Data from the Board of Trustees shows that alumni donations to Ohio State are up from recent years. Credit: via Board of Trustees agenda
The Ohio State Board of Trustees’ Advancement Committee voted Thursday on the naming of six different facilities around the university, along with the instatement of several new scholarship funds. The Board also laid out a foundation report, highlighting the year’s donor activity and needs for the future.
Scholarship funds introduced include The Marion Chase Scholarship Fund, designed to support women whose education has been interrupted due to various responsibilities. The Warren and Mickey Wilson Endowed Fund will be for students interested in aviation.
The majority of the meeting was dedicated to donor experience. The data shows a significant spike in alumni contributions compared to years prior, although younger donors were the least satisfied with their experience making a donation.
Millennials were under the microscope, when it came to donor satisfaction. A number of committee members pointed out that the lowest donor satisfaction rates, 50 percent, were from the 22-44 year old demographic.
Details of the Buckeye Love campaign offered insight into the university’s reach around the globe. Board member Georgeanne Shockey pointed out that, aside from contribution from all over the U.S., Buckeye Love tallied-up gifts from several different countries including Arab Emirates, Japan and Australia.
Julie Anstine praised the committee’s support for alumni engagement, pointing to the development of the “Buckeye Room,” an online community that gives alumni the opportunity to reach out to one another.
Anstine suggested that increased storytelling about the impact of certain gifts can significantly increase donor satisfaction.
“One of our distinguishing factors, I think, is our ability to make our relationships personal and built around the individual,” she said.
