The reasons that cause alumni to give to their alma mater have become more significant since 2008. In the recent issue of "Giving USA," the current recession, which began in December 2007 and continued through December 2009, has led to declines of 11.9% in giving to higher education (2010). Alumni giving and the reasons why they give has been important since Yale first started soliciting alumni gifts. The large universities have invested millions of dollars in the work of advancement for many years. They have surveyed, developed advisory councils, and researched these reasons in order to raise more money from these most critical constituents. To evaluate their success, one only needs to look at the size of their endowments. This study explored the influencing factors of what factors cause alumni to give to Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. Their alma mater is small in size, has small endowments, and has a religious heritage. Within this study several factors were examined including memories of the alumni student experience, their current understanding of the campus today, and how the institution has communicated with them since they left campus. Eight focus groups were conducted in the four most alumni-populated regions of the United States. The study discovered that four factors that were paramount to each group. While the alumni were students on campus they enjoyed personal relationships with faculty members who were committed to the mission of the school and developed deep relationships with one another through the various experiences of the four year program. The alumni wanted the communication vehicles of the school to strengthen those relationships and reconnect them to Grace College and Seminary. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]