Rates of increase were greatest at Washington University, Cal Tech, Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia, Carnegie-Mellon, and Washington, Georgia, Illinois, and Stanford universities. Leverage was greatest at small, mostly church related colleges. They composed separate models for the various donor groups and for individual donors, and suggested marketing strategies from the results. Most donors like to give to thriving institutions that already are targets of public largess, although alumni respond to a perception of institutional need. Longstanding ties between institutions and organizational contributors are important.
Businesses seek financial associations with institutions in prospering areas.
Overall, organizations tend to respond in rational economic fashion, whereas the behaviors of individuals involve a human dimension as well. A question of recent origin is whether intercollegiate athletics increase, or diminish, support of regular university programs. One argument is that athletics contribute to institutional prestige, or to institutional visibility. The counter claim is that athletic programs channel resources away from academic enterprises. The authors found that the amount of state aid per student associated positively with athletic variables, particularly basketball success.