Project Alumni: Free Professional Alumni Testimonials for Treatment Centers

Your alumni have stories that can give hope to people considering treatment. Recovery.com’s Project Alumni helps treatment centers capture those stories through professionally filmed and edited video testimonials at no production cost.

You identify the alumni. We handle the filming, editing, production, and promotion.

Schedule a Kickoff Call for Project Alumni Recording

What Is Project Alumni?

Project Alumni is a free program from Recovery.com that helps treatment centers professionally capture and share the stories of their alumni.

Invite alumni from your program who have at least one year of sobriety or recovery to visit Recovery.com Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Our team will professionally film their recovery stories, edit the videos, and create content your treatment center can use throughout the year.

We’ll also share their stories across Recovery.com to help inspire people who are searching for treatment and show them what recovery can look like.

Here is an example of a alumni story we did for Guardian Recovery.

How Project Alumni Works

1. Identify Your Alumni

Choose alumni from your program who:

• Have at least one year of sobriety or recovery
• Are comfortable speaking about their experience
• Want to share their story to encourage others to seek treatment

Reach out and ask if they would be interested in participating in Project Alumni.

Alumni do not need to share their full name. Recovery.com only uses a first name in published content, and anyone who would feel more comfortable doing so can use a pseudonym.

2. Find a Filming Date That Works for Your Alumni

We know alumni have jobs, families, and busy schedules. Our team works around their availability to find a weekday filming date that makes it easy for them to travel to Madison and share their story.

Filming takes place Monday through Friday at Recovery.com Studios and headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

A typical trip might look like this:

• Fly into Madison the day before filming
• Film at Recovery.com Studios the following weekday
• Fly home after filming or stay an additional night to enjoy Madison

For alumni who prefer to minimize time away during the workweek, Sunday travel with a Monday filming session is absolutely welcome.

There isn’t one required travel schedule. We’ll work with you and your alumni to find an itinerary that makes sense.

Our recommended hotel is conveniently located across the street from Recovery.com headquarters in downtown Madison, with walkable restaurants, shopping, and plenty to explore nearby, making it easy for alumni to enjoy the city during their stay.

3. We Film Their Recovery Stories

Our team handles the entire production process.

Alumni will visit our professional studio and participate in a guided interview about their experience before treatment, what treatment was like, what helped them in recovery, and what life looks like today.

They don’t need to prepare a speech or know exactly what to say. Our team guides them through the conversation so their story can come through naturally.

4. We Edit and Promote the Content

After filming, Recovery.com professionally edits the interviews into finished video content.

We can feature alumni stories across:

• Recovery.com
• Recovery.com’s YouTube channel
• Recovery.com’s social media channels
• Articles featuring the alumnus’s story and treatment experience

On Recovery.com’s website content will also backlink to your treatment center’s website.

5. Your Treatment Center Gets the Content Too

This isn’t content that only lives on Recovery.com.

We provide your treatment center with a version of the finished video that you can use across your own:

• Website
• Social media
• Alumni marketing
• Admissions and outreach materials
• Other digital marketing channels

One filming trip can give your team authentic alumni content that can be used throughout the year.

Schedule a Kickoff Call for Project Alumni Recording

What Does Project Alumni Cost?

Recovery.com does not charge treatment centers for filming, editing, producing, or promoting Project Alumni videos.

For most participating treatment centers, your only expenses are:

• Alumni airfare
• Hotel accommodations

Recovery.com takes care of the production experience, including filming, editing, lunch while your alumni are with us, and alumni gifts and swag.

Additional Benefit for Recovery.com Advertisers

If your treatment center advertises with Recovery.com and the participating alumnus originally found your program through Recovery.com, we’ll cover their travel too, including airfare and hotel accommodations.

That means the entire Project Alumni experience can be provided at no cost to your center.

Bring One Alumnus or Make It an Alumni Trip

There are two easy ways to participate.

Send Alumni One at a Time

You can schedule individual alumni throughout the year. This is often the easiest option because our team can work around each alumnus’s individual schedule to find a convenient time to visit Madison.

Bring a Group to Madison

You can also turn Project Alumni into an alumni event.

Some treatment centers use part of their existing monthly alumni-event budget to bring a group of alumni to Madison together. Your alumni can film their stories, spend time with one another, meet alumni from other programs, and experience the city.

It’s an opportunity to create a memorable alumni experience while capturing months of meaningful content at the same time.

More Than a Video Shoot

We want Project Alumni to be an experience your alumni remember.

While they’re in Madison, participating alumni receive:

• Professional filming at Recovery.com Studios
• Lunch on us
• Recovery.com gifts and swag
• A tour of Recovery.com headquarters and studios
• Recommendations for some of our favorite things to see, eat, and do around Madison
• The opportunity to meet and hear from other people in recovery

Our headquarters and recommended hotel are located in downtown Madison near Capitol Square, with restaurants, shopping, and other attractions within walking distance.

For many participants, one of the most meaningful parts of the experience is simply spending time with other alumni and hearing how recovery has changed their lives.

What Questions Will Alumni Be Asked?

Our interviews are conversational, but these questions help guide each alumnus through their story:

1. What first name or pseudonym would you like us to use, what treatment center did you attend, and what are you in recovery from?
2. How was your life before you entered treatment?
3. How did you know it was time to get treatment?
4. What were your expectations going into treatment, and was the reality of it different than you expected?
5. What have you learned in treatment that has allowed you to stay in recovery?
6. What is your life like now, compared to before you started your recovery journey?
7. What advice do you have for someone who might experience similar challenges as you?
8. What would you tell someone on the fence about getting treatment?

Alumni don’t need scripted answers. We want their experience to come through naturally and authentically, and they can choose what they feel comfortable sharing.

Why Alumni Stories Matter

Someone considering treatment may understand your levels of care, clinical approach, amenities, and credentials.

But sometimes the thing they need most is to hear from someone who has actually been there.

An authentic alumni story can help someone understand:

• What life was like before treatment
• What finally made someone decide to get help
• What treatment was really like
• What helped someone maintain their recovery
• What life can look like after treatment

Project Alumni gives your former clients an opportunity to encourage the next person who may be wondering whether recovery is possible for them.

Ready to Bring Your Alumni to Madison?

If you have alumni with at least one year of sobriety or recovery who are ready to share their stories, we’d love to have them at Recovery.com Studios.

Whether you want to send one alumnus or organize a larger alumni trip, we’ll work around their availability to find a weekday filming date that works.

You bring the stories. We’ll take care of the production.

Schedule a Kickoff Call for Project Alumni Recording

• Treatment Center Testimonials: Your video may also be used by your treatment center to showcase the effectiveness of their program.
• Reduce Stigma: Help us break down the barriers and misconceptions surrounding recovery and treatment.
• Provide Support and Validation: Offer invaluable insight and encouragement to those seeking help, drawing from your lived experience.