Like many other private universities, my Alma Mater contacts alumni to solicit contributions as part of its ongoing fundraising campaigns. Often these solicitations take the form of a phone call from a current student. Recently, I received such a phone call. After some small talk, the student got to the point of the call, stating that she’d like me to pledge a donation to the general fund. Without actually asking me, she then said she’d put me down for a pledge of $150. I told do not put me down for that pledge. She then explained that I could designate a pledge either for the general fund or for various other purposes. I explained that while I’ve previously donated to the university and would consider donating again, my wife and I contribute to a number of charities and organizations and that our preferred practice is to make anonymous donations and that I would not commit to a specific donation to the university at this time. She then asked if she could send me a pledge card for a $50 contribution, explaining that I could designate a different amount if I so chose. I told her she could send me the card and that I would consider it. She then said she would have to get this OK’d by her supervisor. Her supervisor (another student) then got on the phone and I again explained that my wife and I contribute to numerous organizations, but that I would consider a donation to the university if she sent me a pledge card. She said she could not send me a pledge card unless I would commit to a $50 donation. At that point, I ended by telling her, “Then don’t send me the card.” She then told me I could go to the university’s website to make a donation, curtly thanked me and hung up.
Though I probably didn’t adequately convey the flavor of the call, suffice it to say that the caller wasn’t accepting of any response other than a commitment to donate in a certain amount on her terms. After I got off the phone, I was angry over the way my university conducted its fund-raising. I felt like I had just been to a high-pressure car dealership. Even though I’m not a recent alumnus and I can easily afford it, it was presumptuous for the student to try to put me down for a pledge of a certain amount without actually asking me first. And, I don’t believe for a second that this was just a matter of poor skills on the part of the particular student who called me. Rather, I think it is a deliberate approach and the student solicitors are trained in this technique. While this “don’t accept “no” for an answer” approach to soliciting alumni donations might be effective, it did nothing but alienate me to the point that now I wouldn’t give my university a cent. (I will add that this is a major university with an endowment in the range of several billions, which regularly receives multimillion-dollar donations from single donors, so it’s not like it’s just scraping by.)
Have any of you also experienced these high-pressure fundraising tactics on the part of your Alma Maters?
Yes, even though I had told the rep that I do not respond to any telephone solicitations regardless of the source, I received a pledge card in the mail a week later. I contacted the alumni office and they apologized.
It was not a “high pressure” solicitation as such but the rep ignored my no phone commitment statement.
I get two calls per year – one each from my two Alma Matar’s (BSc and MSc). They are not quite this pushy, but most of the call is probably similar to yours. They do still ask for money after I have explained why I am not going to send them any.
I have other reasons that I am not donating to this particular cause. Like you I do donate to other causes.
We donate very small amounts to our Alma Mater – a large public – but get no phone calls.
We do get regular phone calls from our daughter’s Alma Mater – a large private. Those phone calls go ignored. Whether or not to support her school is her business.
You have more patience than I do. I would have said “no thank you” and hung up. They were very rude and obnoxious IMO. High pressure tactics don’t work for me.
Sounds to me like the students have a quota to make. We receive many such calls and, while I am sympathetic to the causes, I usually cut the call short and tell them to email or mail me the information. I like to consider my donations without being pressured on a phone call.
I just think you gave it too much time and thought, the callers have a script, the mistake is thinking they are being conversational. No and hang up and block the number is the best protocol. Or not answering at all.
Send a note directly to the head of fundraising, and let that person know that you find this strategy inexcusable. It is beyond the pale to require undergraduates to pressure any donor in this fashion. Period.
While you are at it, ask to be permanently removed from all fundraising lists. I did that years ago with my alma mater. Since then I haven’t received any requests for money, just invitations to class reunions.
So we get the call from our current student’s college under the guise they are calling first to update your contact information, then to ask for a donation.
We are spending approximately $70,000 in tuition, room and board without any financial aid and have another student attending a public university where we are paying OOS tuition. Why would they think we would want to donate $47 more?
There should be a website you can go onto and check the box, “We pay a he** of a lot of tuition and can’t afford any more. DO NOT CALL.”
@katliamom Sounds like your phone number is showing on your daughter’s alumni profile. She can log in to it and remove it or call the alumni office and they will remove it.
@zapfino I liked @happymomof1 's suggestion, but I’d also copy the Alumni relations office.
FWIW, I’ve done fundraising calls for my school, and I was always directed to request a specific dollar amount because there have been so many studies showing that this produces significantly more revenue for the school. Since I was a volunteer, I didn’t do that; I thought it was obnoxious. Unless more alum push back, this policy isn’t going to change.
This is pretty standard. No need to get upset about it. I give to my alma mater (large public) and they are always trying to get me to increase my donation. Also standard.
What you really need to worry about is when they offer to take you to lunch.
My old school calls to update the info, asks for money, is told how many tuitions I’m paying this year and to go away for a couple years. They say thanks you and all back in six months. It’s an old dance, but nothing that gets me riled.
But last month I got a call from DD’s current school. Hi my name is, I’m a student at, I see you donated to this program last year, thank you. And then he stopped. I didn’t know what to do next, so I literally said “And?” He said “That’s it, we’re just calling to thank our donors from last year.” So it appears they’re getting sneaky. Keep your wits about you, people. (Seriously, I thought it was a nice touch. I haven’t gotten such a call from other orgs I donate to.)
You have good reason to be annoyed. I would send a note to the head of alumni affairs. I don’t think that they’d be happy with your experience.
I have asked my alma mater not to call and to their credit they respect the request and just send me email/letters “reminding” me to donate (which I am fine with and I donate a small amount annually).
I got a call from my D’s college when she was attending-- I told the caller that my D was full pay at the school and we felt that was more than enough money to give – and she readily agreed! We didn’t get a call for the other 3 years she was a student. But then we then got a call from the school the year after she graduated asking for a donation – I suggested that they should talk to my D the alumni rather than her parents. If nothing else, I must give them credit for keeping good records!
The organizations you donate to are behind the times. The call just to thank donors has been trending for a decade or more. I got one today. People like to be thanked. And the calls from students to ask for specific dollar amounts has been going on for decades. You can say no and hang up.
I give to 2 of my 3 alma maters, the other one never calls. We do not give to our kids colleges, it always amazes me that private schools call parents asking for money while the kids are still in school. I asked a development director about it, and she gave the very logical answer that they do it because it works. Someone is giving. Parents who were very involved through high school sometimes like to band together in the college years, too, so there are special parents’ weekend gatherings for donors. Whatever works. Our kids can decide whether to donate to their alma maters.
You can contact the alumni association, but as long as research shows that method produces results, it will continue. Hang up, block, or request to be taken off the call list, but no need to take it personally.
I have gotten off the lists for both my alma maters, but I have had some VERY charming calls with kids at my children’s colleges, especially D2’s small school. (Like – one of those kids is now a LinkedIn connection of mine). I intend to give some money anyway, although my donation is small and I never feel a lot of pressure. I love asking about their dorms, their major, what is going on around campus, etc. When my kid was there I’d ask if they knew her (and they usually did, small school). Just… really fun for me. I might be the only one who likes these calls, though.
Oh rue the poor student who calls me for money. I keep them on the phone for forty five minutes, asking all sorts of questions to determine how much the school has changed and if it would be a good fit for my D. That’s been going on since she was in 8th grade! They are going to be so happy once she goes to college.
My husband generally gives a small amount to his alma mater when they call. This year they called and he donated. He came to tell me he just donated to the annual fund. Great I said. “Wow, it feels like we just did that”
I go and check our records and the last annual fund was 6 months ago. Unmmmm, no!
I donated once with the proviso that if I was put on any lists or called again, I would not donate another dime. Of course, they put me on lists and have attempted to contact me regularly since then, so I have never donated again.
@bhs1978 school’s fiscal years correlate with the academic year, so if you gave in the Spring 2017 and then again in the Fall of 2017, this counts as separate annual fund years for the school.
