51,000 alumni weigh in on giving priorities, engagement preferences, and extra.
This weblog options an excerpt from Howard Heevner, fundraising business chief and co-author of the
2025 RNL Nationwide Alumni Survey.
RNL’s 2025 National Alumni Survey was simply launched and, whereas the insights gleaned from this report are all the time helpful, one may argue that this knowledge is price its weight in gold throughout instances of utmost uncertainty like we’re presently going through in our sector. In spite of everything, there are just a few common truths that strategic fundraisers perceive, no matter differing priorities, ranges of expertise, or general philosophy:
- “Hope”‘” just isn’t a method.
- Stewardship issues.
- You’ll by no means remorse confirming your flight departure time forward of an necessary donor go to…
- When doubtful, go straight to the supply: your donors.
RNL’s Nationwide Alumni Survey offers fundraisers a helpful alternative to refine their engagement methods by specializing in what actually issues—understanding donor expectations. By analyzing responses from greater than 51,000 alumni throughout generations and establishments of every kind, this report sheds mild on alumni sentiments towards their alma maters, their giving priorities, generational volunteer traits, and the motivations behind their contributions of time, expertise, and monetary help.
Facilitated by RNL’s Sarah Kleeberger, this report additionally advantages from the experience of longtime RNL associate and business chief Howard Heevner. Howard offers each a foreword and conclusion to the report, providing insightful commentary, sensible functions, and a forward-looking perspective on the way forward for donor engagement.
Excerpt from the 2025 RNL Nationwide Alumni Survey Report,
written by Howard Heevner:
As a part of RNL’s second annual analysis research, we’re once more sharing the collective knowledge of 51,000 alumni representing a broad spectrum of upper training. The chance to offer a conduit for these voices to be heard is an honor, and together with the group at RNL, we’re excited to share the suggestions alumni from 21 establishments.
In greater training, we regularly spend our time wanting inward or taking a look at different establishments as a substitute of turning to these we want to join, interact, and encourage to be in a better relationship with our establishments. For many years, we’ve been in a position to depend on an expectation of loyalty from our alumni as a result of that’s the way it’s all the time been. Nonetheless, so many elements have modified the character of that relationship and people expectations. Amongst them are the rising prices of training, the implied and sometimes specific promise that diploma achievement will offer you a cross to better alternative, and the growing distrust of establishments and better training.
There’s a rising concern for our pipeline of donors. We have now seen a dramatic lower in alumni donor counts throughout the USA over the previous three many years. These traits pre-date the pandemic however appear to be exacerbated post-pandemic. Many faculties are struggling to accumulate new donors and are trying to find new methodologies to take action. Nonetheless, it appears most frequently we’re taking the fractured giving buildings that introduced us right here and bringing these into these new methods. Perhaps the difficulty isn’t our instruments or methods, however our means to authentically join with our alumni.
Able to dive into the information your self?
Download your copy of the 2025 National Alumni Survey, that includes eight key findings about alumni giving and connection taken from greater than 50,000 alumni, in addition to further insights from Howard.
