University Fundraising Software: Best Tools for 2026

Have you ever thought about how the scholarships that change lives, the labs that spark innovation, and the alumni programs that keep communities connected all rely on fundraising?  It is the backbone of a resilient, sustainable revenue stream. The numbers show just how big this responsibility is. In fiscal year 2024, U.S. colleges and universities received $61.5 billion in voluntary support, a 3% increase after inflation. Across all nonprofits, charitable giving reached $592.5 billion in 2024, setting a new record.  But here’s the catch: all of this was not raised from a single source of funding, but rather multiple sources. So, to thrive, institutions need diversified strategies that draw on alumni, foundations, corporations, and community partners, ensuring stability even as donor expectations evolve.

So, how do you put all these insights into action for your institution? In this article, we will focus on the 10 best practices for university fundraising campaigns that advancement teams can put into play right away, helping institutions secure diversified funding, strengthen alumni engagement, and deliver results that leadership and donors can see.

What is university fundraising?

University fundraising is the practice of building financial support by engaging alumni, parents, corporations, foundations, and other partners. Tuition and government funding only cover part of what a university needs. Scholarships, research, new facilities, and student programs often rely on philanthropy.

So why do universities fundraise? Because gifts make the difference. They open doors for students who need financial aid, fuel innovation in labs and classrooms, and keep alumni connected to their alma mater. It is as much about relationships as it is about dollars. Fundraising structures usually take shape in a few key ways:

• Development or Advancement: Focuses on building relationships with the university’s highest‑impact donors, partners, and funders.
• Alumni Relations and Fundraising: Dedicated offices or programs that engage alumni communities through events, communications, and campaigns.
• University Foundations: Separate nonprofit entities created to handle fundraising, simplify compliance, and steward donor relationships.
• Endowments: Charitable funds invested to generate long‑term income for scholarships, faculty positions, and operations. Universities often create multiple endowments for specific purposes, while unrestricted funds provide the greatest flexibility.

Top 10 University Fundraising Best Practices

1. Create a year‑round calendar that reflects your mission

Fundraising shouldn’t feel like a series of disconnected appeals. A well‑planned calendar ensures that every campaign and communication is tied to your institution’s mission and vision, keeping donors engaged consistently and reinforcing the bigger picture.

• Map annual fundraising goals directly to scholarships, research, or alumni programs.
• Break campaigns into phases: pre‑launch, active, and stewardship, and schedule communications accordingly.
• Balance major campaigns with smaller touchpoints like newsletters, impact updates, or alumni spotlights.
• Coordinate across departments so messaging feels unified and not fragmented.

When institutions skip this, they often end up with last‑minute appeals or overlapping campaigns that confuse donors and dilute impact. A calendar keeps everything strategic, consistent, and mission‑driven.

2. Strengthen alumni engagement to boost giving

Alumni give when they feel part of something bigger. When schools invest in relationships first, giving follows naturally. Engagement through mentorship, volunteering, and storytelling builds pride and loyalty, which makes financial support a logical next step.

• Invite alumni to mentor students or share career advice.
• Offer volunteer opportunities that connect them back to campus.
• Share stories that highlight alumni impact and celebrate their role.
• Tailor programs for different generations, from young grads to retirees.

Merchant Taylors’ School showed how this works in practice. By encouraging alumni to contribute time and talent before asking for treasure, they built a strong community that later translated into higher giving and deeper involvement.

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3. Personalize communication to improve donor retention

Donors stay loyal when communication feels personal. A generic “Dear alumni” message doesn’t build a connection, but a note that reflects their history with your institution does. Personalization shows alumni they’re valued, not just solicited.

• Emails: Reference past gifts or involvement, and tailor content to their interests (scholarships, athletics, research).
• Text messages: Use short, timely updates for event reminders, thank‑yous, or impact highlights that feel direct and personal.
• Donation request letters: Address alumni by name, acknowledge their relationship with the school, and connect the ask to causes they care about.
• Segment by generation, recent grads may prefer texts, while older alumni may respond better to letters.
• Use CRM tools to automate personalization at scale without losing the human touch.

The real impact comes when you combine these channels. A donor who gets a thank‑you text, sees their impact in an email newsletter, and later receives a tailored letter about a scholarship fund feels consistently valued. That’s what drives retention.

With Almabase’s Multi‑Channel Bundle, you can unify email, text, and video outreach in one place. Instead of juggling platforms, you can deliver authentic, multi‑channel communication that boosts engagement and keeps alumni connected year‑round.

4. Make digital giving smooth and flexible

Alumni expect donation pages to be quick, mobile‑friendly, and secure. If the experience feels clunky, they’ll drop off. A smooth digital journey shows donors you value their time and makes giving feel effortless.

• Optimize donation pages for mobile and keep forms short.
• Offer multiple payment options- credit card, ACH, PayPal, and digital wallets.
• Add recurring gift options so donors can set it and forget it.
• Use clear calls‑to‑action and show impact right on the page.
• Test the process yourself; if it takes more than a minute or two, simplify it.
• Offer gifts (one time, monthly, peer-to-peer, corporate) according to the donor’s preference.

You need a robust online fundraising platform to execute all of this seamlessly. With it, you don’t just make giving easy; you also get all the donor data seamlessly. Every gift, whether through a mobile wallet or a peer‑to‑peer campaign, flows directly into your CRM, so you can track impact, segment donors, and personalize future outreach without extra manual work. 

5. Use different formats to keep alumni engaged

Fundraising works best when alumni hear from you in ways that feel fresh and personal. Instead of relying on the same old email blasts, mix up the formats you use to connect, promote, and sustain giving.

• Short videos: Share clips of alumni success stories or student impact. A 60‑second video can spark more emotion than a long report.
• Social posts: Use Instagram reels, LinkedIn updates, or Facebook groups to spread the word about campaigns and events.
• Virtual events: Host online reunions, panel discussions, or live Q&As so alumni can join from anywhere.
• Podcasts or interviews: Feature alumni voices to highlight diverse experiences and keep the community conversation going.
• Interactive content: Polls, quizzes, leaderboards, or behind‑the‑scenes tours make alumni feel part of the journey, not just spectators.

These formats create social giving excitement. Shoutouts, leaderboards, and shared stories build a competitive spirit and make giving feel fun. Archbishop Riordan High School leaned into this approach for their Giving Day. By combining social shoutouts, storytelling, and a competitive edge, they turned their campaign into a community celebration and increased donations by 550%. 

6. Run campaigns that match donor passions

Dollar goals alone don’t inspire alumni. What really moves people is the chance to support something they care about. Themed campaigns let you tap into those passions and make giving feel personal.

• Tie campaigns to causes like mental health, research, athletics, scholarships, or diversity programs that alumni connect with. 
• Match gift options to donor interests so they feel their contribution is personal and meaningful.
• Share stories and updates tied to each theme, student testimonials, alumni spotlights, or program milestones.
• Rotate themes across the year to keep campaigns fresh and avoid fatigue.

Think beyond the generic “annual fund.” You could run an Athletics Challenge where alumni rally behind their old teams, with leaderboards showing which sport is winning. Or a Mental Health Fund that highlights counseling services and invites alumni to support student wellbeing. 

7. Build strategic corporate and foundation partnerships

Universities win when fundraising moves beyond one‑off asks and into sustained partnerships. Corporates and foundations bring multi‑year funding, program expertise, employee engagement, and credibility when you approach them with clarity and mutual benefit.

• Start with a short, specific ask: a one‑page proposal that states the problem, the measurable outcome, and the partnership ask (funding, matching, in‑kind, or employee engagement).
• Map alignment, not just money: target companies and foundations whose mission, CSR priorities, or grant guidelines match your program outcomes.
• Offer clear engagement options: sponsorship, matching windows, research collaborations, internships, or volunteer days; make it easy for partners to say yes.
• Create a simple stewardship plan: quarterly impact updates, a named contact, and an annual review, keep partners invested beyond the first gift.
• Pilot a small, measurable program: run a 6–12 month pilot with defined KPIs and a short impact report to use in renewal conversations.

8. Use data and analytics for impact

A data-driven approach to fundraising is crucial. You’ll want to measure key metrics to analyze this data and refine your strategies based on these metrics. Then your team can maximize its fundraising efforts and focus on creating positive change for the missions you serve. Use simple signals to decide who to ask, how to ask, and when to change course.

• Track engagement: opens, clicks, RSVPs, SMS replies; prioritize people showing multiple signals.
• Segment smartly:  group by interest and past behavior, then send fewer, more relevant asks.
• Watch KPIs: conversion rate, average gift, and donor retention show you patterns that you’d otherwise miss. 
• Run small experiments: A/B test subject lines, ask amounts, and channels. Treat each test like a mini-campaign and scale winners quickly. 
• Monitor live and pivot: during a giving day, watch a live dashboard and change messaging or channel if a segment isn’t responding. Real‑time tweaks beat waiting until the campaign ends. 

9. Showcase fundraising impact in creative ways

Stories create empathy; metrics create trust. When you combine both and make the next step obvious, donors understand the value of giving again, and your fundraising becomes a conversation, not a transaction.

• Lead with a story: open with a 1–2 sentence donor or student vignette that shows real change.
• Follow with the numbers: one or two measurable outcomes (students served, hours tutored, devices distributed, retention rate improved).
• Use multiple formats: a 30‑second video, a single‑page impact snapshot, and a short email highlight reach different audiences.
• Tie metrics to the ask: show how a $50 gift buys X, $500 funds Y, and $5,000 creates Z.
• Close the loop quickly:  send impact updates within 30–90 days of a campaign so donors see results while the experience is fresh.

Take a look at how Furman University’s giving page models this approach: it pairs a concise case for support with clear institutional stats and direct CTAs that guide donors to give now or learn more, while highlighting priorities like student aid and placement rates. 

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10. Choose technology that can scale with your institution’s needs

Technology should remove friction, not add it. Pick systems that keep your data clean, connect donor touchpoints, and let your team move from manual busywork to strategic outreach.

• Start with data hygiene: deduplicate records, standardize fields (graduation year, major, giving history), and fix bad emails/phone numbers before buying new tools.
• Prioritize integration: choose a CRM that plays well with email, SMS, payment processors, and your event platform so donor activity flows into one profile.
• Automate routine work: set up workflows for receipts, thank‑you emails, and renewal reminders so staff focus on relationships.
• Choose modular tools: pick platforms that scale (add modules for peer‑to‑peer, volunteer management, or analytics) rather than replacing everything every few years.

Investing in the right technology means institutions can reduce downtime during migration, train staff quickly and with more flexibility, and realize ROI more rapidly. In today’s fast-paced environment, you need to look for higher education software that not only incorporates features that are easy to navigate but include support during the implementation process.

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University fundraising metrics to track

It’s one thing to run a campaign, but the real test is being able to show what worked, what didn’t, and why. Dollars raised are important, sure, but they don’t tell the whole story. To really prove ROI, you need to track metrics that show how engaged your alumni are, how efficient your campaigns are, and whether donors are sticking around for the long haul. Here are the metrics that matter most:

• Total Dollars Raised: The headline number, showing the overall funds collected during a campaign or fiscal year.
• Alumni Participation Rate: The percentage of alumni who gave, a key measure of community involvement.
• Donor Retention Rate: The share of donors who come back year after year, showing loyalty and long‑term health.
• Average Gift Size: The typical donation amount, helping you spot trends in giving capacity.
• New Donor Acquisition: How many first‑time donors joined your campaign
• Recurring Gifts: The number or value of donors who commit to ongoing contributions
• Event‑to‑Gift Conversion: The percentage of event attendees who go on to donate
• Online Giving Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors to your giving page who complete a donation, a direct measure of usability.
• Engagement Score: A composite measure of alumni activity like events, volunteering, and giving, that ties directly to fundraising potential.
• Campaign ROI: The ratio of funds raised to campaign costs, the ultimate measure of return on investment. 

How Almabase helps advancement teams improve university fundraising 

Almabase works on top of your CRM to clean data processes, personalized outreach, improve donor experiences, host fundraising events, and to make it as easy as possible to track numbers. Some of it’s key features include:

• CRM sync and clear data: Native integrations with systems like Raiser’s Edge NXT automatically keep records up to date. You don’t have to spend hours reconciling spreadsheets, and you can trust that participation rates, donor histories, and campaign results are accurate every time you present them to leadership. 
• Segmentation and built-in email tools make personalization something you can actually scale. Instead of sending the same appeal to everyone, you can target reunion classes, first-time donors, or loyal supporters with tailored messages. Campaigns feel relevant, response rates improve, and your team doesn’t have to manually manage dozens of lists.
• Giving pages are simple, mobile-first, and designed to convert clicks into completed gifts. Donors see clear impact statements, suggested amounts, and easy payment options. The smoother the experience, the more likely alumni are to give—and to come back again for future campaigns.
• Community-building tools keep alumni connected year-round. Digital alumni communities give graduates a place to engage with each other and the institution, so fundraising isn’t tied only to one-off campaigns.

Almabase helps advancement teams move from juggling disconnected tasks to running fundraising strategies that are relationship-driven, data-informed, and sustainable.

Wrapping it up 

Regardless of your institution or prior history of fundraising, with the right strategies, tools, and know-how, you can develop a robust and successful alumni fundraising strategy that yields lasting benefits for your institution. 

By implementing thoughtful alumni fundraising strategies outlined above, you can look forward to fostering a culture of giving and generosity that extends far beyond graduation day.

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FAQs 

What are the most effective university fundraising strategies?

Focus on storytelling that connects donors to student impact, diversify channels (email, social, events), and balance major gifts with annual giving. Always tie campaigns back to alumni engagement rather than just dollars raised.

How can universities increase alumni giving?

Segment alumni by interests or milestones, personalize outreach, and show clear outcomes of their support. Peer-driven efforts, such as class captains or reunion challenges, consistently boost participation.

What makes a successful Giving Day?

Energy and community are everything. Use matching gifts, hourly challenges, and real-time updates to keep momentum high, and spotlight authentic student and alumni stories to drive emotional connection.

How do you improve donor retention in higher ed?

Retention comes from consistent stewardship: thank donors personally, share impact updates regularly, and invite them into the campus community through events or student-led appreciation.

Which platform is best for fundraising?

There are a lot of great fundraising platforms out there for different kinds of teams, events, and budgets such as Almabase, Givebutter, DonorPerfect, and many more. What’s best for one team might not be the best for another.

School fundraising software has come a long way from bake sales and car washes. Today, administrators, parent organizations, and athletic directors are turning to purpose-built fundraising software to run campaigns that are more complex than ever before. 

But with dozens of platforms on the market, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Should you go with an all-in-one solution that handles donor management and online giving? Or do you need something specialized for auctions, walk-a-thons, or youth sports? In this blog, we want to walk you through the top fundraising software options for K–12 schools, depending on your needs so you can find the best fit for your institution.

Why Do You Need Fundraising Software for Your School?

Institutional fundraising has never been more data-driven than it is today, and your school (or team) needs to be able to make use of it to keep up with the increasing expectations of your constituents. Apart from that, here are some things that make fundraising software so important for schools today:

• Tracking donor and donation data: For schools, both past and potential donors engage through a mix of offline (envelopes, checks, cash at the door, etc.) and online (giving pages, annual fund pages, online auctions, etc.) channels, and spreadsheets alone are simply not scalable enough to ensure your team can stay on top of this data.
• Engagement and donation experience: Parents, alumni, and community supporters are more likely to give when the process is simple, mobile-friendly, and visually compelling. Dedicated software usually comes with branded donation pages, shareable links, and real-time progress tracking that keeps donors engaged.
• Volunteer and event coordination: School fundraisers often involve dozens of volunteers, multiple event logistics, and time-sensitive communications. Purpose-built tools help streamline sign-ups, reminders, and coordination to avoid last-minute problems.
• Reporting and compliance: School administrators and parent-teacher organizations need to show where money came from and where it went. Many tools generate reports automatically, saving hours of manual work and ensuring transparency.
• Recurring giving: Without a system to capture recurring donor preferences, schools miss out on the most reliable source of long-term funding. This is where donor management and dedicated tools for sustained giving come into play.

Must-Have Features in a Fundraising Platform

A search for the best fitting fundraising platforms for schools starts with features. However, consider an alternative starting point: the workflow. Where does friction show up in your current workflow? The right platform should reduce that friction.

Mobile-Friendly Donation Experience:

Most donors give from their phones. A donation page that loads quickly, requires minimal steps, and clearly communicates impact can influence completion rates more than design aesthetics alone.

Secure Payment Processing

Look for clarity around how transactions are processed, what payment gateways are supported, and how refunds or chargebacks are handled.
Equally important is reconciliation. Can your finance team easily track revenue, fees, and deposits without rebuilding reports manually? The back-end experience matters as much as the front-end donation page.

Donor Management and Communication

Platforms should allow segmentation, automated thank-you emails, tax receipts, and visibility into donor history. If you cannot quickly identify repeat donors or first-time supporters, future outreach becomes guesswork.

Events and Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

K-12 schools frequently depend on events such as walk-a-thons, auctions, and ticketed fundraisers. Peer-to-peer tools, personal fundraising pages, and live progress tracking can increase visibility and participation, especially when families are sharing within their networks.

Top Fundraising Platforms for Schools

We have picked out some of the top options available in 2026 and categorized them by different use cases to suit your team’s current needs. Have a look!

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All-in-One Fundraising and Donor Management Software

For schools serious about building lasting donor relationships through event and donor management, an all-in-one platform might just be what you need.

1. Almabase

Almabase is a fundraising and donor management platform built specifically for schools, higher-ed institutions, and nonprofits that want to build meaningful, long-term relationships with their alumni and donors. Almabase focuses on branding and easy to set-up giving pages, event management, memorable donor experiences and giving data sync to provide a comprehensive yet easy to use platform that both staff and donors will appreciate. Schools can run annual giving campaigns, peer-to-peer fundraisers, set up recurring gifts, and track engagement across touchpoints for better engagement and fundraising.

What sets Almabase apart is its focus on data-driven relationship building. It integrates well with popular education CRMs like Raiser’s Edge NXT, making it a strong fit for schools that want to get the most out of each fundraiser. For schools looking to grow their fundraising program and engage constituents over the long term, Almabase offers the infrastructure to support that growth.

2. Bloomerang

Bloomerang is a popular nonprofit CRM and fundraising platform known for its clean interface and strong donor retention focus. The platform tracks donor engagement scores, helping development staff identify who is most likely to give again. Bloomerang includes online donation forms, email marketing tools, and reporting features that are accessible even for small development teams.

For schools without a dedicated development director, Bloomerang's simplicity is a major advantage. The platform is designed to be used by generalists, not just fundraising professionals. It is particularly well-suited for independent schools, charter networks, and private K–12 institutions that want a solid foundation for donor management without a steep learning curve.

3. DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is one of the most established names in nonprofit fundraising software and offers a comprehensive suite of donor management tools. The platform handles recurring gifts, pledge tracking, grant management, event registration, and online fundraising all in one place. It is a strong choice for schools with larger development operations that need deep customization and integration options.

DonorPerfect's strength lies in its flexibility. The platform can be configured to match almost any fundraising workflow, and it comes with reporting capabilities. Schools with complex fundraising operations such as multiple campaigns, major gift programs, and foundation support may find DonorPerfect's depth particularly valuable.

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Budget-friendly Options

1. Givebutter

Givebutter is a modern, all-in-one fundraising platform with strong auction and event features. It supports silent auctions, livestream fundraising, and ticket sales, all from a visually polished interface. The platform is free to use and relies on optional donor-covered tips to sustain operations. If you want to opt out of optional tips, a 3% platform fee applies to every donation on top of processing fees.

2. Schoolfundr

Schoolfundr is a fundraising platform built specifically for schools. Similar to Givebutter, it charges no subscription fees, relying on optional tips from donors as well as charging transaction fees. 

🪶We’ve narrowed down the budget-friendly options to two choices which we think are the easiest to get started with whether you want to scale down costs or are looking to start small. However, we still highly recommend talking to each platform’s representatives to understand pricing models, data policies, and features. Also keep in mind how your donors might feel about adding a tip on top of a donation and try to find what works best for your school.

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For School Auctions

Auctions remain one of the most popular and lucrative school fundraising formats. These platforms are built specifically to make auction management simple.

1. OneCause

OneCause (formerly BidPal) is purpose-built for nonprofit event fundraising and is widely used by schools running gala-style events and auctions. The platform covers everything from mobile bidding and item catalog management to paddle raise fundraising and live auction tools. It also handles event ticketing, seating management, and sponsorship tracking.

OneCause is particularly strong for schools that host large, formal fundraising events with hundreds of attendees. The platform's mobile bidding experience is intuitive for guests, and the backend management tools give event organizers full visibility into real-time results. The platform does come at a higher price point, making it better suited for schools with larger events that can justify the investment.

2. GoFundMe Pro

GoFundMe Pro (formerly Mightycause) is the enterprise tier of the widely recognized GoFundMe brand and is designed specifically for nonprofits and educational institutions. It offers peer-to-peer fundraising, event fundraising, and a suite of campaign management tools along with auction capabilities.

GoFundMe's brand recognition works in schools' favor when it comes to donor trust. Many parents and community members are familiar with the platform and are comfortable donating through it. GoFundMe Pro adds deeper customization, reporting, and donor management features on top of the consumer platform's usability.

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For One-Off Events and A-Thons

Walk-a-thons, read-a-thons, and similar pledge-based events are a staple of school fundraising especially at the elementary and middle school level. These platforms are built for exactly this format.

1. 99Pledges

99Pledges is one of the simplest and most popular platforms for running pledge-based fundraising events at schools. Students create personal fundraising pages, solicit pledges from family and friends, and the platform tracks all commitments and payments automatically. There is no app to download, no complex setup, and the per-student pages are easy to share via text and email.

What makes 99Pledges stand out is its sheer simplicity. Schools can launch a campaign in under an hour, and parents can make pledges in just a few clicks. The platform charges a small platform fee and standard payment processing fees but requires no upfront cost, making it accessible for even the smallest schools and parent organizations.

2. RallyUp

RallyUp is a versatile fundraising platform that supports a wide range of event-based fundraising formats, including walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, read-a-thons, and virtual events. It includes peer-to-peer fundraising pages, donation tracking, and tools for motivating student participants through leaderboards and milestone celebrations.

RallyUp is particularly well-suited for schools that want to run engaging, gamified fundraising events that get students excited to participate. The platform's interface is colorful and student-friendly, and its reporting tools help organizers see participation rates and revenue in real time. It supports both pledge-per-activity and flat donation models.

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For Matching Gifts

Matching gift programs are one of the most underutilized sources of fundraising revenue for schools. Many constituents work for companies that will match their charitable donations dollar-for-dollar, or even two-to-one. But most donors never bother to check or submit a match request.

Double the Donation

Double the Donation is a dedicated matching gift software for nonprofits and educational institutions. It integrates with most major fundraising platforms and automatically prompts donors to check their employer's matching gift eligibility at the point of donation. The platform maintains a database of over 20,000 companies and their matching programs, making it easy for donors to find and submit their employer's match.

For schools, even a modest improvement in matching gift submission rates can translate into thousands of additional dollars per campaign. Double the Donation's automation makes that improvement achievable without adding workload to development staff.

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For Volunteer Sign-Up Management

For schools, volunteers can often be one of the most important assets. However, not every school can afford or needs to have a dedicated volunteer management system. We’ve picked out some of the best options for schools looking to manage volunteer signups and related tasks such as scheduling, organizing, etc.

• SignUp Genius
• Jotform
• VolunteerSignup
• VolunteerLocal
• Volunteer Scheduler Pro

Many event management or donor management platforms also come with volunteer management features as a complementary tool or an add-on which can be a good choice. For any option you are considering, keep certain nuances in mind such as ad presence, ease of use for volunteers, and pricing structures to make sure you pick the right tool for your team.

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How to Choose the Right Software for Your School

With so many options available, the right can help you narrow down your choices:

What is your primary fundraising model? If you run a gala every year, prioritize auction tools. If your revenue comes from an annual giving program, prioritize donor management. If you rely on walk-a-thons, look at pledge-based platforms.

What do your donors want? Some donors might be turned away by pre-filled tips or ads while others may not mind. Some donors may prefer sleek UI elements and mobile-friendly design while others don’t mind as long as their donations go into a meaningful cause.

What is your team's capacity? A small PTA with volunteer leadership needs something simple and fast. A professional development office can handle more complex tools with greater customization.

What is your budget? Free platforms with optional tips work well for smaller campaigns. For larger programs, a platform fee may be worth paying for better support, integration, and features.

What is your long-term vision? If you want to build a lasting alumni and donor community, invest in a platform with strong CRM and relationship management capabilities now. Even if it costs more upfront, it can be more cost-effective than accumulating a ton of single purpose tools over the years.

What integrations do you need? Check whether the platform connects with your school's existing tools: your SIS, accounting software, email platform, or website CMS.

Taking the time to answer these questions before evaluating platforms will save significant time and help you avoid switching costs down the road.

How Almabase Empowers Your Fundraising Strategy

Among the platforms covered in this guide, Almabase is a great choice for schools that are ready to build a serious, sustainable fundraising program. It goes beyond one-off campaigns to help schools develop the donor relationships that drive long-term revenue growth.

Almabase provides a unified platform for donor management, online fundraising, and event management.. Schools can launch giving day campaigns, manage peer-to-peer fundraising, track donor engagement over time, and generate detailed reports all from a single interface. The platform is originally designed for educational institutions, which means the tools, updates, and data models are built around real-world problems that schools face.

For schools that rely on annual fund campaigns, alumni giving, and major gift cultivation, Almabase provides the tools to segment donors, personalize outreach, and track the full donor journey from their first gift to becoming a loyal supporter. It’s integration with CRM systems means school data flows smoothly into the fundraising platform, reducing manual data entry and improving accuracy.

If your school is ready to move beyond spreadsheets and disconnected tools and invest in a platform that can grow with your program, Almabase is worth a serious look.

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FAQs

Are free fundraising platforms actually free? 

Free fundraising platforms usually mean no platform or subscription fees. However, they typically have transaction fees and depending on the platform, may come with a percentage of your raised funds as fees, ads, or per transaction fees.

What is the difference between a fundraising platform and a donor management system?

A fundraising platform primarily helps you collect donations and run campaigns. A donor management system helps you track donor relationships and nurture relationships over time. 

Can I use more than one fundraising platform? 

Yes, many schools use multiple platforms. Just be mindful of managing donor data across multiple systems and increasing the cost of stacking too many single-purpose tools.

How do I increase matching gift revenue?

Integrate a matching gift tool like Double the Donation with your primary fundraising platform. Prompt donors to check their employer's match eligibility immediately after they give, while the donation is still top of mind.

Is fundraising software worth the cost for small schools?

Even small schools and associations can benefit from the efficiency, and donor experience improvements that dedicated software provides. Many platforms are free or very low cost at smaller volume levels, making the ROI compelling even for modest campaigns.

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Conclusion

The fundraising software landscape for schools has never been more robust. Whether you are running a walk-a-thon for a hundred elementary students or building a comprehensive alumni giving program for a private high school, there is usually a platform designed for your specific needs.

The most important step is to match your platform choice to your actual fundraising model, budget, and long-term goals. A well-chosen platform pays for itself quickly through higher donor conversion rates, reduced administrative burden, and stronger donor relationships over time.

If you are looking for a fundraising platform for your school or associated organization, Almabase can help you raise funds, manage donor relations, and streamline events and communications. Schedule a personalized demo to find out how it fits into your school’s needs.

With year-end giving season over and the chaos of the new semester settling down, the early months of the new year are the perfect time to revisit your university’s fundraising strategy and hone in on ways to raise more this year. 

A great place to start is by analyzing how you’re currently using your database for fundraising. Your university’s constituent relationship management (CRM) system is a powerful tool for fundraising, so if you’re not leveraging it effectively, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to build lasting donor relationships. In this article, we’ll discuss four ways you can leverage your database to improve this year’s fundraising results.

Before we dive in, make sure you’re up to speed on the latest data hygiene best practices. Keeping your constituent data clean and up-to-date is crucial for gaining the accurate insights you need to get results. Now, let’s explore what your database can do for you.

See the full picture of your donors

According to Redpath Consulting Group, one of the biggest benefits of using a comprehensive CRM for your university is that it houses all of your data in one place, showing you the full picture of each student, alumnus, and donor. This holistic view of donors helps you:

• See donors’ habits and interests at a glance. From one donor’s profile, you can immediately see their giving history, events they’ve attended, and other ways they’ve engaged with your university. 
• Identify useful connections. You can also record relationships in your database, such as students your alumni have mentored, companies donors work for, and more.
• Discover opportunities. With employer data, past donations, and personal interests in front of you, you may discover donors who could be good candidates for increasing their giving or leveraging impactful matching gift opportunities. 

When you use the information in your database to get a better understanding of each donor, you’ll be better equipped to reach out to them in ways that resonate with their interests. For instance, one recent graduate’s profile in your database could provide you with the following information:

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Knowing that Olivia was a frequent volunteer with an art history degree might prompt you to invite her to a volunteering event or ask her to donate to the art department’s scholarship fund. 

All of this information helps you better understand donors’ interests and preferences, which you can use to build stronger relationships and more successfully solicit donations.

Personalize fundraising appeals and outreach

Once you have a holistic picture of your donors, you can greatly increase the personalization of your communications. Donors and alumni are much more likely to engage with messages tailored to their unique interests. Plus, when donors feel like you understand and appreciate them as individuals, they’re more likely to value your university’s community and continue giving long-term.

To boost personalization, create a variety of highly specific donor segments within your database. For example, you might create segments like:

• Liberal arts alumni who graduated in the last 10 years
• Mid-level donors who give to scholarship funds
• Alumni working in the tech industry with an interest in supporting your STEM program
• Longtime donors with the capacity to upgrade their gifts
• Major donors who previously served on your board
• Alumni who frequently attend events but haven’t donated yet

Then, send personalized emails, mailers, and appeals that align with each segment’s interests. You might ask the group of alumni in the tech industry to give to your capital campaign funding a new computer science department building, while you promote an upcoming fundraising auction to the segment of alumni who frequently attend events.

Beyond segments of donors, your database can also help you personalize outreach to individual donors. Pull data from your CRM like past donation amounts, graduation years, and specific campaigns they supported, and mention them in your appeals for an added personal touch.

Leverage automation features

Whether you leverage features within your CRM or invest in an integrated marketing automation tool, automation can make a major difference in your fundraising team’s efficiency and success. By automatically updating your database, auto-filling emails with personal details, and triggering email streams based on certain criteria, these features cut down on manual tasks and improve the accuracy of your data.

For instance, say you want to create a process to engage first-time donors. If your CRM integrates with your university’s online donation platform, new donors will be automatically added to your database. When they are, you could leverage marketing automation to trigger a series of personalized welcome emails. This might look like:

1. A special thank-you email for first-time donors gets sent immediately after they donate.
2. Within 24 hours of their donation, the new donor receives a short welcome email to welcome them to your university’s community of donors.
3. A week later, the donor receives a longer email describing your university’s recent and upcoming fundraisers and the difference they make for students.
4. Two weeks after the donation, you invite the donor to take a short survey about their interests and communication preferences.

Automated email series like this one will help you foster relationships with donors from the moment they decide to give to your university—all without lifting a finger.

Monitor your fundraising results

Finally, your database’s reporting features can help you identify successes and challenges and improve your fundraising with data. In particular, monitoring the following metrics can help you understand how successful and cost-effective your fundraising strategies are:

• Donor acquisition rate: This metric measures how many donors you acquire over a given period and can be a good indicator of how successful your university’s marketing strategies are.
• Donor retention rate: Retention measures the number of donors who give again year after year compared to those who lapse. If your retention rate is especially low, come up with a plan to strengthen donor relationships and communicate donors’ impact more often.
• Cost per dollar raised: Dividing the amount you spend on fundraising activities by your total fundraising revenue for a specific campaign tells you exactly how much it costs to raise one dollar for your university. If this number is high, find ways to reduce overhead costs and brainstorm fundraisers that will resonate more with donors.

With this information, you can investigate further to determine the cause of any major dips or increases and use your findings to adjust your fundraising strategies accordingly. For example, if you discover that a significant number of donors lapsed during an economic downturn, you might adjust your appeals to ask for smaller donations and emphasize the effects of the economy on students’ abilities to attend their dream school.

If you need help formulating strategies based on your fundraising data, consider partnering with a higher ed technology consultant. These experts can help you leverage your CRM more effectively and even customize it to fit your university’s unique needs. With the right tools and strategies in your toolbox, you’ll be able to boost your fundraising results in no time.

About the Author

Caitlin leads the brand, creative and overall go-to-market strategy for Redpath. Offering over 10 years of experience in omni-channel and B2B marketing, she has a history of successfully implementing marketing plans and leveraging campaign analytics to drive revenue. She has a passion in communications and is skilled in empowering cross-functional teams to promote positive company culture and attain collective goals.

Caitlin has a Bachelors in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. When Caitlin is not at work, you can find her reading a good book, sipping on some chai tea, or enjoying activities with her family such as going on walks, boating, and traveling. 

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