ENGAGEMENT IN FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES AS A FUNCTION OF EXPECTANCY

The purpose of this research was to investigate the variables associated with educational administrators' engagement in fund raising activities. Of particular interest was an evaluation of Vroom's Expectancy Theory as a predictor of administrator motivation to engage in fund raising activities.;Results of the study indicated a wide range of administrator involvement in the fund raising process. The study provided modest support for the use of expectancy theory in the prediction of levels of engagement in fund raising activities among academic administrators. Additional variables identified as having predictive ability in this area include level of current program endowment, program enrollment, academic discipline, and level of perception of the role of the dean/director in the fund raising process. These findings were consistent with those of previous fund raising research.;These findings suggest that while most academic administrators surveyed strongly agree that fund raising activities are an appropriate activity for deans and directors to engage in, there is a wide range in the actual levels of engagement in these activities both within and between academic disciplines. Additionally, the results suggest that, in this area, factors other than traditional motivational factors, such as program resources and program type, may have greater predictive value than expectancy constructs. Recommendations for educational administrators were presented as well as recommendations for future research.;Followng an extensive review of research related to motivation theory and fund raising activities, a three part questionnaire was developed to assess level of fund raising activity and motivational factors. This questionnaire included an assessment of demographic and organizational variables, an assessment of levels of engagement in various fund raising activities, and a modified form of a previously developed tool measuring the constructs of expectancy, intrinsic instrumentality, and extrinsic instrumentality. The questionnaire was mailed to a stratified random sample of U.S. college and university deans and directors in the academic disciplines of business, communications, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy. Completed questionnaires from 205 subjects were analyzed for summary scores on fund raising activities and the expectancy constructs. Appropriate reliability and validity of the questionnaire was assessed.