Fisk university Young Alumni Retreat


So how can campuses improve the


fundraising participation rate among its youngest alumni? The short—and often jar- ring—answer is: they may not be able to. young people—particularly men in their 20s—don’t have the level of empathy or emo- tional connection necessary to feel compelled to give back financially to their alma mater. But there is good news. Among recent


grads are some who will become your insti- tution’s best donors—just not right away. Alumni interests and emotional readiness to give back evolve as people move through dif- ferent stages of life. Should universities ignore young alumni


and instead focus resources on older, more empathetic (and often wealthier) con- stituents? Not by a long shot. Our firm’s research shows that it’s critical to build rela- tionships with younger alumni. While doing so, you shouldn’t devote significant effort or budget soliciting them for donations. Nurture a budding relationship and watch as it matures. In fact, getting to know alumni of all


ages—and understanding their needs—can produce increased engagement on a number of fronts. While higher education hasn’t prac- ticed consumer marketing tactics, universities benefit from the application of those prin- ciples to fundraising and advancement. Cam- puses can in fact learn from the Madison


Avenue marketing model. Know your customer, under- stand his or her needs, and realize that those needs change over a lifetime.


Know Your Customer Campbell Rinker’s AlumniPoll is an online survey of more than 3,000 North American alumni. The poll has identified four distinct alumni personal- ities: rallyers (20 percent of all alums), reminiscers (25 per- cent), resisters (29 percent) and


subscribe at no charge at www.todayscampus.com Today’sCampus 17


Left: Wisconsin Alumni Association website. Below: Carnegie Mellon university Alumni website.


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