A demographic profile and attitudinal study of donors to the Tennessee 4-H program

The purpose of the study was twofold. The first purpose was to develop a demographic profile of the individual and corporate donors to the Tennessee 4-H program. The second purpose was to measure these donors' attitudes toward the Tennessee 4-H program and determine if attitude in any way affected the donors contributions to the Tennessee 4-H program.

The final sample was composed of 567 randomly selected individual and corporate donors. The donors returned a mailed questionnaire developed to measure donors' total opinion of the Tennessee 4-H program, perceptions about the 4-H objectives, perceptions about the life skills 4-H attempts to teach youth, and gather demographic information.

The individual donors were described according to gender, age, residence, education, involvement with 4-H, employment status, income, and philanthropic history. Corporate donors were described according to gender, age, involvement with 4-H, employment status, and philanthropic history. Additionally, the demographic variables were described along with their relationship to the donors' philanthropic giving patterns.

The attitude measurements were described along with their relationship to the demographic variables and were correlated with philanthropic giving patterns.

The study revealed that the majority of donors, both individual and corporate, were male. Most were aged 30 to 44 or 45 to 59 and had B.S. degrees or advanced degrees.

Descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential tests were used in the analysis. The demographic variables were compared with the philanthropic giving pattern to determine if any relationships existed. According to the findings, the demographic variable education had a relationship to the amount of money contributed in 1990-91 for individual donors and corporate donors. Those donors with bachelor's degrees and those with advanced degrees indicated donating more money to 4-H in 1990-91 than those with a high school education.

From the donors responding, the majority of the individual donors indicated they would be receptive to a more aggressive fundraising campaign for the Tennessee 4-H program. However, of the corporate donors responding, the majority would not be receptive to a more aggressive fund raising campaign.

Finally, there was no correlation found between donors' attitudes about 4-H and their philanthropic giving patterns.