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The Impact of Alumni Status on Institutional Giving by Faculty and Staff

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Abstract

This study explores the association between propensity toward giving and personal and positional characteristics of faculty and staff across 3 years within a large, public, multi-campus higher education institution. Informed by the literatures on organizational identity and commitment, faculty and staff giving, and the higher education workforce, the study employs a hurdle analysis to estimate the predictors of likelihood of donating (the hurdle) and the amount given among those who donate. Following up on earlier research by the authors that demonstrated that academic employees and employees who are institutional alumni are more likely to give, the present study explores the interaction between these roles and offers a more powerful model for predicting the amount given. The results of this study have implications for understanding how organizational commitment and identification may be relevant in addressing giving, for institutional fundraising, and for building institutional loyalties.

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Notes

  1. Further details on how the variable groupings were determined are provided in Shaker et al. (2012).

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Acknowledgments

The research presented in this paper was made possible through the support of Indiana University and the Indiana University Foundation. Special thanks to Indiana University Foundation president emeritus Eugene Tempel, the presidential staff, and the senior leadership team for their commitment to this collaborative project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, 201 N. Rose Avenue, Room 4274, Bloomington, IN, 47405-1006, USA

    Victor M. H. Borden

  2. Indiana University School of Liberal Arts and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 425 University Boulevard, Cavanaugh Hall 441, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Genevieve G. Shaker

  3. Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 550 West North Street, Suite 301, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Brittany L. Kienker

Authors
  1. Victor M. H. Borden
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  2. Genevieve G. Shaker
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  3. Brittany L. Kienker
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Correspondence to Victor M. H. Borden.

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Borden, V.M.H., Shaker, G.G. & Kienker, B.L. The Impact of Alumni Status on Institutional Giving by Faculty and Staff. Res High Educ 55, 196–217 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9318-3

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