Alumni are key participants in your school’s fundraisers, but they also have busy lives and aren’t always aware of your funding needs or deadlines. Even when they do contribute, they may not keep up with campaign progress or understand the tangible impact of their gifts. In the long term, this lack of information could lead to disengagement and cause donors to unintentionally lapse.

Fortunately, there are plenty of creative solutions to this common challenge. Let’s explore six strategies for keeping alumni informed and engaged throughout all of your fundraising efforts.

1. Experiment with multimedia text messages

Text messages are the perfect way to share quick updates and reminders with alumni without taking up too much of their time. SMS messages are short, direct, and much more likely to be opened by recipients than emails. They also feel more personal than emails, and they’re easy for alumni to engage with—all they have to do is click a link or text back.

But did you know you can make your texts stand out more by incorporating multimedia? MMS (multimedia messaging service) enables you to send photos, GIFs, videos, and more. Mogli’s MMS marketing guide breaks down the benefits of multimedia messages over plain texts:

• Multimedia content boosts engagement. Incorporating other media types adds another layer to your text messages and naturally catches the eye of your recipients, making them more likely to respond.
• Visuals easily showcase your brand. With branded graphics or photos of your university, alumni will immediately know who the message is from and feel connected.
• Graphics and videos communicate information faster. Alumni can get the gist of your update with just a glance.

You can use MMS messages to highlight campaign milestones, share event reminders, send urgent appeals, and more.

Plus, these messages are easy to create and track with a higher education texting solution. These platforms facilitate bulk sending and two-way conversations so alumni can respond directly. They also provide features like segmentation and automation to help you personalize messages as much as possible.

2. Turn updates into impact spotlights

Fundraising updates feel more compelling and tangible when you incorporate real impact stories. To boost engagement and retention, regularly feature alumni or student testimonials in your communications.

You might share a quote from a current student, compare "before and after" visuals to show progress on dorm renovations, or create infographics that quickly communicate how many students will receive scholarships this year thanks to alumni donations. Include an impact statement in every fundraising update so donors always understand the good their gifts are doing.

3. Get creative with email formats

With the amount of emails your alumni get, it can take a lot to make your fundraising communications stand out. Put yourself in their shoes—they likely receive hundreds of promotional emails, news alerts, and advertisements in addition to your fundraising updates.

To get and keep recipients’ attention as they read your emails, you need new, creative strategies. For example, you might try:

• Mixing up your email structure or design.
• Sending story-focused emails.
• Incorporating more images and graphics.
• Highlighting a video from your recent event.
• Adding interactive click-to-vote polls.

Since these ideas focus on the content of your emails, remember that it’s still important to optimize your subject lines—alumni need motivation to click into your emails, after all. Consider incorporating emojis, numbers, urgent language, and donor first names to get their attention.

4. Make surveys easy and fun

You likely already use surveys to gather donor information and feedback, but do you use them for stewardship? What about fundraiser promotion? Experiment with different types of surveys and questions to take full advantage of this interactive strategy.

For example, you might ask alumni to vote on which project gets funded next, then share the outcomes with a message like, "You voted, we funded! Here’s what happened next." Or, ask them to vote on which class they think will win a fundraising challenge. You could even have donors vote on a prize for top peer-to-peer fundraisers.

Once you have an idea, make the survey as easy and quick to complete as possible. This might look like:

• Creating automated SMS surveys so alumni can complete them without leaving their messaging app.
• Using playful, visual-first formats like emoji sliders or multiple-choice image answers.
• Leveraging social media poll features so participants can vote and see real-time results with one tap.

Track engagement as alumni respond, and don’t forget to follow up later about the survey results and what action you took.

5. Tap into social media trends

The best way to keep alumni up to date is to meet them where they are, on their preferred platforms. Analyze engagement data and past survey results to identify which social media sites different groups of alumni are most active on. Then, create content that taps into the strengths and trends of each channel.

Depending on the platform, you might post interactive Instagram stories, share LinkedIn updates, or use trending sounds on TikTok to engage alumni. Go live for key moments like campaign launches and groundbreaking ceremonies, and don’t be afraid to chime in on relevant online conversations.

No matter what type of content you post, encourage alumni ambassadors to share it or post their own updates relating to your fundraiser. For example, you might ask an alum who serves on your board to comment on and share your LinkedIn posts with their own network.

6. Create mini-newsletters or digests for alumni

Plenty of alumni love receiving your newsletters and learning about all the latest happenings in your community. But whether they’re digital or physical communications, alumni newsletters tend to be long and content-heavy. Avoid overwhelming your donors by giving them an easier way to catch up: mini-newsletters or alumni digests.

Format these digests as one-page PDFs, simplified emails, or even a microsite—as long as it’s easy to skim and share with peers. In your mini-newsletters, you can share information about:

• Fundraising progress and goals.
• Upcoming and recent events.
• Highlights from the community.
• Quotes from other alumni, faculty, or current students.
• The deadline for donating to a matching gift campaign.
• A countdown until your next giving day.

Although you have limited space, links and call-to-action buttons don’t take up much room. Include a few prominent links alumni can follow to donate, register for events, or access the full newsletter to dive deeper into each topic.

As you try out these strategies, monitor and analyze your donor data. Determine which channels and outreach methods generated the most donations, and reflect on ways to replicate those strategies going forward.

‍

About the author

Christina Marmor - Vice President of Marketing at Mogli

Christina is a tenacious marketing leader who combines grace, grit, and creative joy to drive innovation, evolve mindsets, and accelerate transformation. She is obsessed with personalizing experiences to drive connection and engagement. Christina is a life-long figure skater. When not championing Mogli, you’ll most likely find her on a lacrosse field cheering on her son or at the ice rink supporting her daughter’s figure skating journey