The first alumni donation in 1880 in Japan: social image and the open-academic record system

TL;DR

This paper examines how the introduction of an open academic record system at Keio University in 1880 enhanced social image and community bonds, leading to increased alumni donations and successful fundraising in Japan's history.

Contribution

It demonstrates that sharing academic records and fostering social image significantly increased alumni contributions and strengthened community ties.

Findings

Graduates sharing academic records are more likely to donate and give larger amounts.

Smaller class sizes correlate with higher likelihood and amount of donations.

Academic performance influences donation likelihood but not the donation amount.

Abstract

In 1880, Keio, a private school in Japan, was in jeopardy of being closed. To cope with the situation, the school first created a fundraising campaign during the 18801-90 period. The school was established in 1857, and since 1861, the list covering all students academic record has been distributed not only to teachers but also to all students. Individual-level historical academic record was integrated with the list of contributors. Using the data, we compared persons who had learned in Keio before and after the system was introduced. The main findings are presented as follows. first, graduates who share the academic record are more likely to contribute, and their amount of donation is larger; second, the class size is negatively correlated with the likelihood of contribution and with its amount; and third, academic performance, as shown in the list, is positively correlated with the likelihood of contribution but not with the amount of donation, using a sub-sample of those who shared the list. The introduction of the system strengthened the community network and role of social image shared by the members. This resulted in a successful fundraising for the school, an unprecedented feat in the history of Japan.