Ivy League Donors

Ivy League donors, have you ever noticed who it is that calls you seeking a donation? Is it a current student — maybe a college sophomore working the phones for the alumni office tasked with securing donations from the school’s alumni base? Is it a development officer? If it’s a development officer, this person is a full-time college employee. They’re not students. They’re paid to do this sort of thing (although the students are compensated as well — just as part-time employees). Or does someone even higher contact you? Maybe a trustee of the college? Or the provost? Or even the university president?

Ivy League donors aren’t all contacted by the same people. Some are contacted by current students and others by development officers. It all depends on your donations (photo credit: chensiyuan).

Just who calls you seeking a donation has a lot to do with the type of Ivy League donor you are. If you donate $50 a year every year, that’s very nice. But it won’t warrant a call from the university president…nor the provost or a trustee. If you rarely donate, that won’t warrant a call from one of these folks either. Unless…it’s brought to your alma mater’s attention that you just came into some big time cash. Maybe you were just named the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Maybe you just married a Trump. These are the types of cases that might just warrant a call from your college’s president, even if you don’t have a history of donating. It’s called guilt and it works sometimes!

But more likely you’re going to get a call from a higher-up if you’re a major donor to the university. If that’s the case, the development office doesn’t let students bother you with calls at odd hours seeking money. You’re on the proverbial do-not-call list for the school as you are reserved for the folks who do this for a living. Does that surprise you at all? Are you an Ivy League alumnus or alumna who has received a call from a higher-up? If so, tell us about your experiences and what it’s like to receive a call from, say, the college president.

While you’re here, check out this post on Legacy Admissions.