Alumni with no valid contact info or marked "Do Not Contact".
Number of alumni who made a gift in the current fiscal year.
Total Solicitable Alumni:0
Donor Count:0
Participation Rate:0.00%
function calculateParticipationRate() {
// Get input values
var totalRecord = document.getElementById("totalAlumniRecord").value;
var nonSolicitable = document.getElementById("nonSolicitable").value;
var totalDonors = document.getElementById("totalDonors").value;
var errorDiv = document.getElementById("aprError");
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("aprResult");
// Reset display
errorDiv.style.display = "none";
errorDiv.innerHTML = "";
resultDiv.style.display = "none";
// Parsing inputs
var recordNum = parseFloat(totalRecord);
var nonSolNum = parseFloat(nonSolicitable);
var donorNum = parseFloat(totalDonors);
// Validation
if (isNaN(recordNum) || isNaN(nonSolNum) || isNaN(donorNum)) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
if (recordNum < 0 || nonSolNum < 0 || donorNum recordNum) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Non-Solicitable alumni cannot exceed Total Alumni.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
// Logic Calculation
// Step 1: Determine the denominator (Solicitable Alumni)
// Formula: Solicitable = Total Record – Non-Solicitable (Lost/DNC)
var solicitableAlumni = recordNum – nonSolNum;
if (solicitableAlumni === 0) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Solicitable alumni count is zero. Cannot calculate rate.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
if (donorNum > solicitableAlumni) {
// While theoretically possible if data is dirty, typically Donors should be subset of Solicitable
// We will allow it but calculation might exceed 100%, usually indicating data cleanup needed
// For this calculator, we calculate it as is.
}
// Step 2: Calculate Percentage
// Formula: (Donors / Solicitable) * 100
var rate = (donorNum / solicitableAlumni) * 100;
// Display Results
document.getElementById("resSolicitable").innerText = solicitableAlumni.toLocaleString();
document.getElementById("resDonors").innerText = donorNum.toLocaleString();
document.getElementById("resRate").innerText = rate.toFixed(2) + "%";
resultDiv.style.display = "block";
}
Understanding Alumni Participation Rate
The alumni participation rate is a critical metric used by universities, colleges, and independent schools to measure the engagement and satisfaction of their alumni base. It represents the percentage of solicitable alumni who make a financial contribution to the institution within a specific fiscal year.
This metric is often used as a proxy for alumni satisfaction and is heavily weighted in various college ranking systems, such as U.S. News & World Report. A higher participation rate signals to potential students, faculty, and major donors that the institution has a loyal and supportive community.
The Calculation Formula
To calculate the alumni participation rate, you need to define your denominator accurately. The standard formula generally accepted by CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) is:
Participation Rate = (Total Number of Donors / Solicitable Alumni) × 100
Where:
Total Number of Donors: The count of unique alumni who made a gift of any size during the fiscal year. Note that this is a count of people, not dollars. A $10 gift counts the same as a $10,000 gift in this specific metric.
Solicitable Alumni: This is the "Total Alumni of Record" minus "Non-Solicitable Alumni."
Defining "Solicitable" Alumni
One of the most common errors in calculating this rate is failing to exclude "lost" alumni from the denominator. To get an accurate rate, you should subtract the following from your total alumni count:
Lost Alumni: Those for whom you have no valid address, email, or phone number.
Do Not Contact: Alumni who have specifically requested to be removed from all solicitation lists.
Deceased: Alumni who have passed away during the reporting period (though usually excluded from the "Living Alumni" count entirely).
Why This Metric Matters
While the total dollar amount raised is important for funding projects, the participation rate is a measure of the breadth of support. High participation rates can leverage larger gifts; many foundations and major donors look at participation rates as a "vote of confidence" from the alumni before they agree to invest large sums into the institution.