The checks you write after you leave USC could leave a greater legacy than you think. Though unknown by many college-bound high school students, popular college rankings often reflect the percent of undergraduate alumni who give back to their alma mater.
USC, whose annual giving rate has increased more than 25 percent over the past 10 years, has seen a considerable rise in donations from young alumni as it climbs the tiers of U.S. News & World Report's ranking, according to officials in University Advancement. These alumni last year donated 75 percent of the $405 million given to USC.
The overall donor giving level includes both alumni and outside donors such as parents whose children attend the school currently and graduate school alumni, but only the undergraduate alumni giving rate contributes to the university's rankings in U.S. News & World Report.
Sam Martinuzzi, associate senior vice president of University Advancement, said the increase in donations is a reflection of the university's strong academic reputation.
"Obviously our ratings through organizations like U.S. News & World Report are important to us," Martinuzzi said. "We want people to understand the success of this university in every area. But more than that, the giving rate from our alumni is a reflection of their satisfaction with their experience, with the continued development of their university and the connections that they feel as (alumni) to their community."
The university uses a phone program, mass mailings to alumni and personal cultivation with development officers across the university to solicit donations, said Thom Rhue, associate senior vice president of University Advancement.
The alumni giving rate does not depend on how much money is donated; instead the university advancement officials encourage donors to give small amounts consistently in order to increase the participation percentage.
"The main objective of our annual giving program is to get as many alumni into the tradition of giving to us as possible," Rhue said. "Donors report that they get great satisfaction from giving back to USC and they know that their gifts are a safe and pertinent investment."
Rhue and Martinuzzi anticipated higher alumni-giving rates in the future as the university continues to develop.
"There's this general idea that the alumni's sense of value of its undergraduate institution is reflected in the undergraduate participation rate," Rhue said.
by Ashley Reich
This article appeared in the March 30, 2007 issue of the Daily Trojan.