Creating future alumni donors: exploring critical aspects of an enriched undergraduate experience

Most alumni donation studies rely on retrospective analysis and generic donor profiles. This research adopts a novel approach by identifying critical touchpoints in the undergraduate student journey to predict future alumni donors. The results uncover new factors that significantly contribute towards enhancing the quality of higher education. This broader perspective of the critical factors impacting higher education quality has major implications for the management and allocation of scarce university resources. The study confirms that student centred pedagogy significantly influences future donation intentions. Additionally, the results reveal that learning transferable skills, confidence in achieving career aspirations, confidence in meeting income expectations and having valued social experiences significantly impact a student's intention to donate. These findings have major practical and strategic implications for university executives and alumni departments seeking to generate policies that enhance quality in higher education through investments that result in a positive and holistic learning experience, ultimately leading to an increased likelihood of future donations from current students. This research offers university leadership a lifeline to address the current financial crisis that higher education institutions (HEIs) find themselves in due to capped tuition fees, high inflation, increased salary and tax obligations and falling numbers of international students.