Dues vs. Non Dues
Select Findings From The Alumni Attitude Study’s Survey of Advancement Professionals:
The Perceived Impact of Association Status (Dues vs. Non Dues) on Overall Alumni Involvement, Giving and Programs
As part of the Alumni Attitude Study’s ongoing research efforts, we recently brought together a working group of past participants and advancement leaders to assess the impact of association status–either dues or non dues paying alumni association–on the overall university-alumni relationship. Specifically, the survey was designed to identify and compare perceptions of how well dues paying and non dues paying alumni associations support alumni involvement, giving, and programs. Findings and results were segmented a number of ways, among them were institution size, public/private, association status, and advancement function.
The Study’s working group identified key issues and helped finalize a questionnaire covering alumni programs and services, the effectiveness of alumni communication, and perspectives about which structure works best for a host of alumni relation tasks. Respondents were asked to assess the importance of a number of issues and programs, and also asked how well they perceived those issues and tasks were being addressed. Â The survey also asked respondents to identify which universities exemplified “best practices” among dues-paying and non-dues-paying institutions.
Survey Distribution and Responses
The “Perceived Impact of Association Status” survey was distributed to 3,566 development, alumni relation and communication professionals, and yielded almost 550 responses (17.5% after removing bounced emails). More than 430 colleges, universities, and alumni associations were represented. Among them were public and private institutions as well as those with and those without dues-paying alumni associations.  About half of the institutions had enrollment over 10,000 while one third of the institutions had enrollment of less that 5,000. Overall, there seemed to be good representation across institutional types.
Where You Work Influences What You Believe
The results show that there is universal agreement between development, communication, and alumni relations professionals that a dues-paying alumni association is an important and effective way to find and nurture alumni with a high potential for involvement. However, there is disagreement as to whether this higher level of activity necessarily leads to higher levels of giving. That is, professionals at dues-paying institutions tend to believe that dues-paying membership increases overall giving while professionals at institutions without dues-paying associations tend to believe that this higher level of involvement does not lead to increased giving.
Knowing Where to Focus
Another common thread among advancement professionals is a strong sense of frustration that more can and should be done to improve alumni relations and development. For example, when in discussions with prospective students, institutions often tout notable alumni and the extensive network that alumni offer to new graduates as a significant incentive to recruitment.  Likewise, alumni look to the caliber of students and scholarship programs to judge the current and future value of their degree. Yet there is a strong feeling that alumni programs addressing these and other highly ranked issues are not getting the attention and support they deserve.
Segmentation Reveals Patterns
As survey results from similar respondents are grouped together, such as those from large institutions, several interesting patterns begin to emerge. For instance, large institutions show a tendency for positive perceptions of a dues-paying structure while private and smaller institutions tend to focus more on potential negatives. Is “size” at the heart of the dues vs non-dues paying issue, or is it more accurately a matter of employing “best practices” with success equally attainable with appropriate management? We suspect it is a bit of both and believe strongly that a closer look at best practices would be insightful for smaller/private universities considering a dues-paying association.
Relating Giving and Membership
As for the relationship between giving and membership, it is much like the age-old argument over the chicken or the egg. “Does alumni association membership lead to giving” or, “Do those that give join the association?” Respondents seemed much less concerned with this relationship than they were with risk of-focusing too strongly on membership at the expense of alumni services and benefits.
Make Your Status Fit Your Purpose
After reviewing the verbatim responses and survey results, we strongly urge institutions investigate the benefits of a non-dues paying association as thoroughly as they defend their reasoning for not having a dues-paying association. Only by comparing the benefits of each approach can institutions evaluate which status best fits their purposes, as opposed to which purposes fit their status. Similarly, dues-paying associations should examine their management priorities to ensure membership recruitment is not “the tail wagging the dog”, and that identifying high-potential alumni and providing excellent alumni programs remain a priority.
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