Unlock the Power of Your Alumni Voices: Join the National Alumni Survey 2026
An annual opportunity for institutions to participate in a large-scale study of alumni engagement and philanthropy, allowing you to benchmark your data against national results.
A collaborative study by CMAC & Washburn McGoldrick
Register Your Institution Now
Gain Deep Insights Into Your Alumni Base
The survey explores critical topics for both undergraduate and graduate populations.Â
- Alumni Engagement: How your alumni are connecting with your institution.
- Alumni Satisfaction & Attitudes: Understand their sentiments and feelings about their alma mater.
- Philanthropic Priorities: Discover what causes matter most to your alumni.
- Giving Habits: Learn about their philanthropic activity, including total charitable giving and preferred vehicles like DAFs, stock, or cash.
- Communication Preferences: Identify the best ways to communicate and the content they prefer to receive.
- Inspiring Opportunities: Pinpoint specific opportunities that would motivate future engagement and giving.
Simple, Cost-Effective Participation
Participating in the core survey is available at no cost and includes 20 key questions.
Supplemental Questions
Add up to five of your own custom questions for a cost of $15,000. We have identified a set of questions that explore topics such as barriers to engagement, trusted sources of information, and future philanthropy.
In-Depth Analysis
For an additional cost (pricing available upon request), you can receive in-depth analysis for specific segments of interest. Past analyses have included geographic proximity, giving history, and school/unit affiliation.
Key Dates for Your Team
Our process is designed to be seamless for your team.
Here is the schedule for the current study:
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September: Planning
- September 9: Deadline for interested institutions to submit online inquiries.
- September 13: NAS team shares project outline and confirms data delivery date.
- September 22: Signed paperwork and data file must be received.
October: Survey is Live
- September 30:Â Participating institutions send a warming email to alumni.
- October 1-3: NAS sends the survey invitation with a link.
- October 9 & 16: Reminders are sent to non-respondents.
- October 24: Survey closes.
November: Individual Institutional Results
- NAS prepares analysis and institution-specific reports with national benchmarks.
- December 5: Standard reports and raw data files are sent to each participating institution.
Early 2026: National Report Release
- Participating institutions receive early access to the national report.
- The full national report will be published in late January or early February 2026.
Actionable Data for Your Board and Leadership
Participating institutions will receive a comprehensive set of deliverables designed for immediate use.
 A set of PowerPoint slides with the results of each question, ideal for presentations to boards and university leadership.
In-depth tables with results segmented by available alumni groups.
A raw data file of responses for your team to use for follow-up analysis.
Early access to the national report with aggregate results and benchmarks.
The Experts Behind the Data
The National Alumni Survey is a collaborative effort led by professionals with decades of experience in higher education advancement and data analytics.
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Howard Heevner
With over 20 years of higher education fundraising experience, Howard is the current executive director of annual programs at the University of California, Berkeley.
Sarah KleebergerÂ
With 25 years focused on philanthropy, Sarah delivers consulting and analytics services at RNL, with a commitment to providing actionable data and insights to clients.
Chris MarshallÂ
A senior higher education advancement professional with over two decades of alumni engagement and fundraising experience, Chris spent twelve years leading alumni relations at Lehigh and Cornell.
Steven J. Devlin, Ph.D.
Specializing in national surveys and program evaluation, Dr. Devlin has developed and analyzed over 500 surveys and conducted data analyses for over 100 clients.
Dan LowmanÂ
An internationally known expert in fundraising analytics, Dan has spent 25 years working in the field, founded SurveyLab in 2016, and leads the national Advancement Moving Forward industry survey.
Ready to get started?
Register Your Institution for the National Alumni Survey 2026.
Register Your Institution Now
At CMAC, we believe advancement—when grounded in values and driven by vision—can do more than raise funds; it can transform the future of higher education.
