An analysis of the relationships of selected variables and the financial support provided to comprehensive coeducational Catholic colleges and universities by their alumnae

This study investigates the factors that influence alumnae annual giving. A model based on Burnett and Wood\u27s model of the Donation Decision Process is used to conceptualize the best opportunities to cultivate and nurture women graduates from private comprehensive Catholic universities as individuals who will become donors to their respective university\u27s alumni annual giving programs. A multi-stage disproportionate stratified random sample of 1,250 alumnae were sent surveys. Each institution participating in the study organized their alumnae by graduating class. Randomly drawn were appropriate numbers of female graduates from each of the decades beginning with the first decade of alumnae. Four hundred fifty-two responded to the survey. This study provides insights which may be useful for seeking alumnae contributions. It also identifies personal characteristics of alumnae which may be beneficially examined in future studies. Based on the multiple regression data analytic procedures applied to these survey responses, it is apparent that each cohort has to be approached differently. For those likely to contribute a gift, graduates of the earlier classes (1930s/1940s) preferred being solicited by a female, had been active in student government while undergraduates, and wanted to see stronger female representation on the campus. In terms of the dependent variable, “average gift contributed,” alumnae of these decades apparently wanted to preserve their undergraduate experiences and expected good treatment in return for their generosity. Graduates of the 1950s through the 1990s felt an obligation to their alma mater. For the same variable, the 1950s/1960s graduates had been active in sororities, preferred being solicited in person, and needed their spouse\u27s permission before contributing. The 1970s alumnae donors were single and had few children; those of the 1980s and 1990s shared responsibilities at home, wanted to bring about change, and thought that their institutions needed stronger female representation