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SALT LAKE CITY — Some analysts are blaming "school-hopping" for the trouble universities are having getting alumni to donate.
It’s not uncommon for someone to attend more than one college. Many students finish get their graduate degrees from a different school than where they did their undergraduate work. Others transfer from one college to another to pursue a different major.
University of Utah VP for Institutional Advancement Fred Esplin says, “Most people identify most closely with where they got their undergraduate degree more so than the professional or graduate degree.”
However, CNN recently cited the Council for Aid to Education as reporting less than 9% of alumni give to their alma mater, down from 13% in 2003. Some analysts believe many people have loyalties to more than one university, and that could be driving the number of donors down.
Fortunately for the University of Utah, Esplin says it hasn't been a problem. He says many donors are generous to them and other universities, as well.
Esplin says, “It’s less [about] generic [loyalties] to the institution than it is particular and specific opportunities to support something that’s doing well or the ability to make a difference and help improve the quality of life.”
Esplin says certain programs have a harder time getting money than others. Ironically, programs that seem to be successful or popular get more donations, while programs that need the money don’t.
“We had gone through a few rough years in basketball here at the University of Utah," Esplin says. "That was hard. It’s hard to raise money when your programs aren’t doing well.”
How can a program earn more money? Esplin says it all comes down to publicity.
“A lot of it is a matter of us at ‘The U’ or at other schools being able to tell our story and get our story out to the people who might have an inclination to give,” he says.
