Fourth down and gold to go ? Assessing the link between athletics and alumni giving

Abstract

Objective. Much research has been done on the potential impact of collegiate sports success on alumni giving. This paper looks at the impact of successful football and men's basketball programs in the context of a comprehensive model of alumni giving, considering not only sports success but other student and institutional characteristics that may affect giving totals. Methods. Data from a variety of sources are used to examine the factors that determine alumni giving levels at the institutional level from 1973 to 1990. Separate data sets are constructed for private universities, public universities, and liberal arts colleges. Results. While winning records do not translate into higher gifts at the university level, bowl game appearances do result in significantly higher gift totals. NCAA basketball tournament appearances result in higher gifts to public universities. Liberal arts colleges see a statistically significant, but very small, correlation between winning percentage and alumni giving. Conclusions. Alumni giving depends on many variables, including significant success in intercollegiate athletics. The uncertainty of postseason appearances, even for teams with winning records, makes investing in sports a risky approach toward increasing alumni giving