How the University of Richmond’s Year-End Calendar Mailing Extends Donor Engagement
Challenge: Standing Out in a Crowded Year-End Appeal Season For advancement teams, the final stretch of the year is both critical and crowded. Donors are inundated with appeals, making it increasingly difficult for any single piece to break through and be remembered. The University of Richmond has built a lasting tradition around its annual donor […]
Cornell University Reimagines Alumni Giving with a Choice Store Experience
Challenge: Rethinking How Institutions Thank Their Donors Cornell University wanted to rethink the traditional “give-to-get” alumni engagement strategy for alumni donors. Instead of automatically sending a branded gift, they were looking for a more thoughtful, donor-first approach that offered greater flexibility for opting in. The goals were clear: Give donors the power to choose their […]
How University of Richmond Uses Branded Socks to Spark Repeated Donor Engagement
Challenge In 2020, in-person connection was limited due to the pandemic. The Annual Giving team at the University of Richmond had to find a new way to kick off fundraising with energy and spirit. They decided to try branded merch as a way to engage their donor community from a distance. That first campaign offered […]
Planting the Future: How UW–Madison Used Sustainable Merch to Mark a Historic Milestone
using sustainable merch The Challenge As the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering completed their capital campaign and broke ground on the new Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center, they wanted donors, alumni, and guests to take home a memory and a symbol of what’s to come. To complement the ceremony for the new facility, the […]
Iowa State University Alumni Association Increases Membership with Accelerated Month-long Campaign
The Challenge Every year, Iowa State University’s Alumni Association (ISUAA) seeks to increase and engage their members with a month-long campaign. Since membership dues enhance opportunities for student and alumni programming, developing this network is one crucial part of the association’s mission. Three main strategies of this annual campaign include attracting new members, motivating current […]
UGA Scores Big: How Strategic Branded Merch Drives Preseason Donor Engagement
The Challenge As the University of Georgia (UGA) kickstarted their FY25 fundraising efforts, they faced a challenge familiar to many higher education institutions: acquiring new donors and financially engaging recent graduates in a way that resonates with them. It was also important for these donors to feel that their contribution actually makes a difference in […]