Like Champions, Friends are proud graduates of your institution. However, Friends are not as easy to identify visually. They might not attend all of your school’s games or place bumper stickers with your institution’s branding on their cars.

Among the three donor persona segments (Champions, Friends, and Acquaintances), Friends are the most philanthropic in an overall sense. Unfortunately for colleges and universities, Friends tend to be more committed to donating to other organizations which they support. Thus, their alma maters are not their top philanthropic priorities.

In terms of motivation to give, Friends tend to donate out of  a sense of obligation whereas Champions donate out of a sense of passion. Where Champions tend to value the benefits and recognition associated with donating, Friends don’t care about seeing their name on a brick or about peer recognition associated with their giving. They would rather receive a thank you note from a Dean for their financial support.

Despite the fact that Friends are philanthropic in nature and supporters of their alma maters, 56% of them have never donated to their colleges and universities. Furthermore, only 7% of Friends’ total philanthropic donations are allocated to their alma maters. On average, the Friends who do give donate an average of $197 per year. 24% of Friends gave to their alma maters within the last twelve months.

In our national study of donor motivation, Friends were the largest segment, totaling 36% of the 2050 respondents. Clearly, the Friend segment represents an enormous opportunity for colleges and universities in terms of fostering engagement and giving. In terms of communicating with Friends, messages should focus on ways that the institution is making a difference in the community and in the world. Messages and appeals targeted toward Friends should highlight programs that help the homeless and faculty who are working on cures for cancer. Overall, Friends want to see how their alma maters are working to solve the big problems related to health and human welfare.

To learn more about the Friend segment as well as Champions and Acquaintances,please download the following white paper.