Strategy & storytelling for print alumni magazines

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Here’s why colleges, universities, and independent schools trust Capstone.

We’ve spent decades analyzing, developing, and running print alumni magazines.

We use that expertise to consult with in-house teams to create more effective publications, teach in-depth courses for individuals and teams, and conceptualize and write “big swing” strategic stories for institutions’ most important priorities. We have received numerous awards, including the CASE Sibley Magazine of the Year and CASE Gold for feature writing.

100 +

Clients

#1

Many national awards

1,600 +

Newsletter subscribers

How we help

We’ll help you make your print alumni or university publication the very best it can be. Here’s how we help institutions:

Consulting

Magazine Action Plan

A roadmap for your team to create beautiful, premium print publications that achieve your strategic goals — and that your readers love.

Writing

Pitch Subscription & Custom Projects

We’ll craft stories about your school’s most important priorities, initiatives, and celebrations that aren’t just aligned with your brand – they’re irresistible to your audience.

Teaching

Online Courses

  • Improve your magazine’s most important copy — your headlines — with our Headline Bootcamp
  • Create irresistible stories about your alumni, faculty, and students with Breakthrough Profiles
  • Optimize your magazine’s four essential “MVPs” (most valuable pages) with Cover Craft.

We know schools.

(But you don’t have to take our word for it.)

Here’s what our clients say:

Magazine Action Plan

Gonzaga Magazine

“I loved your overall review and spotlights on how GMag is doing well compared to others. I appreciated hearing that our stat on readership is in the top 1-2% of what you’ve seen; this really validates our third-party data.”

 – Kate Vanskike, senior director, content strategy & publications, Gonzaga University

Magazine Action Plan

Bonaventure Magazine

“I could not be happier with the feedback and recommendations in the action plan. I especially found the delineation of the Action Steps and Stretch Goals helpful. It was clear that you and your team understand our challenges, and you responded with a plan that is concise, creative and appropriate for our magazine staffing and budget. It was definitely worth the price.”

 – Beth Eberth, Director of University Communications, St. Bonaventure University

Capstone Pitch Subscription

Macalester Today

“I love this piece! Thanks again for thinking up this idea and writing about our beloved building with such creativity and energy. I love all of the inside details — the 37-second elevator ride, morning routine, and so many good and surprising quotes about learning and the liberal arts in a story about a building.”

– Julie Hessler, Writer and Managing Editor, Macalester Today

Magazine Action Plan

Spirit Magazine

“The most valuable bits for me specifically were the examples you gave of similar features you’d seen in other magazines, alumni or national, and your thoughts about story packaging.”

– Dunae Reader, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications, Texas A&M Foundation

Breakthrough Profiles

VISIONS Magazine

“I’ve been in higher ed communications for almost 38 years (!), much of it in the business of alumni communications, and your course was a great reminder that there are many different approaches to writing an alumni profile than just a straight narrative.”

 – Carole Gieseke, Editor, VISIONS Magazine

Headline Bootcamp

Holy Cross Magazine

“Your headline course pays off with every story we do (print or digital). It has forever changed the way I develop and write headlines.”

 – Melissa Shaw, Editor, Holy Cross Magazine

Insights

Every two weeks, we send in-depth advice to more than 1,500 subscribers about optimizing your print alumni magazine.

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