer screen in Boston.

Avatars are three-dimensional representations of yourself that you use to move around in SL. An interesting factor here is that sometimes people adopt other genders or ethnic identities to present themselves in SL.

SL could probably be an interesting place for alumni affairs and development communications in the future. As the system becomes more sophisticated, one can imagine SL reunions and fundraising events there. Here at Harvard, the Harvard Alumni Association is talking about having an "alumni college" about Scond Life. For those who are interested, you can fire up an avatar and explore SL for free at www.secondlife.com.

This would be a powerful way to hold young alumni meetings. Think about it. You can use their software to host a virtual meeting of young or newly graduated alumni focused on networking or to feature a faculty talking about a breakthrough idea or concept. Using technology they understand will help you engage them. Think about the cost of holding events. Now think about the cost of holding a virtual event. The future of alumni relations is online. Try a student networking event and let us know how it went!