The Language of Advancement-Language of Advancement Glossary

Language of Advancement Glossary

Pdf Summary

The document explains how alumni relations and development work together to strengthen institutional support and philanthropy. It defines alumni engagement as involving alumni and donors as lifelong supporters, advocates, and learners through opportunities to give their time, talent, and treasure. Examples include attending events, volunteering, serving on boards, mentoring students, and making annual, major, or planned gifts.<br /><br />It outlines the role of Alumni Relations as creating engagement through communication, events, and programming that connect alumni with the university, students, faculty, and each other. It also clarifies common alumni terms such as boards, chapters, affinity groups, homecoming, and reunions, and explains naming conventions like alumna, alumnus, and alumni.<br /><br />The presentation describes the alumni lifecycle, from current students to young, professional, mature, and senior alumni, noting that different life stages require different engagement strategies. It emphasizes “strategic alumni engagement,” where participation deepens an alumnus’s connection to the institution and often leads to giving.<br /><br />A major section covers fundraising and development. Fundraising is described as soliciting money or pledges, while development is presented as matching the right person with the right prospect, amount, time, and organization. The document distinguishes annual giving from major giving, defines terms like appeals, retention rate, pledges, campaigns, unrestricted gifts, endowments, gift agreements, and planned gifts, and explains donor categories such as LYBUNT and SYBUNT.<br /><br />Finally, it highlights the importance of good data—contact information, giving history, interests, career path, relationships, and assets—in identifying and cultivating prospects. The central message is that alumni engagement and development are interconnected: meaningful engagement builds stronger relationships, and stronger relationships lead to philanthropic support.

Keywords

alumni relations

development

alumni engagement

philanthropy

fundraising

annual giving

major gifts

planned gifts

donor cultivation

institutional support