Comments on: 4 Reasons You May Be Losing Alumni Participation – From a Young Alumni Perspective

By: Increasing Young Alumni Participation: Part 1 | BLACKBAUD'S Prospect Research Blog for Non-Profit Fund Raising

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:42:10 +0000

[...] previous direct mail message into an email format may not do the trick: as Brenna Young noted in Four Reasons You May be Losing Alumni Participation – From a Young Alumni Perspective. “My generation likes things that are quick and to the point. This is why social media works [...]

By: BrennaYoung

BrennaYoung — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:27:40 +0000

Great insight Dot! You’re right, just like with any nonprofit it’s important for higher ed institutions not to stray from their mission. The basis of all giving is living up to promises and building genuine relationships with donors and potential donors (all students and alumni) who connect with those promises. Thank you for your input!

By: Dot Olonovich

Dot Olonovich — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:37:53 +0000

Great post! I’d like to add one item to the list. It’s important for the institution to live up to its values. Most alumni support the mission of the university they attended, but if the university is significantly straying from it, the alumni will invest their donations in institutions that are in line with what they find to be important. Some universities don’t pay a lot of attention to living out the mission statement. The young alumni perspective is practical – if they’re dissatisfied with the quality of their recent educational experience, they’re not going to donate. If there is dissatisfaction, giving will increase if the young alumni are heard and appropriate changes are made. Older alumni are more prone to nostalgia and are unlikely to know at first when a university’s focus starts to slip – but eventually they’ll find out and the doubt regarding the administration will undermine their confidence and giving as well.