Elevating Inclusion Study

This study equips advancement leaders with the data, practices, and tools required to develop and deepen a more diverse volunteer community.

North America is far more culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse than ever before. Demographic shifts have been felt across college and university campuses as record numbers of historically underrepresented students enroll in college and attain degrees. These shifting demographics have been slowly changing the face of our institutional profile across the last decade.

The changes in our student and alumni demographic profile present significant challenges and opportunities for advancement offices, particularly in developing a more diverse alumni volunteer community. Advancement and alumni leaders need not only to recognize the necessity to adapt traditional alumni volunteer structures to meet shifting priorities but to also create new alumni programming that resonates with an increasingly diverse alumni community.

Diverse alumni share the common experience that their time on campus was shaped, in part, by their affinity community.

Advancement and alumni leaders need to acknowledge that reality and build a more diverse and inclusive volunteer community that acknowledges, reflects, and respects the experiences diverse alumni may have had on campus. These efforts not only allow advancement leaders to better engage their diverse alumni populations but also will ensure a healthy pipeline of alumni volunteers and leaders to sustain tomorrow’s advancement enterprise.

There are four parts to this research that correlate to equip advancement professionals with the tools that they need for success. Explore them below.

Diversity on college campuses continues to rise and will soon permeate our alumni population as well. This important progress has enriched our institutions and society and has been shown to help increase team…