A year ago, our world vastly changed, and we worked to adapt resources to support the student and alumnus experience. To make better informed decisions, FarmHouse alumni were invited to share their perspective and feedback. 

In 2020, FarmHouse partnered with 36 national fraternities and sororities to conduct the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence Alumni & Donor Engagement Survey. The study was coordinated by Cygnus Applied Research, a firm with more than 30 years of research experience, in conjunction with the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence (FFE). This is the third research study Cygnus has completed for fraternal organizations in the past decade. 

The 2020 Alumni & Donor Engagement Survey is the largest piece of research ever conducted on fraternal organizations. In the spring, Cygnus gathered, confidentially, the thoughts and opinions of more than 128,000 alumni in the survey that covered more than 20 different topic areas and measured the fundraising trends from 37 fraternal foundations. 

More than 1.7 million alumni were asked to complete the survey and the overall response rate was 7.6% with more than 128,000 Greek alumni participation. We were pleased to have 11.3% participation by FarmHouse alumni, the highest among all participating fraternities and sororities. 

In August 2020, the results of the survey were published and shared with fraternal foundations. As a result, we have learned more about how alumni view their fraternal relationships, where we should focus efforts in the future, how we can improve the fraternity experience for every member, and key factors that greatly influence charitable giving.

Highlights from the engagement survey results include (based on a 1 to 7 scale, of agreement from least to most):

FarmHouse alumni shared they are proud to be a member and feel a strong affection for the Fraternity, with a rating of 6.5;

FarmHouse alumni rated their overall experience as 6.1;

The quality of the brotherhood connection was rate 6.4;

The social experience was also rated 6.4;

The facilities living experience was 6.3;

And a mentoring experience was 5.3;

Collectively, members are enthusiastic about the overall experience, but shared mentoring programs need more development to meet the needs of undergraduate members;

FarmHouse alumni were asked if they agreed FarmHouse reflected the following values (on a 1 to 7 scale):

Integrity and trustworthiness were at the top with both a rating of 6.3;

Followed by relevancy (6.1), strong management and effectiveness with a 6; 

Nationally, other fraternities averaged less than six for these descriptions;

They thought FarmHouse was best at shaping future leaders with a 6.1 rating, followed by supporting academic achievement with a 6.0 rating;

They also believe the FarmHouse experience is a vital part of the university experience (with a 6.1) rating. Additionally, they rated 6.2 for FarmHouse providing a vital service to students;

And, for charitable giving, FarmHouse alumni collectively gave a 6.0 for FarmHouse using charitable donations effectively, with the average rating for all fraternities less than 5.5.

This in-depth research has generated invaluable data about alumni preferences and desires as well as shows how alumni perceptions and participation have changed over the last five years. Furthermore, with this information we can better shape and define the Fraternity and Foundation’s strategic plan for the next three to five years. 

Thank you to the alumni who took the time and effort to complete the survey and share your opinions. You continue to help strengthen the lifelong experiences for all FarmHouse members.