Publications [#13157] of Charles T. Clotfelter

Journal Articles

  1. Charles T. Clotfelter. "Alumni Giving to Elite Private Colleges and Universities." Economics of Education Review 22.2 (2003): 109-120. [pdf]
    (last updated on 2007/01/04)

    Abstract:
    Whereas most econometric studies of charitable giving reveal nothing about the personal connections between donor and donee organization, there is good reason to believe such connections are very important in understanding giving behavior. In part to fill this gap, this paper examines patterns of alumni giving, using data on former students from a sample of private colleges and universities. The data are taken from the College and Beyond survey, which covers individuals who entered college in the falls of 1951 or 1976. Higher levels of contributions are associated with higher income, whether or not the person graduated from the institution where he or she first attended college, and the degree of satisfaction with his or her undergraduate experience. Their satisfaction in turn was a function of particular aspects of that experience, including whether the person had attended a public school, whether the college had been the person's first choice, and whether there was someone who took a special interest when he or she was enrolled there. Among the more recent cohort of graduates, those who had received need-based aid tended to give less and those who were related to former alumni tended to give more, findings that may reflect the effect of otherwise unmeasured wealth.

Charles T. Clotfelter