Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Rodney Hughes

Committee Co-Chair

Nathan Sorber

Committee Member

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Member

Phil Blackman

Abstract

With a consistent decline in state funding to public higher education, institutions have become more reliant on private funding to institutional support. The shift in government policy through the introduction of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) (2017) created financial uncertainty within athletic departments and university foundations. The TCJA eliminated the 80 percent tax deduction on season ticket donations and increased the standard deduction. With these policy changes, athletic development officers speculated a decline in donations in 2018 and beyond. Using quantitative methodology and a longitudinal approach, this study examined athletic donations from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2019 using multiple regression analyses to better understand the impacts of the TCJA on athletic giving patterns. The study concluded an overall reduction in the number of season ticket donors post-TCJA, an overall reduction in the number of split donors post-TCJA, and an overall reduction in the total number of donations post-TCJA. This study provides recommendations to athletic departments, development officers, university foundations, and donors to inform higher education fundraising activity under the current government policy.

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