RESOURCES & RESEARCH
A decade of inquiry into a single question: why do some alumni give — and others don't? FOUNDATIONAL WORK
The Dissertation
Factors and Characteristics of Alumni Role Identity: Implications for Practice in Higher Education Fundraising and Alumni Relations Jay Le Roux Dillon, Ed.D. — University of San Francisco, 2017
The foundational study establishing alumni role identity as a predictor of giving behavior — and demonstrating that behavioral and demographic variables alone are insufficient predictors of alumni philanthropy.
Peer-Reviewed Research Philanthropy & Education — forthcoming, Fall 2026
The first peer-reviewed journal publication of the Alumni Identity framework and findings. Details to be announced.
Institutional Case Studies
The Alumni Identity Assessment has been conducted at 11 institutions, producing Alumni Identity Scores™, IDeal Donor Score™ modeling, and data-driven recommendations for engagement and fundraising strategy:
University of San Francisco -2017
Chatham University - 2018
Marian University - 2018
St. Olaf College - 2019
Carleton College - 2020
Midland University - 2020
Kean University - 2021
Oregon Health & Science University (longitudinal, two assessments) - 2022 and 2025
University of California, Berkeley - 2023
Concordia University St. Paul - 2024
Interlochen Center for the Arts (alumni and parent populations) - 2025
Interested in an assessment for your institution?
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Selected Practitioner Writing
Are You Missing Advancement's Most Important Metric? — EverTrue, 2018
Raising Alumni Identity Raises Dollars — EverTrue, 2018
Alumni Engagement: What We've Gotten Wrong and How to Fix It — Salesforce.org, 2018
Busting 3 Massive Myths in Higher Education Fundraising — ebook, Salesforce.org, 2018
Donor Demographics are the Enemy of Equity — Alumni Identity Blog, 2019
Alumni Aren't Lost and They Don't Need Greeters — Alumni Identity Blog, 2019
Selected Podcasts & Webinars
What is Alumni Identity? — Live from CASE/DRIVE, EverTrue, 2018
Where is the North Star Metric to Guide Alumni Fundraising? — Alumni Identity Podcast, 2019
Alumni Identity Basics — Alumni Identity Podcast, 2020
Digital-Forward Alumni Engagement — Aluminati Webinar, 2021
Alumni Are People Too — AASP Podcast, 2023
Alumni Identity and Journey-Based Engagement — Alumless Podcast, 2026
THE BOOK(coming soon)
A practitioner book introducing the Alumni Identity framework — what it is, what the research shows, and what it means for how colleges and universities approach engagement and philanthropy.
Available Winter 2026.
Browse the full archive of articles, podcasts, webinars, and resources below.
Podcast Episode #7: Alumni are People Too
Alumni are people, TOO. What if we started appealing to who they are - their #AlumniIdentity - instead of who they were in school? Join me with Association of Advancement Services Professionals (aasp) host Jay Ballinger. In this conversation, we agree, disagree, and find common ground (as two redheads named Jay would do!) on new approaches to alumni and donor engagement in #highereducation and #healthcare.
Podcast Episode #6: Alumni Identity Basics
Join me in conversation about careers in higher education and my ultimate frustration with advancement work (hint: lack of research) Also, I share my favorite alumni relations brainstorming exercise, thoughts on alumni identity making and the alumni experience, and our attempt to create professional community without “gurus.”
Podcast Episode #5: Where is the "North Star" Metric to Guide Alumni Fundraising?
How do you identify alumni who are most likely to give to their alma mater? It's one of the biggest challenges facing advancement programs today.
The good news is this: social psychology and data analytics have made a wealth of new information available about what truly motivates alumni to engage and give. Stick around until the end of the episode for a little bonus content, including some musical talent! 🎧
Podcast Episode #4: A Year in Review - Recap and Resources
It's official. I've been at this Alumni Identity work full-time for a year now and I have you to thank. Sharing meaningful content with you has been the best part of my year. 👋
To celebrate, I created something overarching and new - a two-part podcast episode recapping the resources and research that I’ve put together in the past year. It's the most comprehensive podcast that I’ve done so far - the one you'll want to share with those colleagues who scratch their heads about alumni engagement and giving. 🎧
Podcast Episode 3: Do Target & Amazon know you better than your alma mater?
Higher education is decades behind private industry in using social psychology + data science to cultivate relationships. Listen in on this conversation for Tactics & Tools that can really make a difference in the everyday work of the modern Alumni Fundraiser. 🎧
Podcast Episode #2: Fundraising is more Science than Art.
Enjoy this comprehensive conversation with on the science of Alumni Identity. What are the implications for the art of fundraising? Which engagement strategies matter most in converting prospects to donors? How can alumni feelings of connection predict giving? 🎧
Podcast Episode #1: Where Alumni Identity Got its Start
What's in store for advancement pros trying to build programs for the future? Listen in to my first podcast conversation on higher education fundraising and Alumni Identity.