Date of Award

5-10-2026

Date Published

June 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Professional Studies

Department

Information Management

Advisor(s)

John Jordan

Second Advisor

LaVerne Gray

Keywords

Black Greek Letter Organizations;Cultural Philanthropic Norms;Donor Collectives;Fundraising Strategy;Higher Ed Advancement;Identity-Based Fundraising

Subject Categories

Education | Higher Education

Abstract

There is a need to increase philanthropic donations at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) to remain competitive and meet increasing operational costs. Diverse and underrepresented alumni of these institutions are a growing constituency of potential donors who are not always cultivated through the traditional fundraising pipeline and efforts. To address the need to increase institutional donations, it is incumbent upon advancement operations in higher education to consider incorporating identity and culturally based strategies as part of their cultivation efforts. Building upon identity-based philanthropy theories, particularly Drezner’s Philanthropic Mirroring Framework, I extend prior work in this space by examining the information contexts of Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) donor collectives in higher education. Using qualitative focus group research, I found that BGLO donors leverage intersecting social and cultural identities and philanthropic norms and practices to drive charitable donations, uncovering a significant number of new institutional donors. The Sociocultural Identity Model takes learnings from the study that, when incorporated into cultivation efforts, may assist colleges and universities in the analysis and targeting of key donor segments.

Access

Open Access

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