By Hailey Heinz
As Northeastern climbs the ranks toward the U.S. News and World Report’s top 100, many of the university’s statistics have climbed right along with it. But while admissions selectivity and sophomore retention improve, the rate of alumni donations has steadily decreased for the past 10 years. This has prompted Northeastern administrators to place new emphasis on alumni donations.
Although decreased alumni giving is a national trend, the decline has been abnormally sharp at Northeastern. The rate of participation, which is a percentage of total alumni who give each year, has dropped several percent each year, from 17.7 percent in 1994 to 11.8 percent last year.
By comparison, the average participation rate among the “Lucky 13,” schools Northeastern compares itself to on the basis of size, selectivity and other factors, dropped from 17.9 percent to 13.6 percent in that time period. Nationwide, the rate has dropped from 13.8 percent to 12.8 percent since 2001.
Mark Putnam, director of university planning and research, said a number of factors contribute to the decline. Some are universal, such as the weak economy in recent years.
Many people have less to give right now, and may start giving more once the economy picks up, Putnam said in an e-mail. He also said the international climate has shifted charitable priorities.
“In recent years, the U.S. and the world have experienced some very serious natural disasters,” Putnam said. “In the wake of these devastating events, many have been rethinking their priorities in charitable giving … giving to colleges and universities and other less critical needs have become less of a priority at the present time.”
Some reasons are more specific to Northeastern. Putnam said Northeastern’s history as a large commuter school has an impact on the current rate of giving. In the early 1980s, Northeastern was the largest private university in the country, with enrollment of over 50,000, Putnam said.
The combination of the large enrollment and the large number of commuter students created a student body less connected to campus. Because there was less emphasis on residential life, alumni who graduated at that time are less likely to give, Putnam said.
Bill Bartolini, vice president for development, said the blame cannot be placed entirely on national factors and Northeastern’s history. He said the decline partly stems from a lack of effort to keep alumni connected to the university.
“I’m not sure that we’ve always done a very good job of cultivating and engaging our alumni,” Bartolini said.
Bartolini said this is changing, with renewed focus on connecting with alumni and attempting to reverse the trend. He said there is particular emphasis on engaging young alumni and occasional donors.
“There are a lot of people who make a donation every five years or so. If we were to get those people to give consistently every year, our participation rate would go up considerably,” Bartolini said.
These occasional donors, whom Bartolini calls “sometimes donors,” are key to increasing the participation rate, regardless of the dollar amount they donate. The participation does not measure the actual number of dollars raised, only the number of alumni who are donating.
Bartolini said his strategy is to strike a balance between increasing actual funds and increasing the participation rate.
Bartolini said actual funds are important, as the goal is to raise money, but the participation rate is also important, because it is one of the statistics taken into account in the U.S. News and World Report and it emphasizes the importance of many small donations, not just a few big ones.
“Quite frankly, it’s the donors who give at smaller levels that are really important,” Bartolini said. “The people who can make larger gifts get us started, but it’s the modest gifts who take us over the top.”
In order to reach out to those who make smaller donations, Northeastern has retooled its Office of Alumni Relations, replacing the position of executive director for alumni relations with a new position, vice president for alumni relations. That position is filled by Jack Moynihan, a Northeastern alumnus hired in July.
As opposed to Bartolini’s department, which emphasizes fundraising, Moynihan said his department is in the business of “friendraising.” Moynihan said he will make sure alumni know Northeastern is a lifetime resource for them, and foster a sense of pride in the university. He said Northeastern needs to be more active in these areas than in the past.
“We have a lot of work to do, quite frankly,” Moynihan said. “We need to be aggressive. We need to get out there and meet our alums. I’m going to hit the road soon and meet as many folks as I can.”
While Moynihan and Bartolini cultivate the students of yesterday, Putnam places some of his hopes on the students of today. He said the increased sense of community on campus may lead more current students to give down the road.
“Now that we have a growing and vibrant campus community with a more substantial residential population, I believe that younger alumni will be the ones who will step forward to support the university financially,” Putnam said.
Yuliya Malinkovich is one such student. The third-year pharmacy major said she will probably give back to the university, especially if her Northeastern education helps her find a lucrative job.
“If I come out of here and I make the money they’re promising I’ll make, I’ll probably give back,” Malinkovich said.
Other students, however, said the university gets enough money from them now, and they won’t be likely to give more after they graduate.
“I feel like Northeastern doesn’t provide a lot for us,” said Sara Parthum, a third-year pharmacy major. “Laundry went up to $1.50 this year, and we have to pay for a lot of things … if I’m paying $40,000 a year to go here, I feel like more should be provided, and I’m not sure I’ll give back.”
