Essence of social exchange through alumni engagement of millennials and their alma mater

Abstract

This study investigated the donor and alumni engagement and perceptions of the “Millennial” generation and descriptive statistics of the population (born between 1980-2004) at a rural Midwest University. Data were obtained from a University database containing demographic (i.e., gender, race, birth year, donor status, donation amount, activities involved in while in school), on Millennial alumni at the University. Data were analyzed by a variety of techniques that included descriptive statistics, Independent t-Test, deployment of a survey, and focus group. The quantitative findings concluded that Millennials who were born from 1980 to 1989 contributed larger average gifts then Millennials who were born from 1990 to 2004. Additionally, the research discovered that Millennials who were involved in organizations gave larger donations than those who were not in student organizations. The qualitative findings concluded that the Millennial population provided evidence of areas and reason on why they support the institution when connected to making a donation and the various aspects that affect one's ability due to communication preferences, affinity, areas to support, and financial ability. An understanding for professionals and researchers to be educated on how to better fundraise/engage with the Millennial generations within higher education will allow for universities and colleges to rely on this generation in the years to come.