Advancement staff and alumni advocates: Cultivating LGBTQ alumni by promoting individual and community uplift.

Abstract

Using a constructivist case-study analysis, we explore philanthropy toward higher education among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) alumni, examining the role of advancement staff and alumni advocates in engaging LGBTQ alumni to promote individual and community uplift. Data come from focus groups with 37 advancement staff and 23 LGBTQ alumni at three higher education institutions. Findings reveal the importance of advancement staff and alumni in promoting LGBTQ alumni philanthropy. Specifically, participants discussed LGBTQ advancement staff, accounts of microaggressions and overt discrimination, and taking a leadership role in promoting culturally sensitive practices. Both advancement staff and alumni spoke of how alumni volunteering can lead to deeper engagement, and in the difficulty of recruiting and retaining volunteer leaders within the LGBTQ communities. We draw implications from our findings, discussing the importance of relationships and trust when working with alumni from diverse communities. Our discussion also highlights the need to hire a diverse representation of staff, create a warm campus climate for current students, and have culturally competent staff.

LGBTQ Alumni Philanthropy

“…Among their discoveries, the report indicated that LGBTQ respondents experienced significantly more amounts of harassment and discrimination than their heterosexual and cisgender peers while on campus and leading to negative feelings regarding their alma maters. Furthermore, few campuses make thoughtful efforts to reach out to the LGBTQ communities to gain insights into their philanthropic giving (Garvey & Drezner, 2013;Scanlan & Abrahams, 2002).…”

An Exploration of Giving Among Gay Male College Alumni

“…The connection between a positive student experience and charitable giving among non-traditional donors has gained the interest of prominent scholars (e.g., Clotfelter, 2003;Gasman & Anderson-Thompkins, 2003;Gasman & Bowman, 2013b), and a handful of colleges and universities across the country (e.g., Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University). One population of alumni that has gained more attention recently is alumni that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) (Garvey & Drezner, 2013a;Garvey & Drezner, 2013b). Despite this attention, research focused specifically on LGBTQ college alumni remains significantly understudied in the realm of philanthropy (Garvey & Drezner, 2013b).…”

Young alumni perspectives about philanthropically supporting their alma mater

“…It is important for the institution to determine if the welcoming environment and sense of home are the same for multicultural students. If the institution and the alumni association are seeking philanthropic support from young alumni from diverse backgrounds, learning about the student experiences of these populations is important (Garvey & Drezner, 2013;Harper & Quaye, 2009).…”

“…Alumni associations may also benefit by examining who is currently involved in philanthropically supporting the institution, and their current practices for recruiting membership on its young alumni council. According to Garvey and Drezner (2013), many institutions are now working to philanthropically engage more diverse alumni populations, but they are finding it difficult to create connections because they have felt ignored by their alma maters. They suggest that finding means for "cultivating and sustaining relationships among underrepresented minorities is critical" (p. 200).…”

“…All of the members of the institution's young alumni council and all of the participants in this study were White. Students of color may have had meaningful student experiences, but they may be connected to the institution in other ways (Garvey & Drezner, 2013). Because meaningful experiences play an important role in connection with the institution and the philanthropic support, it is important for institutions to examine who is not engaged with the institution, and what can be done to increase involvement from underrepresented populations.…”