Strengthening The Link Between Affinity and Behavior

Strengthening The Link Between Affinity and Behavior

2.16.16

Paula Bonner Dave Florin

Are You a Friend-raiser or a Fund-raiser?

The Link Between Affinity & Behavior


“Fund-raiser” doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a “yes, and” game today.

To Paraphrase Susan Feagin


If your goal of alumni relations is to raise money, you will likely fail. But, if you have an authentic alumni relations mission, you will raise money.

Holistic Alumni Relations Programs Work Across The Continuum


But…we have to do more to prove the linkage between affinity and behavior


 Built a measurement of affinity  Created better alignment around…

 What drives affinity at our university  What leads to engagement

 All of which will guide future action planning to increase affinity over time  What experiential and communication levers we can and should pull

 What areas are we under or overdeveloped in?

 Foster best practices across campus community

 Now that we established a baseline we can measure our performance against that score going forward

What We’ve Accomplished


Architecture for Assessment and Measurement of Affinity and Engagement


Three Parts of Affinity & Engagement


AFFINITY Awareness & Feelings

ENGAGEMENT Actions & Behaviors

MEASUREMENT Effectiveness & Impact






Much of WFAA’s work is in the Alumni engagement: “Do Something” part of our model – metrics are tracked, different business analyses occur – but did the magazine, volunteer opportunity, gift-giving experience impact our alumni as we intended?

INFORMED

PROUD

CONNECTED

MOTIVATED

SATISFIED






Having some degree of affinity, these are the different ways and means that alumni “do something” with or for the UW or with or for fellow alumni or current students

INTERACT

PARTICIPATE

VOLUNTEER

JOIN

GIVE

UW Affinity Research Case Study Summary


Methodology  Discovery session

 A quantitative online survey to a third of the UW alumni list   6,530 UW alumni complete; 9.3% completion rate

  This wave is intended to provide a baseline read on affinity, attitudes and behaviors

  To be repeated with the remaining two-thirds of the alumni list in 2016 and then every other year


A Sampling of Data: Ratings of UW


Ratings of UW (agree or neutral)

  Those who don’t agree with an attribute are not necessarily negative toward UW; most are undecided


63% 61% 59%

55% 50% 50%

46% 45%

38% 36%

32% 25%

16%

32% 35%

33% 36%

40% 38%

42% 39%

45% 42%

39% 37%

38%

6%

4%

7% 8% 9%

11% 10%

14% 14%

18% 26%

32% 32%

Is a leader in research Has strong academics

Has a strong athletic program Provides an excellent student experience

Has a world-class faculty Has global reach and impact

Attracts top students from Wisconsin and beyond Serves the needs of the state of Wisconsin

Prepares students to successfully enter workforce Is inclusive and accepting of cultural diversity

Requires private support to maintain its excellence Is fiscally responsible

Is affordable

% Strongly Agree % Somewhat Agree % Neither Agree/Disagree

Q16) Please look at the following statements. To what extent, if at all, do you agree with each of these statements about UW–Madison?

Performance vs. Derived Importance Correlated with Likely Donors

Cur

rent

Per

form

ance

Mea

n

Derived Importance

Athletics

Academics

Global Impact

Serves needs of WI Cultural diversity

World class faculty

Requires private support

Attracts top students

Excellent student exp.

Affordable

Preps students for workforce

Leader in research

Fiscally responsible

Low

Hig

h

Low High

Secondary Strengths

Core Strengths

Critical Weaknesses

Secondary Weaknesses


Defining an Affinity Measure

 Based on feelings or attitudes

 With an intuitive link to behavior

 Multidimensional (not based solely on one question)

 Has depth or intensity that can be increased

 Not driven by demographics (such as age, degree, geography)


Likely to Recommend–“Promoters”  69% of respondents were “promoters”  Being a promoter is correlated with a willingness to choose UW again, a belief that UW provides excellent student experiences and a love for UW


Q22) How likely would you be to recommend UW to a high school junior or senior considering colleges? Please answer using a scale of 0 to 10, where a 0 means not at all likely and a 10 means extremely likely. Promoter = 9 or 10, Neutral = 7 or 8 and Detractor = 0 to 6.Net Promoter = 60 = Promoters - Detractors

Promoter 69%

Detractor 9%

. Would go to UW again if could

do it all over

Thinks about their own student experience as great

Proud to be associated with UW

Provides an excellent student experience

Has strong academics

Prepares students to successfully enter workforce

Love or like UW

Feel connected to the UW

Attribute much of success to UW

Neutral 22%

Likely to Donate in Next 12 Months  42% of respondents said they will likely make a donation to the UW in the next 12 months   This is bringing in a new dimension on affinity—only 46% of promoters say they are likely to donate  Being likely to donate is correlated with past giving, familiarity with Foundation and feeling they have a relationship with UW


Definitely Will: 26%

Probably Will: 15%

May or May Not: 21%

Probably Will Not: 23%

Definitely Will Not: 13%

----

- 42%

----

-

Like

ly D

onor

Past donor

Motivated to give

UW Foundation familiarity WAA familiarity

Have an existing relationship with UW

Feel connected to UW

Feel informed about UW

Q25) How likely are you to make a donation to the UW or a UW-related organization in the next 12 months?

Advocating for or Championing UW


 53% of respondents said they had advocated for or championed UW three or more times in the past three years  Advocating is correlated with the extent to which someone has engaged with students, helped or been helped by alumni, worn Badger apparel and feels connected to UW

More than 10 Times: 23%

6-10 Times: 12%

3-5 Times: 17%

1-2 Times: 18%

None: 31%

----

----

53%

----

----

-

Advo

cate

Engaged with current or

potential students

Helped or been helped by another alumnus/alumna

Volunteered on behalf of UW

I feel connected to my fellow alums

Wore UW or Badger branded apparel

Watched a Badger game on TV

Seen or read UW sports stories past 12 months

Feel connected to UW

Have an existing relationship with UW


Q15) In the past 3 years, how many times have you done each of the following? (If you graduated less than 3 years ago, please tell us the number of times you’ve done each since graduating.)

Affinity Score  Weighted score based on three questions: promoter, likely to donate and advocate or champion

 50% Promoter  30% Likely to donate  20% Advocated/Championed

 Distribution of scores in this study:  21% in the top quartile, with scores from 85 to 100  26% in the second quartile, with scores from 70 to 84  29% in the third quartile, with scores from 50 to 69  24% in the bottom quartile, with scores from 0 to 49


Components of Affinity Score

Likely to recommend

Promoter 69%

Neutral 22%

Definitely Will: 26%

Probably Will: 15%

May or May Not: 21%

Probably Will Not: 23%

Definitely Will Not: 13%

----

- 42%

----

-

30% weight

More than 10 Times: 23%

6-10 Times: 12%

3-5 Times: 17%

1-2 Times: 18%

None: 31%

----

----

53%

----

----

-

Frequency of Advocating for or Championing UW

50% weight 20% weight

Likely to Donate

Detractor 9%


UW’s Mean Affinity Score

All Alumni

61.1 (n= 6,530)


Notable Differences by WAA Membership Status •  More likely to say they had a good or great student experience •  More likely to attribute their success to UW •  Lapsed members are more likely than current members to have paid for their

education with student loans

Current WAA Members

71.3

Past WAA Members

62.1

Aware Nonmembers

58.3

Aware or Not Sure

56.5 (n=2,131) (n=982) (n=1,476) (n=821)

Unaware

47.6 (n=1,120)

OK, we have an affinity score, but what is driving that affinity?


Multidimensional Affinity Measures

Promoter

- Like or Love - Would choose again - Has strong academics - Proud to be associated with -  Attribute much of my success - Provides an excellent experience

Likely Donor

-Have an existing relationship - Familiar with UW Foundation - Familiar with WAA - Motivated to give - Given in the past

Advocate or Champion

-  Engaged with current or future students

- Helped or been helped by another alum

- Volunteer on behalf of UW - Watched a Badger game on TV



Feel

connected to UW

Multidimensional Affinity Measures

Promoter

- Like or Love - Would choose again - Has strong academics - Proud to be associated with -  Attribute much of my success - Provides an excellent experience

Likely Donor

-Have an existing relationship - Familiar with UW Foundation - Familiar with WAA - Motivated to give - Given in the past

Advocate or Champion

-  Engaged with current or future students

- Helped or been helped by another alum

- Volunteer on behalf of UW - Watched a Badger game on TV



Feel

connected to UW

Feeling connected with and informed about UW is foundational

Affinity – Communications Engagement


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Top Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

Bottom Quartile

Key Name Slope*

On Wisconsin Magazine 7.1%

School, college, or department mailings/emails 6.7%

Badger Insider magazine 8.0%

Athletics mailings or email 10.5%

WAA mailings 11.4%

WAA emails 10.9%

Badger Voice e-newsletter 5.5%

 Reading mailings and emails from WAA and athletics is also correlated with increased affinity

* Slope shows the percentage change in score for each quadrant increase in affinity

Affinity – UW Statements


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Top Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

Bottom Quartile

Key Name Slope*

Proud to be associated 5.7%

Feel connected to UW 15.3%

Feel informed about UW 12.8%

Have existing relationship 15.9%

Feel connected to alumni 12.3%

  Feeling connected (to UW and other alumni), feeling informed and feeling they have an existing relationship with UW are closely related to affinity


Sample Findings & Implications

 There is value in communicating what is happening on campus to keep alumni feeling informed and connected with UW

 Develop a content plan for 2016  Highlight the excellent student experience at UW (promoter)

  Believing in the student experience is associated with recommending UW   Increase opportunities for alumni to engage with current students and help or be helped by other alumni (advocate)  Convey UW affordability, fiscal responsibility and the need for private support (donor)

  Alumni are least likely to believe these statements are true and that disbelief has a dampening effect on likely donations



Appendix The Link Between Affinity & Behavior

UW Communications Awareness

85%

72%

62%

55%

32%

29%

25%

14%

5%

4%

1%

On Wisconsin Magazine

Wisconsin Alumni Association emails

School/College/Dept. mailings or email

Wisconsin Alumni Association mailings

Badger Voice e-newsletter

Badger Insider magazine

UW Athletics mailings or email

UW TV advertising

UW radio advertising

Other

None


% Reading Some or All

66%

45%

62%

48%

37%

63%

62%

Q1) To start, we’d like to know which communications from the UW, if any, you have seen or received in the past 6 months. Q2) For each of the publications or emails you received in the past 6 months, which of the following statements best describes to what extent you read each communication?

Key Name Slope*

On Wisconsin Magazine 4.0%

WAA emails 5.5%

School, college, or department mailings/emails 6.9%

WAA mailings 9.9%

Badger Voice e-newsletter 6.1%

Badger Insider magazine 10.1%

Athletics mailings or email 9.3%

Affinity – Communications Awareness


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Top Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

Bottom Quartile

 Being aware of Badger Insider, other WAA mailings and athletics communications are most strongly associated with increased affinity


Affinity – WAA Statements


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Top Quartile

2nd Quartile

3rd Quartile

Bottom Quartile

Key Name Slope*

Keeps you informed 10.0%

Keeps you connected 8.0%

Helps maintain relationship 12.4%

Helps you feel proud 12.7%

Helps feel motivated to give 13.6%

Keeps connected to alumni 10.1%

Helps motivate to volunteer 7.6%

 Among those who are familiar with WAA**, WAA helps sustain their affinity by keeping them informed and connected and by inspiring feelings of pride and motivation to give


** N= 5,466 (or 84%) were very or somewhat familiar with WAA

<30

62.8

30–39

59.1

40–49

60.8

50–59

62.4

60–69

61.3

70+

60.8

(n=945) (n=1,153) (n=862) (n=1,128) (n=1,290) (n=1,095)

Significant difference


Age

Other Notable Differences by Geography

•  WAA membership lower among those living in Wisconsin versus elsewhere in the US

•  Those living internationally are less aware of and less likely to read communications, with the exception of WAA emails

WI

62.1 Bordering

64.2 Other US

59.8 Int’l

52.2 (n=2,531) (n=1,010

)(n=2,760

)(n=229)


Geography

White

62.1 Nonwhite

58.0 (n=5,684) (n=372)

Other Notable Differences among Nonwhites

•  More likely funded with grants or merit scholarships •  Less aware of all communication vehicles


Race & Ethnicity

Other Notable Differences for International Students

•  More likely to have advanced degree o  56% have a Master’s and 33% have a Doctorate (vs. 24% and

12%) •  Less likely to have funded education with loan, scholarship or grant

o  5% vs. 40% with non-international students

Non-International

61.4

International

53.3 (n=243)(n=6,287)


International Students


Ag & Life Sciences

60.4

Business

66.1

Education

63.5

Engineering

61.1

Human Ecology

62.3

Law

58.1 (n=635) (n=622) (n=747) (n=701) (n=199) (n=257)

Mean Affinity Score

Med/Public Health

61.8

Nursing

63.4

Pharmacy

62.2

Environmental Studies

57.9

Veterinary Medicine

55.3 (n=267) (n=187) (n=119) (n=75) (n=50)

Letters & Sciences

60.9 (n=3,064)

Thick green box indicates significantly higher than at least two others at 90% confidence level

Ratings of WAA (% Top 2-Box on 5-point Scale)


Current Members (n=2,131)

Past Members (n=982)

Aware Nonmembers

(n=1,476)

Aware Not Sure

(n=821)

WAA helps you maintain a relationship with the UW 78% 57% 44% 46%

WAA keeps you informed about the UW 83% 66% 53% 55%

WAA helps you feel proud to be associated with the UW 78% 56% 43% 48%

WAA keeps you feeling connected to the UW 80% 61% 49% 51%

WAA keeps you connected to your fellow alumni 47% 36% 31% 27%

WAA helps you to feel motivated to volunteer on behalf of UW 27% 17% 14% 13%

WAA helps you to feel motivated to give to the UW 46% 24% 19% 18%

Green shading indicates significant difference at 90% confidence level from at least 2 other columns



Aware Nonmembers

(n=1,476)

Aware Not Sure

(n=821) Unaware (n=1,120)

I have an existing relationship with the UW 69% 49% 49% 45% 30%

I feel informed about the UW 81% 68% 69% 61% 40%

I am proud to be associated with the UW 97% 94% 94% 93% 87%

I feel connected to the UW 84% 69% 72% 68% 48%

I feel connected to my fellow alumni 48% 39% 39% 36% 21%

I feel motivated to volunteer on behalf of the UW 33% 23% 23% 21% 13%

I feel motivated to give to the UW 62% 40% 31% 32% 23%


Behaviors (% doing at least once in past 3 years)



Aware Nonmembers

(n=1,476)

Aware Not Sure

(n=821) Unaware (n=1,120)

Made a past donation (ever) 83% 79% 54% 51% 45%

Engaged with current or potential students about the UW 62% 59% 63% 57% 47%

Likely to donate in the coming year 63% 41% 32% 30% 24%

Volunteered on behalf of the UW 21% 14% 14% 10% 7%

Watched a Badger game on TV 94% 93% 90% 84% 80%

Helped or been helped by another alumnus/a 44% 39% 41% 38% 29%

Advocated for or championed the UW 76% 72% 70% 69% 55%

Wore UW- or Badger-branded apparel 90% 87% 85% 78% 71%

Engaged with local alumni chapter 37% 27% 18% 19% 10%

Likelihood to recommend UW to high school Jr. or Sr. 78% 71% 68% 67% 54%

Green shading indicates significant difference at 90% confidence level from at least 2 other columns



Aware Nonmembers

(n=1,476)

Aware Not Sure

(n=821) Unaware (n=1,120)

Age 60+ 50-59 Under 40 30-39 No skew

Gender Male No skew Female Female Female

Income $100K+ $100K+ $50K+ No skew $50K+

Race (% white) 92% 91% 90% 89% 86%

Demographics

Sample Findings & Implications

  “U-shaped” hypothesis (high affinity behavior post-graduation, trails off during family years 30s/40s, then picks up again in 50s) is present in a few areas:

  WAA membership (higher for <30, dips in 30s, climbs steadily from there)   Feel informed about UW (higher for <30, dips in 30s/40s, higher again at 50+)   Engaged with current or potential students (peaks at <30, dips in 30s/40s, higher in 50s)   Watched a Badger game on TV (peaks at <30, dips in 30s/40s, higher in 50s)   Overall affinity score (higher for <30, dips in 30s/40s, higher again in 50s)

 Those who are primarily connected through their academic department feel less of a connection to UW

 Scored lower on most attitude, behavior and UW attribute ratings  Less motivated to give  Less likely to have had a positive student experience, less likely to “like/love” the UW today  The exception to this is doctoral students, who while primarily connected through their academic department, also had higher attribute, attitude and behavior ratings


Data & Analytics

Strengthening The Link Between Affinity and Behavior