10 Donor Relationship Management Best Practices

Successful school auctions require significant planning, thoughtful execution, and effective follow-through. Since they can be so involved, how do you measure their ROI? Of course, you’ll track your fundraising goals, but another underused metric can help supercharge your efforts: donor relationships. 

School auctions help you increase both the quality and quantity of your donor relationships to facilitate future support, improve donor loyalty, and build sustainable engagement habits. 

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Think about how you foster these relationships before, during, and following your auction. To help you get started, we’ve listed our top recommendations for making the most of your school auction. Let’s jump in!

1. Research Auction Attendees in Advance

To tailor your outreach approach, research potential attendees in advance to determine who you should prioritize inviting and engaging with. Reference your data and be sure to invite previous attendees with:

• Previous giving history: Has this individual given to your school or any other charitable organization in the past? 
• Previous engagement: Have they attended or volunteered at previous fundraisers or other school events? 
• Relevant connections: Are they still connected to your school in some way? Aim to target supporters who have either recently graduated or still have children enrolled. 

Pay special attention to your most recent audience data that dates back about two years. Using this data, you can identify your high-impact donors and tailor your outreach and auction format to engage them. For example, you might recognize their impact from the previous year and ask them if they have any auction items they would like to see at this upcoming auction. 

2. Pay Attention to Business Affiliations

While researching individuals to invite to your auction, note their business affiliations. These connections will help you uncover valuable insights into other opportunities for potential guests to contribute to your school. 

Here are a few opportunities business affiliations can present:

• Auction item procurement: You may have donors that work for or run companies with products or services that are appropriate auction items. The best way to ask a company to donate an auction item is with an effective procurement letter sent to the right contact. Even if your donor won’t be the ultimate decision maker, they can likely help you identify the correct person to contact. 
• Sponsorships: Donors may work for companies that have corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs or grant initiatives that align with your school’s mission. You can leverage these connections to initiate conversations for partnerships that could benefit both parties. 
• Matching gifts: Several companies have matching gift programs that match their employees’ donations at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio, which would double your supporters’ impact. By identifying your donors’ business affiliations, you can encourage them to use tools like advanced matching gift autosubmission to streamline the giving process. 
• Expanded networks: Even if a donor’s employer may not have CSR objectives that align with your school’s initiatives, they might have professional contacts that they can introduce you to that can help your school in other ways. 

Reference these business affiliations when preparing a live auction. For instance, you might create a seating chart with two (friendly) business competitors side by side to increase healthy competition. 

3. Create a Pre-Event Buzz

Leading up to your school auction, lay the groundwork for building lasting donor relationships that engage your community. Doing this will open the door to opportunities for long-term connections. To increase anticipation before your auction, consider: 

• Sending out personalized invites: After narrowing your prospective attendees, craft personalized invitations that clearly communicate your auction’s purpose and why an attendee’s presence will be valued. For instance, you might mention that this year’s auction will fund your school’s athletic department and invite alumni who were student-athletes to enjoy a night of friendly auction competition. 
• Posting social media promotions: Post updates leading up to your auction on social media. You might spotlight a few enticing items like an inclusive weekend getaway or concert tickets, or you could recognize a sponsor to thank them before your event begins. 
• Sharing testimonials from previous events: Dive into your school’s fundraising history to share moments that helped you achieve success. Was there a new theater program or building addition in the last couple of years? Recognize your previous successes and remind your attendees that you can’t do it without them. 
• Planning an attention-grabbing email marketing campaign: Write a series of well-crafted emails sharing regular updates, countdowns, and exclusive sneak peeks to potential participants and registered attendees. Encourage your recipients to forward these communications to their personal networks to reach more supporters and increase the hype surrounding your auction. 

According to SchoolAuction.net, pre-auction event planning and promotion can define your auction’s success as promotion is the first step in inviting donors into a productive relationship. In other words, effective event promotion will widen your reach which can positively impact your donor acquisition efforts. 

For best results, stick to posting on channels that your alumni and other potential guests are already active on. For instance, many schools have active Facebook groups you can leverage to get the word out about your upcoming auction. 

4. Leverage auction software

During the auction, have your team mix and mingle with guests freely. That means you should avoid spending time supervising check-in, check-out, and other bidding procedures. To streamline auction logistics, use comprehensive auction software.

Use software that offers the following features to streamline your event:  

• Item procurement tracking: Keep track of item requests and results and send receipts within one centralized system. 
• Multiple ways to give: Text-to-give and recurring giving options are a must to make donating during your fundraiser flexible and accessible.
• Mobile bidding: Use software to get rid of paper bidding sheets and allow attendees to bid using their phones. 
• Speedy checkout: Look for an auction software provider with an easy-to-use self-checkout feature that lets guests quickly review their cart and checkout from their phone using a secure credit card processor. 

These features are essential for providing an unforgettable guest experience. You might consider partnering with an auction provider whose software is also format flexible, so you can easily transition in-person auctions to hybrid or online formats. Built-in gamification features like countdowns and outbid notifications are also useful tools for enhancing the bidding experience and spurring friendly competition.

5. Engage Donors Beyond the Auction

Your work is not over after the auction! Engage your auction guests and communicate that your school is willing to go the extra mile even after securing support. To make your guests feel valued, follow these best practices: 

• Send post-auction surveys: Ask for feedback following your auction. Doing this will help you improve future fundraising efforts by taking note of what worked well. It also indicates that your school values your guests’ opinions and is making an effort to prioritize their satisfaction. 
• Share impact reports: Donors want to know how their contributions helped your school reach its fundraising goals. Use your school’s newsletter to include how their donations helped your school purchase new athletic equipment, build out your arts program, or improve a department’s educational materials. 
• Express gratitude and offer recognition: Send personalized appreciation notes to donors thanking them for their participation. With their permission, you can also publicly recognize individuals who made a large impact. 

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Your recognition and gratitude efforts will vary according to the donor. For instance, you might mention major sponsors in your newsletter updates, call them personally on the phone to express gratitude, or plan an appreciation event to celebrate their generosity. 

By considering which donors to invite, how you’ll invite them, and how you’ll engage them, you can set the stage for long-term relationships. Use tools like prospect research and auction software to plan and execute your auction. That way, you can expand your network and streamline your event. To your fundraising success!

Giving Days have become the Super Bowl of advancement. Teams spend months planning, alumni flood timelines with links and hashtags, and fundraising dashboards light up with activity. But once the campaign clock stops, engagement often fades. Donors vanish. Inboxes quiet down. The cycle resets.

What if Giving Day wasn’t an end but a beginning?

That question shaped a recent conversation hosted by Aaron Riley, VP of Sales at Almabase, joined by Mike Nagel, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Catalyst Campaign Partners, and Steve Sjoberg, Director of Foundation Marketing and Communication at the MSUM Foundation. Together they explored how advancement teams can turn Giving Day momentum into a year-round engagement strategy that builds relationships, strengthens retention, and drives sustainable fundraising results.

The Challenge: Rising Revenue, Shrinking Donor Base

Fundraising totals across higher education continue to rise, yet fewer people are giving each year. In 2024, colleges in the US raised $61.5 billion, while donor participation declined by 7 percent.

“It’s not sustainable,” Mike said. “Every VP I talk to is thinking about the pipeline. You can’t grow revenue if your donor base keeps shrinking.”

Giving Days are great at attracting first-time and lapsed donors, but retention is the issue. Research shows that 34 percent of Giving Day gifts come from new or reactivated donors, yet only 20 percent make a second gift without continued engagement.

Institutions facing the same challenge can take inspiration from Boyd-Buchanan School’s story, which connected alumni engagement directly to fundraising growth.

The Spark: Treating Giving Day as a Season, Not a Day

At Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), Steve Sjoberg and his team saw Giving Day participation spike, only to drop soon after.

Their solution was simple and strategic — extend the story.

“Giving Day should be the kickoff, not the closing ceremony,” Steve said. “We started asking what it would look like if this became the beginning of our engagement year.”

That mindset reframed MSUM’s communication strategy, building a cadence of connection throughout the year. It mirrors how RISD restructured its engagement journey by connecting alumni activity, fundraising, and communication into a unified experience.

The Approach: Faster Stewardship and Real-Time Gratitude

Speed was MSUM’s first priority.

Before Almabase, it took nearly a month to process and thank all donors. With Almabase’s Alumni Engagement Platform, integrated with Blackbaud, the team reduced that to three days.

“Speed builds trust,” Steve said. “When donors hear from you within 24 hours, they remember how that gift felt.”

MSUM layered its stewardship program:

• Personalized thank-you emails immediately after Giving Day.
• Handwritten notes from students for select funds.
• Video thank-yous through Almabase’s built-in video module.
  
  

That one shift delivered a measurable impact.

“Just through personalized thank-you videos, we raised an additional $40,000,” Steve shared. “People responded because they felt seen.”

Mike added, “Three out of four first-time donors never renew. Quick and personal acknowledgment is the easiest fix.”

This approach aligns with how Samueli Academy automated alumni communication to maintain consistent connection and achieve a 97 percent engagement rate.

From Data to Decisions: Seeing the Numbers Behind the Numbers

Data without insight is noise. The MSUM team shifted from simply counting donors to understanding who they were.

Mike explained, “Around 10 to 15 percent of your alumni have major-gift capacity. Giving Day is when they raise their hand. If you’re not analyzing that, you’re missing your next big donors.”

Using Almabase, MSUM tagged upgraded gifts, identified high-potential first-time donors, and synced this information with its CRM. Reports that once took weeks now update in real time.

“We moved from spreadsheets to instant visibility,” Steve said. “It freed our staff to focus on relationships, not reconciliation.”

This mirrors Concordia College’s strategy, which used data-driven segmentation to strengthen donor relationships and streamline advancement operations.

The Human Side: Personalization at Scale

Every donor wants to be acknowledged, but the message needs to feel personal.

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At MSUM, stewardship scales without losing authenticity:

• Major donors hear from university leadership.
• Longtime supporters receive handwritten notes.
• First-time donors get personalized packets and alumni stickers.
  
  

Authenticity matters more than automation. “We handwrite names on whiteboards before filming videos,” Steve said. “That’s how they know it’s real.”

Mike compared it to the private sector: “If a retail brand can personalize an experience, advancement teams can personalize gratitude.”

Gann Academy’s example proves how small tweaks in personalization can lift open rates and engagement across the board.

Micro-Campaigns That Create Macro Impact

Large campaigns attract visibility. Micro-campaigns sustain participation.

MSUM’s wrestling room renovation campaign invited alumni and fans to fund upgrades. In six weeks, it met its goal. “It wasn’t about the size of the gift,” Steve said. “It was about people feeling connected to something they love.”

Another small but powerful initiative expanded the campus Oceanarium, adding a teaching space for local schools. Both efforts gave alumni tangible proof of their impact.

A similar approach worked for DMBA, which funded its engagement platform through targeted micro-campaigns instead of large appeals.

Replacing the Gala with Genuine Connection

MSUM replaced its traditional gala with Dragon Legacy Luncheons — smaller, college-based events that celebrate faculty, students, and alumni together.

“Legacy Luncheons let us lift up real stories,” Steve said. “People leave feeling valued, not entertained.”

Attendance grew, costs dropped, and alumni involvement deepened.

Antioch College saw similar success by focusing on community events that created real relationships instead of one-time gatherings.

Engaging the Next Generation

Retaining young alumni begins before graduation.

MSUM’s Career Connections Office collects accurate contact data from seniors, offering small incentives like alumni gifts or pizza.

“A small reward today leads to stronger loyalty tomorrow,” Mike said. “If you capture contact info early, you never lose them.”

This early engagement mirrors Nicholls State University’s spotlight series, which kept young graduates connected through personal stories.

Institutions can also explore Almabase’s blog on how to engage alumni more effectively for actionable ideas to build meaningful early connections.

Technology and Timing: Building an Engagement System

With Almabase, MSUM automated repetitive tasks like thank-you emails, donor segmentation, and event follow-ups. The team now spends more time creating experiences than managing workflows.

“Before, we reacted,” Steve said. “Now we plan ahead. The system gives us space to be creative.”

By aligning technology with human storytelling, MSUM built a sustainable rhythm of connection that continues long after Giving Day ends.

Learn more about how Almabase supports this workflow in the Alumni Engagement Platform overview.

The Broader Lesson: Build Systems, Not One-Off Campaigns

Aaron Riley summarized the takeaway that tied everything together.

“Building systems matters more than building campaigns. When you create a rhythm of gratitude, storytelling, and follow-up, Giving Day becomes one part of a longer conversation.”

This mindset shifts advancement from transaction to transformation.

What Institutions Can Learn from MSUM’s Journey

1. Simplify processes before scaling outreach.
2. Empower non-technical staff with user-friendly tools.
3. Respond within 24 hours of every gift.
4. Personalize communication using real data.
5. Use insights to segment follow-ups, not to overanalyze.
6. Replace large events with smaller, consistent recognition moments.
7. Engage students before they graduate to build lifelong loyalty.

The Impact: From One-Day Campaigns to Lasting Relationships

Since adopting this approach, MSUM has

• Reduced post-Giving Day processing time by 80 percent.
• Added more than $40,000 in post-event donations through video outreach.
• Increased participation among young alumni.
• Reactivated lapsed donors.
• Built an engagement calendar that sustains energy across the year.
  
  

The result isn’t only more funds but deeper community trust.

Wrapping It Up

Giving Day may start as a 24-hour event, but its real value lies in what follows after the giving day event. The institutions that treat donors as partners, not participants, will build stronger communities and more sustainable pipelines.

To see how this strategy works in practice, watch the full conversation with Aaron, Mike, and Steve or explore how Almabase helps advancement teams sustain engagement throughout the year.

Watch the full webinar recording below:

As a fundraising professional, you understand the importance of building relationships with your valuable donors. They’re the ones who provide the funding that make it possible to provide new opportunities for students and alumni. Therefore, building relationships with them secures support both now and in the future for these fundraising programs to continue taking place. 

Considering the disruptions that everyone experienced (and continues experiencing) during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the industry has evolved since then, your relationships with many donors might appear to be volatile or different. When everyone changed up their strategies to incorporate the latest trends in engagement, some strategic aspects undoubtedly fell through the cracks. 

We recommend taking your approach back to the basics of engagement and donor relationships this coming year. Revisit some tried-and-true ideas that have been proven time and time again to bolster relationships with your supporters. After all, these are the strategies that are most often forgotten when we embrace new methods and change up our approach to relationships. 

The tips we’re covering in this article are ones that you may have seen before. However, they’re immensely important to maintain throughout the hubbub and chaos of the year. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into these important and timeless strategies to help take your donor relationships to the next level. 

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For students, alumni, and donors, it’s painfully obvious when you send out emails or other communications that do not employ segmentation or other personalization strategies. Everything from a “To whom it may concern” introduction to the lack of personal details in the message makes it clear that you sent the same message to everyone on your email list. 

Generic, impersonalized outreach is the easiest to ignore and causes the downfall of many marketing programs. See how institutions such as Gann Academy increased alumni email open rates by personalizing their email campaigns. 

When it comes to your donors, you should include the same personalization strategies for outreach. 

The easiest way to start making the most of personalization is to use the same approach as Gann Academy: start with your email campaigns. Use the information in your donor database to fill in some gaps and to show your supporters that the message you’re sending is customized just for them. You can do this by: 

- Using the donor’s preferred name in the introduction. 

- Including details about the supporters’ engagement history. 

- Approaching specific segments of donors with targeted messages. 

- Sending messages relevant to the interests of the donor. 

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When you have access to an effective donor database, a lot of this information can be automated to save you time and energy in sending these highly targeted messages. This effective donor database buyer’s guide explains that automation features, when used correctly, can make personalization more effective and efficient. 

Your database can be used to auto-populate details into message templates and ensure you reach the right audience segments in your communications to enhance donor engagement.

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Building relationships is impossible if it’s a one-sided effort. Your institution needs to not only work to communicate and show your donors that you care, you need to invite them to engage back with you by providing ample opportunities. 

Since COVID-19, engaging opportunities look a little different than they have in the past. To create engaging opportunities amidst of a pandemic, many institutions had to adhere to social distancing guidelines by coming up with new virtual event ideas. 

We’ve come up with a list of our favorite virtual fundraising ideas that any educational institution, nonprofit, or other organization can make use of. While you can find the full list here, we’ll highlight some of the options below: 

- Online Gala - This is a great opportunity to encourage your major donors to get dressed up and network with one another using virtual conferencing software.

- TED Talk Events - Encourage your donors while enforcing your emphasis on education by providing TED Talk-style events to spread knowledge about certain topics. 

- Online Classes - Provide online class opportunities for donors as well as students. These may not be full-fledged courses, but mini opportunities to sharpen skills. 

- Annual Giving Days - Giving days encourage a great number of people (especially alumni) to give on a very specific day, similar to #GivingTuesday. 

- Matching Gift Drives - This is a great way to encourage more donations and maximize impact. Promote corporate giving opportunities and remind supporters to check their eligibility for matched gifts. 

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When your donors get involved with all of the opportunities you offer, they strengthen their ties to your institution. This makes it all the more likely that they’ll continue supporting you in your upcoming fundraising events.

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A phone call is an often overlooked relationship-building strategy because it can be somewhat time-consuming. However, it’s a valuable tool and makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to new donors. 

For instance, consider the new donor cultivation timeline below. It shows that a thank-you call within 48 hours of a donation can dramatically improve your donor retention rates. Plus, it’s the first step to begin a strong relationship with your donors. This is because you establish a personal connection with the donor while showing your appreciation for their contribution.

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Phone calls are a great way to start a relationship with donors on the right foot. However, don’t forget to employ the strategy with your seasoned donors as well! Call them to maintain regular contact and to express your gratitude for their continued support in your fundraising initiatives. 

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You’ll notice that on the cultivation timeline from the previous section that the step after a “thank you phone call” is sending a “signed thank you letter.” While email is likely your primary method of communication with the donors, the power of a physical letter of appreciation should not be underestimated, especially when it’s hand-written. 

Handwritten notes are a classic way to show your donors that you will truly take the time out of your day for them. They want to feel like a priority for your organization, which is what a hand-written note should communicate. 

When you write these notes, there are specific elements that you should make sure to include, such as: 

- The preferred name of the donor. Just like in email communications, you should make sure to refer to the specific donor as you hand-write letters (be sure to double-check your spelling, too!)

- The activity they participated in. If your donor has just contributed funds, be sure to thank them for the specified amount. If they attended an event, thank them for their involvement and participation. 

- The president’s signature. Letters are generally better received when they come from the top office of your institution. Therefore, you should make sure the president of your institution’s signature is on each and every one of them.

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Just like phone calls, hand-written letters tend to be important strategies as you cultivate relationships with your new donors. However, don’t forget about the strategy for your veteran donors! 

Be sure both phone calls and hand-written letters are a part of both your cultivation and stewardship strategies to strengthen donor relations. 

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Don’t we all love stories? Your donors want to hear your inspiring story. They want to hear the reason behind all the great work that you do and the support that you provide to your community. Sharing these stories with your donors is a great way to show them what it is that their contributions support. 

One of the current trends in the higher education space is the use of images to communicate these types of narratives. This trend is important to keep in mind because there are so many different platforms on which you’ll be telling stories. For instance, consider the following examples: 

- Email - Whether it’s an email to a certain segment of your audience or a regular newsletter sent to many, include an image of an individual who attended your institution along with their story. This adds a face to the name and a personal touch to show the impact of donations. 

- Social media - Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are made for visual storytelling. Be sure to use an image that tugs at the heartstrings to gain the attention of your audience, then caption it with details about the story itself. If it’s a longer story, be sure to provide a link to where donors can read the rest of it. 

- Blog posts - Blogs are the perfect way to write long stories about individuals or about the progress of your institution. Showing images, faces, and specific names makes them even more powerful. 

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And it’s true! Be sure to leverage both text and image when you tell the story of your institution’s successes. ‍

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In the last section, we mentioned briefly that stories are a method of showing impact. Communicating impact is critical for donor engagement and continued support down the line. Think about it. If you give to an organization, you’re not contributing money for the sake of spending it. That would be silly! Rather, you’re donating to help accomplish a mission. 

Communicating the progress of this mission and the impact of specific donations is a great way to give your donors the warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of their stomachs that was probably what drove them to contribute in the first place. You’re reinforcing the positive aspect of donating. 

Check out this nonprofit annual report guide that conveys the story of The Johnsons and how their impact was communicated to all contributors in an end-of-year report.

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Notice some key aspects of this example: 

- It shows a picture of The Johnsons

- The text uses a statistic showing the impact their contributions made

- The text is framed to put all of the emphasis on the Johnsons rather than on the efforts of the organization

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These aspects are some of the most important things to remember when you communicate the impact of specific donors. Generally, on annual reports such as this, it’s your major donors that you’ll highlight. However, you can still use these strategies in emails, letters, phone calls, and other methods of communication to show any supporter that they’ve made a difference. 

Building donor relationships is an incredibly important part of the fundraising strategy at your institution. Therefore, even as you explore all of the new and exciting ways to communicate and engage with them, don’t forget about the basics. Form a strong foundation for your donor relationships by using these tried-and-true strategies. Then, continue to cultivate and build these relationships to watch your fundraising soar!

About the author

Jay Love

Co-Founder and current Chief Relationship Officer at Bloomerang

He has served this sector for 33 years and is considered the most well-known senior statesman whose advice is sought constantly.

Prior to Bloomerang, he was the CEO and Co-Founder of eTapestry for 11 years, which at the time was the leading SaaS technology company serving the charity sector. Jay and his team grew the company to more than 10,000 nonprofit clients, charting a decade of record growth.

He is a graduate of Butler University with a B.S. in Business Administration. Over the years, he has given more than 2,500 speeches around the world for the charity sector and is often the voice of new technology for fundraisers.

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