Top Alumni Giving Best Indicator Alumni Satisfactio

monydad
Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:44:05 +0000

alumni satisfaction is certainly a major factor, but IMO there are other factors tht also impact alumni giving rates .

These include alumni wealth; the aggressiveness with which alumni contributions are solicited; the type of people who went there- eg the extent to which alumni value rankings and prestige; and the perceived "value’ to the alumni of contributing: what’s in it for them, currently. By the latter I mean they might see some value to themselves in boosting the US News rankings of their school to the extent it continues to give reflected glory on them. Or helps beat other schools in the rankings,as a competitive issue, sort of like a football rivalry. Or, they might want to be counted as a contributor to help them garner meaningful legacy status to help their own kids get in.

If you’re making a pile of money on Wall Street, you’d like to keep 'ole Harvard on top of Yale in the rankings, because you went to Harvard and are conditioned to always want to beat Yale in everything, the class rep keeps calling you about it and guilting you, and you’re fearing maybe not giving would hurt if your kids try to get in- sure you’ll throw them some cash. Even if you hated your experience at Harvard. Because there is something in it for you now.

Maybe the alums of the seven sisters schools liked their schools more, but they are making less money, and/or their kids want coed schools that have become more selective, so they contribute less frequently.

Wealth, and continued self-interest, are at play here, not just “satisfaction”.