Alumni Giving as Civic Expression

Abstract:This study draws on alumni survey data from a research extensive university to explore how giving to one's alma mater relates to patterns of prosocial, civic behaviors exhibited by alumni while in college. Relying on latent class analysis (LCA), we find four distinctive categories of alumni corresponding to charity and social change models in the civic engagement literature: Student Government Leaders-Off Campus, Residence Hall Leaders, Volunteers, and Disengaged Students. Descriptive statistics show that each group is distinguished by their philanthropic beliefs and behaviors, household income, gender, and religious background.