Date of Graduation

11-11-1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA)

Abstract

This study examined the effect of integration between alumni relations and development departments on alumni giving. Integration was defined as the degree to which members of alumni and development departments achieve unity of effort. To determine the level of integration, the study looked at organizational structure, collective planning, collaboration, communication, and participation.

As a primary focus, the study measured the level of interdepartmental integration and compared the results with actual alumni giving at each school. The study also compared the level of integration between schools with centralized and decentralized organizational structures.

The study demonstrated an inverse relationship between interdepartmental integration and alumni giving. Most schools in the study with high alumni giving did not have highly integrated alumni relations and development departments. Schools with low alumni giving were more highly integrated. Further research, however, indicated that factors such as a school's age, size, and number of alumni and development staff significantly affected both alumni giving and integration, overshadowing this study's results. The study did find that schools with a centralized organizational structure were consistently more integrated than decentralized schools.

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