A study of selected characteristics of alumni financial support to their alma mater.

摘要

The purpose of this research, on alumni philanthropy, was to determine if the levels of alumni financial support differ on five categories of characteristics: personal data, student experiences, academic experiences, alumni support, and alumni attitude and involvement. A questionnaire was mailed to 2,000 randomly sampled alumni who graduated from Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University and Northeast Louisiana University between 1974 and 1988. The participants were alumni who had provided financial support to their alma mater in the past year, and alumni who did not provide financial support to their alma mater in the past year. The survey yielded a 69% response rate.; The salient findings in the study produced the following donor profile: The typical alumni donor is male, Caucasian, between the ages of 30-44, married, has personal income at the {dollar}40,000--{dollar}60,000 level, and has household income at the over {dollar}60,000 level. The donor participated in intercollegiate sports, and lived in either a fraternity house, sorority house or off campus. The alumni donor majored in engineering, science or business and participated in a developmental education program while in college. The donor visits campus 2 to 3 times per year, donates to other educational institutions, and to the athletic programs at their alma mater. The alumni donor feels that the role of their alma mater is to gain and maintain a reputation of being a quality institution and to provide access to academically underprepared students. Lastly, the donor had an overall experience at their alma mater that was very strong, and they rated the quality of the education they received as ``excellent'' and ``good.'' This profile should not be used to exclude possible donors but to guide professionals in their development of solicitation programs. The implications that came from this study are that the donor profile and the other research findings can be used to develop programs and procedures that will cultivate students to be donors when they become alumni. The implications from the findings in this research study can also be useful to governing boards of colleges and universities, university presidents, institutional advancement personnel, development officers, alumni directors, placement directors, students, alumni, fundraising boards, social and professional organizations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)