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:

  1. University of San Francisco -2017

  2. Chatham University - 2018

  3. Marian University - 2018

  4. St. Olaf College - 2019

  5. Carleton College - 2020

  6. Midland University - 2020

  7. Kean University - 2021

  8. Oregon Health & Science University (longitudinal, two assessments) - 2022 and 2025

  9. University of California, Berkeley - 2023

  10. Concordia University St. Paul - 2024

  11. Interlochen Center for the Arts (alumni and parent populations) - 2025

Interested in an assessment for your institution?

Browse by Type:

Schedule a Conversation

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.