Had it not been for COVID-19, most Rattler Alumni from near and far would have made their way home this weekend to FAMU for homecoming.
There would have no doubt been no shortage of Rattler Pride throughout Tallahassee and Leon County as upwards of 20,000 or more FAMU alumni, and an equal number of “GDIs” (got dam individuals, with no formal attachment to FAMU) from around the state and nation , would have made the trip back to “the Hill” for FAMU homecoming.
On any given fall Saturday, we buy plane tickets, rent hotel rooms (at enormous Tallahassee FAMU homecoming rates), and will show up for athletic events, but not “break off” the University we purport to love any “cheddar” (cash).
As in the past, the large level of Rattler Pride would not have translated into tangible levels of alumni giving. In 2012, national alumni giving rates were a little over 30%, while the rate at HBCUs was less than 9% (Gasman & Bowman, 2012).
A recent study show’s that HBCU graduates are more often to support their churches, but not their alma mater, many don’t view their college as a rational choice or preference for charitable support through the use of their discretionary income.
Avg alumni gift just $106
On the bright side, from 2019 to 2020, FAMU saw a 44 percent increase in alumni giving from 3,245 donors FY2019 to 4,667 donors in FY 2020, according to the FY20 analysis submitted to the Board of Trustees prepared on July 28, 2020. However, FAMU’s alumni giving rate is still just 7.7 percent. Further, the average gift made by FAMU alumni was just $106.00.
Seriously, you would be hard pressed to find a $100 plane ticket or hotel room to travel to a football game. So if we really love FAMU, like we say we do, while we are saving money by staying at home this homecoming weekend, considering donating a portion of the money that you would have spent traveling to homecoming to either FAMU Athletics or to the University to help a student.
Happy StayAtHomecoming!
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