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.
Dos, Don’ts, and What Ifs? of Digital Forward Alumni Engagement
2020 transformed alumni engagement as an industry and practice, but how, to what end, and what happens whenever things return to “normal”? Join me as we explore these questions and others and discuss the newest trends in global alumni relations programs and strategies in this on-demand webinar.
Alumni Engagement Resolutions and Recommendations for 2021
What are pitfalls to avoid and things to look forward to for alumni engagement practice? In conversation with Kayan Varma, co-founder & CEO of Almabase, we unpack the lessons of 2020 and make our predictions for strategies that will gain traction in 2021. #1 on the list - Digital engagement delivery is about consistency, not content. Also, why did San Francisco take down its iconic Coca-Cola billboard?
Intro to Donor Identity: Unpacking the Data Science and Social Psychology of the Donor Psyche
In cased you missed it or want to go through it again, here’s the recording and slide deck from my Flash Class Webinar on Donor Identity. I hope you enjoy it!
Alumni Metrics in the Digital Age
What makes a good alumni fundraising metric? Get the inside track on alumni metrics in the digital age in these highlights from my Keynote at West Coast Marketing Group conference at Fresno State University.
Alumni Engagement Scoring: What Does the Science Tell Us?
Presented by Salesforce.org, follow along with this brief overview of Alumni Identity and implications for advancement CRM technologies. There are myths to be busted and new insights to be gained in higher education fundraising by looking carefully at what contributes to a graduate's own self-concept of who they are in relation to their alma mater.
Live from CASE/DRIVE: What is Alumni Identity?
In this video, EverTrue CEO Brent Grinna caught up with Dr. Jay Le Roux Dillon at CASE/DRIVE to discuss Alumni Engagement trends in 2018 and Jay’s groundbreaking research into #AlumniIdentity.