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Sustaining Engagement Beyond Giving Day: How Institutions Are Building Long-Term Alumni Relationships
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
- Simplify processes before scaling outreach.
- Empower non-technical staff with user-friendly tools.
- Respond within 24 hours of every gift.
- Personalize communication using real data.
- Use insights to segment follow-ups, not to overanalyze.
- Replace large events with smaller, consistent recognition moments.
- 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:
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.
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
- Simplify processes before scaling outreach.
- Empower non-technical staff with user-friendly tools.
- Respond within 24 hours of every gift.
- Personalize communication using real data.
- Use insights to segment follow-ups, not to overanalyze.
- Replace large events with smaller, consistent recognition moments.
- 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:
Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.
A Unified Vision
The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.
“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”
- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud
