Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Matasha Murrell Jones

Abstract

Historically Black college and university (HBCU) leaders lack strategies to enlist and retain donations from alumni to support long-term sustainability. HBCU leaders are concerned with developing and implementing strategies for enlisting and retaining alumni donations. Grounded in resource dependency theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the strategies that HBCU leaders use to enlist and retain alumni donations to support long-term sustainability. The participants were six HBCU leaders at three HBCUs in the southeastern United States who have implemented strategies to enlist and retain alumni donations. Both a president and an institutional advancement officer were interviewed from each of the three HBCUs. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of alumni donation documents. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: (a) exploring innovative new methods, (b) honoring tradition, (c) diversifying giving methods, (d) identifying and overcoming challenges, (e) leveraging every person, and (f) alignment between institutional advancement. A key recommendation is that HBCU leaders remain well-versed in the challenges they face (both internally and externally) so they can work to overcome them. The findings of this study have potential implications for positive social change by leading to increased alumni donations that could result in the creation of new student support programs that could expand students’ access to high-quality higher education.

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