Historically Black college and university (HBCU) leaders lack strategies to enlist and retain donations from alumni to support long-term sustainability. HBCU leaders are concerned with developing and implementing strategies for enlisting and retaining alumni donations. Grounded in resource dependency theory, the purpose of this qualitative case…

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) emerged in the early 19th century as a response to racial segregation and exclusion that characterized American postsecondary education. Of the 105 HBCUs, 47 are closely affiliated with a Black Church whose fundraising capability exceeded that of the HBCU. A decline in federal and state support…

Using a dataset that includes every private donation made to a large public university from 1938 to 2012 and demographic information on all alumni, we examine the effects of public research funding on individual donations. Our dataset allows us to examine crowding effects on a small time scale and extensive donor characteristics. We estimate…

This study explored the drivers for Long Beach City College alumni, a 2-year California community college (CCC), to engage with and donate to their alma mater. Due to the widespread decline in enrollment post-COVID-19 pandemic, institutions face increasing financial insecurity. They must now explore new funding streams. By modeling the success of…

The literature on charitable contributions to higher education focuses overwhelmingly on why donors give. This study aims to understand the monetary choice of a contribution, specifically what factors are linked to higher/lower donations. The current research employs the brand communities framework to analyze the role of the strength of the bonds…

The changing financing model for public institutions of higher education has brought into focus the importance of alumni fundraising and the factors that increase the likelihood of giving. Recognizing these dynamics, higher education leaders are increasingly implementing what are known as high-impact practices into the student experience with the…

Alumni giving is a critical revenue stream for Christian liberal arts colleges that originated as Bible institutions. This dissertation presents an in-depth case study of alumni donation patterns, focusing on how the transition from Bible colleges to liberal arts institutions has influenced giving behaviors. The study examines demographic factors…

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the role that alumni's prior campus experience may play in future donation behavior. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the affect theory of social exchange were applied to examine the underlying relationship between campus experience and donation behavior by incorporating relevant factors…

With the decrease in enrollment and increase in cost over the past decade, private colleges and universities have experienced financial hurdles, requiring the need to raise private funds. The financial viability of these colleges and universities depends upon the ability of university presidents to raise money. However, challenges must be overcome…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant financial impact on land-grant historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, which have historically faced underfunding by their respective state governments. This study examined the issue of low engagement rates and alumni giving among former…

This study examined characteristics, structure, communication, and donor behavior related to young alumni at top research institutions with a specific focus on young alumni donor behavior at institutions with or without dedicated young alumni programs. The purpose of this study was for institutions to learn from peers and determine if a dedicated…

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have experienced severe cutbacks in funding over the past few years, with universities examining options for alternative funding streams, such as alumni funding. Identifying the factors influencing their alumni's intentions to invest in their alma mater can be of significant importance when establishing a…

In an increasingly individualistic society in which the economic forecast has been uncertain for the past several years, independent schools have struggled to understand donors' motivations for giving. In addition, schools continually examine the way their annual giving campaigns articulate how donors' gifts align with the schools' missions and…

Institutions of higher education are partially funded by philanthropic gifts to support various initiatives on campus ranging from student scholarships, specific programmatic needs, construction, and everything in between. As Generation Z becomes the predominant generational cohort graduating from colleges and universities, advancement teams must…

This research study sought to better understand what motivates and influences young alumni to engage with their alma mater. For many development and alumni relations departments, alumni have become a source of private funding to assist in the decreased burden of tuition and the cost of attending college. Frequently, alumni who are reached out to…