The purpose of this study was to understand the strength of the relationship between commitment, trust, satisfaction, involvement, and stewardship activities and donor retention as measured by lapsed giving, repeat giving, increased giving, and planned giving. The goal of the study was to support with data the key variables that impact donor…

The education of postsecondary students has become an increasingly cost-intensive enterprise, and many higher education institutions are now reliant on philanthropic support to meet their financial needs. Higher education advancement offices face mounting pressure to perform at extraordinary levels. Magnifying the urgency of the work, colleges and…

This study addressed the issue of retention rates among the nation's private, not-for-profit, baccalaureate degree-granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In doing so, it examined the potential presence of relationships among revenue sources and retention rates. In order to conduct a comprehensive research study, the following…

The cost for higher education increased nearly 55% from 2002 to 2012, while state appropriations decreased 12% over the same time period (Government Accountability Office, 2014). The cost burden has been shifted heavily on students and their families as institutions have raised the cost of attendance in order to make up for declines in state…

Philip H. Knight, co-founder of Nike, Inc., pledged $400 million to Stanford University last year (Gioia, 2016; Stanford University, 2016a). The gift will partially endow a $750 million fund intended to support 100 graduate students per year, with awards typically lasting for three years. The resulting Knight-Hennessy Scholars program will be the…

Private monetary contributions and the role of athletics are topics of discussion at nearly all institutions, and thus any relationship between the two has become increasingly valuable to determine donor motivations. This quantitative research study analyzed universities' overall private contributions to determine whether there was a significant…

In 2011, philanthropic giving to higher education institutions totaled $30.3 billion, an 8.2% increase over the previous year. Roughly, 26% of those funds came from alumni donations. This article builds upon existing economic models to create an econometric model to explain and predict the pattern of alumni giving. We test the model using data…

The study examined the relationship between recession and alumni contributions to institutions of higher education for operational expenses and capital expenditures that include property, buildings, and equipment. Identifying variables that may decrease alumni contributions is important because decreased state funding for higher education…

This white paper reports on findings from the fourth survey of social media in advancement, conducted in January and February, 2013 by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Huron Education, and mStoner. The survey was taken by more than 1,000 CASE members. Featured are six case studies on the effective use of social media in…

Rather than banking enormous gifts, Harvard University built its wealth by adhering to a coherent strategy that gradually became the common sense--the prevailing ideology--of how to build and maintain the wealth of private universities. President Charles W. Eliot formulated this "free money" strategy over the course of his administration from 1869…

With tax revenues beginning to rebound in most states and endowments on the rebound at many private and public institutions, colleges and universities are growing more hopeful about their financial outlook and instituting new strategies to take advantage of the opportunities. Yet as the economic recovery has slowed in the past few months,…

Principal gifts are very large donations that take years to cultivate and potentially can have a major impact on an institution. Venerable private research universities have sought principal gifts for decades with well-staffed, systematic cultivation and stewardship programs. Until recently, however, principal gifts were not necessarily considered…

Private institutions of higher education are highly dependent on alumni support to cover operating expenses, fund endowments and fuel large capital campaigns. For example, in 2004, alumni at private liberal arts colleges generated nearly 43% of total voluntary support and funded 21.5% of total institutional expenditures. This paper uses 15 years…

The issue of donor behavior and crowding out has been pertinent in the economics literature, both theoretically and empirically. Aggregate research has not been decisive, nor have many studies analyzed education institutions. I begin with a theoretical model of crowding-out versus crowding-in donor behavior. I then employ a fixed effects…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have received inadequate funding since their inception. This has challenged the development of programs and infrastructure, the adoption of technology, and the recruitment of faculty and students. Yet among HBCUs there are standouts that, despite unequal funding patterns in comparison to…