Loyalty Related to Financial Participation
Consistent with findings from past research, the Alumni Attitude Study finds that alumni from across the nation report that the decision to attend their alma mater was a very good decision and report that they have a very good opinion of the university. Interestingly, these uniformly favorable survey results hold true for every type of institution-public, private, large, small, faith based, technical, etc. Often these positive results are interpreted by advancement professionals as an indicator of strong “loyalty” toward the university and “support” for the institutions’ current endeavors. However, other Study findings suggest that two additional components play an important role in assessing alumni loyalty, especially as is relates to financial support for the university. That is, an alumnus/a’s willingness to promote the university, and his/her experience as an alumnus/a, when combined with results from decision to attend and current opinion of the university, form an insightful “Loyalty Index” to use in determining those factors that have the greatest impact on financial participation. For Study finding and benchmarks on loyalty and giving, click on the link below.
"Emotional Loyalty"
As measured by “Decision to Attend the University” and “Opinion of the University”
In an effort to gauge the strength of the relationship and the depth of affinity with their alma mater, the Study asks alumni about their decision to attend the university and their current opinion of the university. For the 100 institutions that surveyed their alumni through the Study, a remarkably high 91% to 99% of alumni at each institution said it was a “good” or “great” decision to attend the university. When asked about their current opinion of the university, alumni responded in a similarly strong and positive manner with between 87% and 99% of alumni indicating that they had a “good” or “excellent” opinion of the university.
Study Insight:Two interesting points emerge from this “loyalty” graph. First, regardless of the type of institution--public, private, large, small, liberal arts, tech, faith based, or secular--alumni demonstrate an equally strong affinity for their alma mater. This universally favorable opinion among alumni may be in part because almost all alumni have only a single alma mater and they are reluctant to admit that a major decision (to commit four years to the university) was not a good decision. Regardless, alumni clearly demonstrate a resilient attachment to their alma mater, an “Emotional Loyalty” that predisposes alumni to a close and ongoing relationship with the university.
Secondly, given that there is a wide range in the percent of alumni who financially participate across institutions, there must be another component of “loyalty” that can help explain the divergence between “Emotional Loyalty” as defined above and “loyalty” that includes a giving component. Indeed, when assessed in conjunction with questions about current alumni experiences and current level of support for the institution (see below), a more dynamic “loyalty index” is formed and can be used to help identify those university actions that are most closely associated with high alumni loyalty. Robert. D. Shoss, Managing Consultant
"Financial Loyalty"
As measured by “Experience as an Alumnus/a” and “Willingness to Promote the University”
When asked about their experience as an alumnus/a and their willingness to promote the university, alumni showed a greater range of opinions regarding their experiences and support for their alma mater. Indeed, as few as 53% of alumni at some universities said they would describe their alumnus/a experience as “good” or “excellent.” Similarly, as few as 37% said they promote the university “regularly” or “all the time.” As with decision to attend the university above, these results do not differentiate by institutional type.
Study Insight: Alumni opinions about current experiences are critical in evaluating loyalty and assessing financial participation in development efforts such as annual campaigns. Very few universities show equally high responses on all four of the above loyalty issues. It is only when current experiences and opinions are combined with “Emotional Loyalty” and other survey responses that a reliable Loyalty Index can be produced to identify those alumni values and preferences which are most closely related to loyalty and giving. It can be tempting to assume that since alumni say they made a great decision to attend the university and since they have a high overall opinion of the university, they are then having wonderful alumni experiences and are willing to give financially to the university. However, Study findings show that is often not the situation. The key question that remains, and the one the Study is designed to address, is: what are the dominant issues, values, and preferences for alumni across age groups that are most related to giving?
Robert D. Shoss, Managing Consultant
About the Alumni Attitude Study
The Alumni Attitude Study is a cooperative effort among universities and CASE to assess and compare alumni survey results. The Study offers advancement professionals many reliable “benchmarks” and Study norms to help establish baseline alumni profiles for better understanding of priorities, values, preferences, and motivators for alumni. Over 100 institutions have surveyed their alumni through the Study. With over 130,000 responses to the core alumni questionnaire the Study database serves as a valuable resource for market research and trend analysis.