What Motivates Alumni Donations for High Schools?

Summary:

• Alumni are one of the largest and most reliable sources of financial support for most schools. Understanding what motivates them to donate can help make your outreach more effective.
• Inspiring people to give means appealing to their emotions. Making alumni feel connected to your school and engaged in your community can be really powerful.
• Alumni respond positively to campaigns that inspire reciprocal gratitude, pride, appreciation, belonging, and duty—as well as campaigns that help them build their legacy.
• Tapping into school pride, making alumni feel appreciated, and showing them how they’re making a difference can motivate them to take action. Social proof, peer influences, and financial incentives are also helpful.
• Your messages to alumni should use these tactics to be compelling, but they should also be natural and genuine. In addition to asking for money, your goal should be to build meaningful lifelong relationships with your graduates.

It pays to stay in touch with your students after they graduate. Every milestone, career achievement, or life event gives alumni a great potential reason to “pay it forward” by giving back to their alma mater.

That’s why alumni are one of the largest and most reliable fundraising sources for K-12 schools. But how can you motivate your school’s former students to give when you need it?

The answer almost always comes down to a very human mix of emotions, social connections, and financial perks. Knowing how to tap into them can help you create fundraising campaigns that feel more personal, meaningful, and effective.

Get the inside scoop from our experts, then launch a wildly successful alumni fundraising campaign on FutureFund for free.

The psychology of giving and making people care

Alumni already know that donations help most high schools. They understand that giving helps fund scholarships, school programs, and important causes. But simply knowing isn’t enough—feelings are what inspire people to take action.

That’s because the psychology of giving is all about emotion—so much so that nearly everything we talk about in this blog tracks back to it in some way. Positive emotions are linked to higher donations and more volunteers for many nonprofit groups. So when alums donate to your campaigns, it’s because you managed to make them feel something.

It isn’t that logic doesn’t matter. You still need to sound like you know what you’re talking about in outreach messages, but adding a strong emotional appeal is way more effective.

What emotional triggers do alumni respond to?

Alumni are all different people with their own motivations. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything in common or don’t respond better to a certain kind of approach in messaging. 

They’ll be more likely to give if you inspire these core feelings:

• Gratitude. They might give because they’re grateful for how you helped them, or because your school expresses gratitude for their help.
• Pride. They may take pride in their alma mater’s achievements or feel proud to be recognized as a valued donor to your campaigns.
• Appreciation. They might contribute out of appreciation for teachers and mentors—or because they appreciate the acknowledgment they receive in return.
• Belonging. Some donate to stay connected to a community that shaped them, while others give because your outreach makes them feel like they still belong.
• Duty. They might feel a sense of responsibility to support future students or give because they see how much you need their support.
• Legacy. Some alumni are motivated by a desire to leave a lasting impact—but they might also give because you make it clear that their contributions will be remembered.

If you noticed that all the examples above are reciprocal, good catch! That’s important because the relationship between your school and alumni should never be one-sided. You’ll get better results if you think of outreach as a two-way relationship-building “street.”

Tapping into nostalgia and school pride

Nostalgia and school pride can be a great motivator. Give alumni a reason to think about their time in high school and be proud of their alma mater—it will help them step back into that story again so they can feel like they’re still part of it. 

Including elements like these can help:

• School-specific traditions, like mascots, colors, or songs.
• Big moments for sports teams, like tournament wins or games.
• Milestone events, like prom, reunions, and homecoming.
• Current school success stories that inspire a sense of pride

Personalized outreach can help you really dial up the sense of nostalgia. Instead of sending everyone the same email, separate your contacts into groups by graduation year, sports participation, or some other shared characteristic. Then, customize the message to their interests or experiences. If you’re using FutureFund, our built-in messaging system can make this easy with audience filters and customizable templates.

Showing alumni how they’re making a difference

There’s nothing quite like tackling a big job, and then standing back to admire your work. Alums get that same sense of satisfaction when they see their contributions in action. Send updates over email, social media, or snail mail early and often so they can see how they’re helping.

Whenever possible, include more than just text alone. Pictures, hype videos, video tours of new facilities, and other similar experiences make their impact feel more real and tangible.

Here are a few fun examples:

• Share pictures or videos of facility upgrades, like new classrooms or gyms.
• Record a hype video that shows students using new equipment.
• Send regular update emails about long-term projects, like new buildings.
• Take and share pictures of new technology and resources.
• Share info about how many students each scholarship helps.

Showcasing how alumni donations are being used is also a great way to keep former students engaged and connected; it will often inspire repeat donations.

Making alumni feel appreciated

A good deed is definitely its own reward, but alumni still want to feel appreciated when they donate. Sending off a quick “thank you” email is a great start, but you can go even further. Here are some more ways to recognize alumni for their efforts, especially when they faithfully donate to every campaign or make a large donation:

• Handwritten thank-you notes from students and/or staff.
• Newsletter shoutouts that highlight individual contributions.
• Social media shoutouts on your school or group’s profile.
• Named scholarships, school programs, or school publications.
• Naming rights for buildings, facility upgrades, or rooms.
• Donor walls with plaques or bricks honoring contributors.

There is one small catch: not everyone likes being acknowledged in public. Get permission before you send any public shoutouts—or ask for it in advance by including it in the sign-up process for your alumni newsletter.

Making the most of group giving and peer influences

Peer “pressure” can be a good thing when it gives alumni a reason to donate. Letting them know that their peers are taking part, or including some kind of social proof, can be a good way to get them working together or inspire them to take action.

The only catch? The relationship between alums typically needs to go beyond just going to the same school. You’ll get better results if they share a more specific and meaningful connection—like being classmates, entering the same profession, or graduating together.

To tap into the power of peer influence:

• Run class-specific campaigns that encourage former classmates to engage in a little friendly competition—or roll with a class vs class campaign model instead.
• Target affinity groups that were part of the same team, club, organization, or experience at your high school, like the AV or math club.
• Build campaigns around nostalgic events, like proms, sports tournaments, class reunions, or homecoming dances.
• Include alumni spotlights that highlight contributors, then ask them to share it on social media—it’s a great way to inspire their peers to take part.
• Create profession-based giving challenges that inspire alums in specific fields (like medicine or tech) to compete for the position of top donor.

Shared experiences and relationships make giving feel like a collaborative effort instead of an impersonal once-off. It also sends a strong signal that you’re putting time into understanding who graduates were in high school—and who they are now.

Why financial incentives are both logical and emotional

Financial incentives might seem logical or purely practical, but they’re also one of the strongest emotional motivators on this list.

Making an effort to help graduates get more out of the money they donate—either by making it stretch further or by providing ways for them to save—shows them how much you respect their hard-earned money and generosity.

Tax benefits, corporate matching programs, and other financial perks can help you get better results from your campaigns without spending money. That’s a net win!

Three practical examples of motivator-driven campaigns 

1. The 10th High School Reunion Challenge

Primary motivators: nostalgia and school pride

Class of 2014—Let’s Make Our Mark!

It’s hard to believe your 10-year reunion is only two months away. So much has changed since you graduated, but one thing remains the same—students are still walking the same halls, chasing the same dreams, and facing the same challenges.

Now, you have the chance to pay it forward and support the next generation. Join your fellow classmates in the Class of 2014 Giving Challenge and help raise $50,000 for student scholarships before reunion weekend.

How It Works:

• Every dollar donated is matched by an anonymous alum.
• The class with the highest participation wins a dedicated plaque on campus.
• All donors receive a special shout-out at the reunion and on social media.
• Make your class the most generous yet. 

Honor your journey by helping those following in your footsteps. Donate now!

2. Smith High’s Career Champions Challenge

Primary motivators: belonging and duty

Doctors, Lawyers, and Engineers—Who Gives More?

Alumni are leaders in their industries—but which profession gives back the most? Smith High School’s new Career Champions Challenge gives alumni like you the opportunity to compete by raising money for our new scholarship program.

Leaderboard Categories:

• Medical and Healthcare Professionals
• Legal Experts and Law Enforcement
• Tech and Engineering Leaders
• Educators and Public Service Workers

The top donor in each field will be featured in the alumni magazine and receive a VIP invitation to our networking event. Track the rankings and make your gift today! 

Join the Challenge

3. Jones High’s Give-Back for Good Fund

Primary motivators: nostalgia, gratitude, and duty

Honor the Educators Who Changed Your Life

Hey alumni! Think back—who was the teacher, coach, or mentor who made a difference in your life? Now’s your chance to honor them by giving back. Make a donation today to help us buy new classroom equipment for the coming year.

How It Works:

• Donate in honor of a teacher who inspired you.
• We’ll send them a personalized thank-you card with your message.
• Contributions go toward classroom supplies and equipment.

Show your gratitude today. Make a donation!

How to combine motivators for more effective outreach

Some graduates are motivated by nostalgia. Others respond to recognition, impact, financial incentives, or peer influences instead. The best way to reach everyone equally is to work multiple emotional appeals and motivators into your campaigns.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Use storytelling. Telling stories or including personal anecdotes helps with almost every type of campaign and virtually all donor groups. When you take the time to make it personal, they’ll feel more directly involved.
• Focus on reflecting, but look forward, too. Nostalgia can be a great way to drive donations, but you should also create opportunities for people to connect the past with the future. Show alums how their money will keep helping in the future.
• Add social proof. Share real stories about graduates, thank donors publicly (with permission), and highlight alumni who make a difference on social media. Alumni success stories and spotlights can also be a great reward for donations.
• Make it easier to give by giving by accepting donations online. Issuing a thank you letter and tax-deductible receipt should also be standard practice.

By layering multiple motivators together like this, you can make your campaigns more engaging, meaningful, and accessible no matter who you’re trying to inspire.

FutureFund helps make alumni outreach easy

Alumni outreach shouldn’t just focus on asking for financial support. It’s also about building closer connections with former students that preserve the bonds they first developed during high school for life. Show them how they’re still a part of your story, and they’ll willingly donate their time, money, and resources to help.

FutureFund can help you strengthen those connections by streamlining messaging, email outreach, and financial incentives, like tax-deductible receipts and corporate matching. Our tools can also help you launch and manage an alumni support club for free.

Start your first campaign today, or connect with one of our fundraising experts. We’ve got your back every step of the way!