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Walkathons are one of the few fundraising events that have stood the test of time. The appeal lies in their simplicity- easy to organize, open to everyone, and surprisingly effective. Whether organized by healthcare organizations, schools, or nonprofits, they bring people together for a shared cause while blending fitness, community, and fundraising into a single event.
Of the 30 largest peer-to-peer fundraising programs in the U.S. in 2025, which raised a combined $1.17 billion and engaged more than 2.63 million participants, many of them were walkathons.
In this article, we've rounded up walkathon ideas from successful healthcare campaigns, along with a few examples from educational institutions and nonprofits.
15+ Walkathon ideas for better fundraising
Every successful walkathon has something that sets it apart. For some, it's the cause they support. Here are some ideas from real campaigns that you can draw inspiration from:
Sponsor- led walkathons
Walkathon sponsors have come a long way from logo placement and finish-line banners. They show up, bring employees, set up activities, and become part of the day. Here’s how they are doing it:
1. Corporate team sponsorships
Rather than asking companies to simply sponsor the walk, the American Heart Association turns them into participants. Businesses register employee teams, set fundraising goals, and take part in Heart Walks across the country. Companies that raise $100,000 or more across multiple events are recognized through the National Teams program, with milestones reaching $1 million+. The model has helped bring companies such as AT&T, KPMG, Quest Diagnostics, Labcorp, and ADP into the campaign year after year. Heart Walk is now held in 300+ communities nationwide and continues to rank among the country's largest peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. In 2025, the campaign raised $121 million, making it the country's largest peer-to-peer fundraising program for the sixth year in a row.
2. Sponsors beyond event day
Walk for Lurie Children's gives sponsors a much bigger role than simply putting their names on event signage. On walk day, companies run games for children, welcome families at activity booths, and send employee teams to volunteer. Many of those same businesses show up again at Lurie Children's Corporate Cup, a separate fundraiser where companies compete against one another, such as tailgate games and relay races in an effort to raise money that will help Lurie Children's patients and their families. Together, the two events give corporate partners more than one opportunity each year to support the hospital and involve their employees.
3. Sponsor-led activity zones
At the Greater Washington Region Heart Walk, sponsors were involved throughout the event, not just as names on banners. Companies formed fundraising teams before walk day, then showed up with employee volunteers, activity booths, and interactive exhibits. Participants could stop for Hands-Only CPR demonstrations, visit sponsor tents, take part in family activities, and spend time at Survivor Lane before and after the walk. In 2025, the event brought together 90 companies, 579 fundraising teams, and nearly 10,000 walkers, raising more than $2.1 million for the American Heart Association.
4. More ways to involve sponsors
A sponsor could match every donation made during a one-hour window on walk day. Another could take over a challenge along the route, with participants stopping to complete a quick game, trivia question, or fitness activity. Sponsors could also support a hospital program, scholarship fund, or community project chosen by participants.
A sponsor passport is another option. Participants collect stamps at sponsor booths during the walk and enter the completed passport into a prize draw at the finish line. They're all simple ideas, but they give sponsors a bigger role and give participants another reason to stay involved throughout the event.
Cause-based walkathons
Cause-based walkathons are among the most recognizable fundraising events in healthcare. Each one is built around a specific mission, bringing together people connected by a shared cause.
5. Promise Garden
The Walk to End Alzheimer's, held by the Alzheimer's Association, is held in more than 600 communities across the U.S. Each walk begins with the Promise Garden ceremony, where participants carry flowers representing those living with Alzheimer's, caregivers, advocates, and loved ones lost to the disease. Last year alone, the campaign raised more than $112 million to support Alzheimer's care, support services, and research.
6. Luminaria Ceremony
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society's signature fundraising walk, held in thousands of communities around the world to support cancer research, patient services, and advocacy. One of its best-known traditions is the Luminaria Ceremony, where participants decorate paper luminaria bags with names, messages, or photos before placing them along the walking route. As evening falls, the bags are lit, and the walk continues by candlelight, creating one of the event's most memorable moments.
7. Honor beads
Out of the Darkness Walks organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention include Community Walks, Campus Walks, and the Overnight Walk, gives people different ways to take part throughout the year. Before the walk begins, participants receive Honor Beads, with each color representing a different connection to suicide prevention. As the walk gets underway, the beads become an easy way for participants to recognize shared experiences and start conversations with others along the route.
8. Choose your cause walk
Instead of asking everyone to walk for the same cause, participants choose the one they'd like to support when they register. A healthcare organization could offer options like cancer care, heart health, or pediatric services. Universities could let participants walk for scholarships, student wellness, or research programs, while nonprofits could include different community initiatives. Participants receive a colored T-shirt, bib, or wristband based on their choice, making it easy to see the different causes represented as the walk gets underway.
Beyond the examples above, organizations have built successful walks around breast cancer, rare diseases, mental health, veterans, animal welfare, environmental conservation, and many other causes. When the walk rallies behind a cause people can get behind, it gives them a reason to come together and support it.
Challenge-based walkathons
A little competition can change the feel of a walkathon. Bring in team challenges, fundraising competitions, or step goals that start weeks before the event gets participants into the spirit of the event. Here are a few examples of how different organizations have used a little competition to build excitement around their walk.
9. Classroom challenge
Every class had something to compete for at Bishop Chatard High School's Walkathon. Students tracked donations through class and student leaderboards, turning fundraising into a friendly competition across the school. The 2026 walkathon raised more than $54,000, reaching 155% of its fundraising goal with support from more than 1,000 donors.
10. Miles challenge
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day turns the walk itself into the challenge. Participants can walk for one, two, or all three days, covering up to 60 miles over the weekend. Those taking on the full event average about 20 miles a day, making it as much an endurance challenge as a fundraiser. Along the way, walkers stop at pit stops for food and water, spend the night at camp, and return the next morning to continue the journey. Since 2003, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day has raised more than $915 million for breast cancer research, patient care, and advocacy.
11. Companion walk challenges
The American Cancer Society's 30-Mile Dog Walk Challenge puts a different spin on a traditional walkathon. Participants sign up online, create a fundraising page, and join the challenge's Facebook community before setting out to walk 30 miles with their dogs over the course of the month. Along the way, they share photos and progress updates, encourage donations, and celebrate milestones with other participants in the group. Everyone who raises the qualifying donation receives an official challenge T-shirt, and fundraisers can earn additional rewards as they reach higher fundraising milestones. They run multiple virtual fundraising challenges throughout the year, giving supporters different ways to take part from home.
12. Challenge cards
Give each participant a challenge card at check-in instead of the same route checklist. Create a mix of cards so no two participants have the same set of tasks. One card could ask walkers to collect stamps from every hydration station, while another could send them on fun 1k, 2k walks towards specific destinations apart from the finish line. Families could receive scavenger hunt cards with clues hidden along the route, and children could look for mascots, signs, or landmarks. You could also include simple community challenges, such as writing a message on a tribute wall, thanking a volunteer, or taking a group photo at the finish line. Completed cards can be exchanged for a small prize or entered into a raffle at the end of the event.
Themed walkathons
Adding themes to your event can change its outlook entirely. It shapes everything from the invitations and T-shirts to costumes, activities, and photo opportunities. Here are a few organizations that have done it well.
13. Pajama walk
Friendship Circle and ZABS Place built their annual walk around one simple idea: everyone comes in pajamas. Families, schools, community groups, and local businesses all join the walk dressed for the theme. After the walk, the event continues with the Dreamland Festival, featuring carnival games, obstacle courses, inflatables, and live entertainment. An Ability Fair also gives local artists and makers with disabilities a place to showcase and sell their work. The theme carries through the entire day, turning the walk into a community event rather than just a fundraiser. The walk has become one of the organization's signature fundraisers, bringing the community together while supporting programs for children, teens, and adults of all abilities.
14. Candyland
St. Martin of Tours School gave its annual walkathon a Candy Land theme, turning the campus into a colorful course with themed decorations, games, and raffle baskets. Families, students, and staff embraced the theme throughout the event, making it feel more like a school celebration than a fundraiser. The walkathon raised more than $28,000 from 400+ donors, surpassing its fundraising goal while supporting the school's mission of faith, learning, and inclusion.
15. One walk, many themes
A walkathon can be turned into a different experience based on what theme you choose. A school could turn each stop into a page from a favorite storybook or a different country to explore. Hospitals could bring in superheroes, teddy bears, or characters that children already know. Community walks could take on a glow theme, celebrate local neighborhoods, or invite participants to bring their pets along. Small details like themed checkpoints, music, costumes, and photo stations can tie everything together without changing the walk itself.
16. Virtual walkathon
Following its inaugural event, the University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association is preparing for the second Panther Virtual 5K. Alumni, students, families, and friends can run, walk, or jog from wherever they are during September. Participants can register for free with a downloadable race bib and finisher certificate or choose the Gold Racer package, which includes an alumni-designed event T-shirt. Everyone is encouraged to share photos along the way, with a Panther prize pack up for grabs, while paid registrations support the UNI Alumni Association Engagement Fund.
17. Hybrid walkathon
For Abby's House, the annual 5K is one of the organization's largest fundraisers for women and children experiencing homelessness. The event starts in Worcester, but it doesn't end there. Anyone who can't make it on race day has the rest of Race Week to walk or run the same distance wherever they are. Whether participants join in person or virtually, they register through the same event, fundraise for the same cause, and take part as individuals or teams. The campaign also includes an online auction and fundraising awards that continue throughout the week.
18. Nationwide walkathon
For years, UNCF's Walk for Education has brought communities together to raise funds for scholarships, strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and help students get to and through college. Today, the series spans multiple cities across the country, with local walks feeding into one national campaign. The 2025 season included 14 Walk for Education events between August and October, all working toward a shared goal of raising $2 million for scholarships, internships, and student success programs.
The ideas don’t stop here. There are countless ways to put a fresh spin on a walkathon. You could build the route around local landmarks, turn it into a photo challenge, celebrate community heroes, add live performances along the way, create a farm-to-table walk with local vendors, host a twilight walk under the stars, or partner with museums, parks, and neighborhood businesses to make each stop part of the experience. Take inspiration from what others have done, adapt it to your audience, and build a walkathon that feels like it belongs to your organization and the people who support it.
How Almabase helps bring event fundraisers to life
From nationwide walks and virtual challenges to campus traditions and themed events, the examples above show that there is no single idea to make a walkathon successful. Bringing them to life means giving participants an easy way to register, create teams, share their fundraising pages, and invite friends and family to support the cause.
That's where Almabase comes in. It helps foundations manage registrations, sponsorships, donor engagement, and event communications in one place, making it easier to deliver a walkathon that's memorable for the right reasons.
Whether you are hosting a neighborhood walk, a hospital-wide tradition, or a nationwide fundraising campaign, Almabase will ensure end-to-end logistics, so your team can focus on creating a meaningful experience for your community.
If you’d like to see how Almabase can power the next event for your foundation or institution, feel free to book a personalized demo below! 👇
Wrapping up
Walkathons have become a lasting part of healthcare fundraising because of how they grow and change with the communities they support. Whether it's a local hospital walk, a patient-led fundraiser, or a large community event, there's always room to make it your own. We hope these ideas have given you a few new ways to think about your next walkathon. If you're exploring platforms for your next walkathon fundraiser, we'd love to show you how Almabase can help. Book a personalized demo, and let's talk about what you're planning.
15+ Walkathon Fundraiser Ideas
Walkathons are a great way to raise funds for your foundation, institution, or cause. With inspiration from real world fundraisers, we bring you the best walkathon ideas.
Sharada Koti
July 15, 2026
12 minutes
You may notice that throughout this article, we use the term “investor” when referring to “donors.” This is because Convergent believes in reframing charitable institutions as valuable community assets worthy of investment. By positioning donors as investors, we focus on sustainable funding rather than one-time gifts.
Your educational institution is a pillar of your community. However, you may undermine its stability by approaching your alumni annual fund with a transactional mindset, focusing solely on raising funds rather than on developing relationships with supporters. As a result, you may exhaust your investors and create volatile cash flows in your nonprofit’s financial accounts.
For this reason, it is necessary to shift away from a transactional relationship (in which giving is driven by the expectation of receiving something in return, such as a tax write-off) and toward a sustainable partnership, which is rooted in shared values and strategic alignment.
This guide provides actionable steps to realign your alumni annual fund giving with long-term, mission-critical outcomes. When you treat alumni as true financial partners, you can secure robust, predictable funding that sustains your institution for decades to come.
Understand why alumni give
Different investors have their own reasons for giving, so analyzing giving behavior is an important step to tailoring your investment-driven approach. For example, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy reported that younger generations tend to support causes tied to social impact and advocacy, so if you want people in this demographic to give more, you have to highlight your mission and the impact you’ve had in your community in your outreach materials.
No two investors are alike. To understand why your supporters choose to contribute, try the following strategies:
- Conduct surveys and interviews. Directly asking your investors about their philanthropic priorities removes the guesswork from your outreach strategy.
- Analyze past data. Review your organization’s past feasibility studies to discover historical trends in your investors’ preferences and capacity.
- Collaborate with development officers. Development officers spend a lot of time cultivating relationships with investors, so they have valuable insights regarding what drives their investments.
Incorporate these insights into your nonprofit’s constituent relationship management system (CRM), so your team can segment your audiences accurately. By the time the alumni annual fundraising comes around, you can deploy tailored messaging, thereby drastically improving conversion rates.
Realign your alumni annual fund with strategic outcomes
Establish your institution’s value by demonstrating strict alignment between your mission, fundraising objectives, and the outcomes delivered to the community. For example, if your organization is planning a STEM initiative for first-generation students, you can frame it like this:
- The mission: Empower first-generation students to graduate debt-free and enter high-demand STEM fields.
- The fundraising objective: Raise $500,000 through the alumni annual fund to provide full-ride scholarships and stipends for a cohort of 50 local students.
- The delivered outcome: Provide an impact report showing that 100% of the funded cohort graduated on time, with 85% immediately securing employment at local companies, thereby boosting the regional economy.
When sharing the impact report with your investors, spotlight a specific narrative (e.g., a student who benefited directly from the funds), then pair that with hard numbers (e.g., “we’ve helped 100 students achieve their dreams like [Student X]”). By incorporating data in the narrative, you’re showing investors that their contributions fund tangible results.
Realigning your alumni annual fund with strategic outcomes can be challenging because there are several moving parts to consider. For this reason, Convergent recommends conducting a development audit, which provides a clear, objective assessment of your current fundraising efforts and a strategic roadmap to improve them. The result is that everyone in your team is aligned with your goals, and you can build a stronger case for investment.
Shift from a donation mindset to an investment value proposition
Shifting from a traditional donation mindset to an investment value proposition fundamentally changes the dynamic between your institution and your alumni. When you operate with a donation mindset, you inherently position the educational institution as a charity in need of a handout. Additionally, a donation mindset relies heavily on emotional appeals and transactional exchanges (e.g., giving a t-shirt or a tax write-off in exchange for money), which ultimately exhaust supporters.
When you reframe your outreach and treat alumni as long-term investors and stakeholders, you unlock distinct benefits that secure sustainable funding, such as:
- Clearer ROI: Transactional models historically struggle to demonstrate the rational, value-based ROI that modern investors require. An investment mindset forces your team to clearly articulate the tangible, real-world impact of the funds, providing stakeholders with the proof of success they demand.
- Engagement with younger generations of investors: As we mentioned earlier, younger demographics are highly analytical with their philanthropy. They are likely to stop investing if they do not clearly understand the strategic outcomes of their financial contributions. Presenting an investment proposition speaks directly to their desire for measurable impact.
- Preventing supporter fatigue: Relying on small-scale emotional appeals and staff-intensive events only leads to investor burnout. When you treat alumni as true partners, you can focus on continuous, data-driven stewardship rather than bombarding them with relentless, piecemeal appeals.
To complete your shift from a transactional to an investment-driven mindset, you’ll need to audit your current communication templates and eliminate passive phrasing. For example, refer to gifts and donations as “partnerships” instead. So, rather than saying “Your gifts are needed to help maintain our current programs,” you can say, “Your partnership with our organization has helped expand our scholarship endowment and directly funds our new STEM initiative.” This subtle linguistic shift empowers alumni, making them feel like co-architects of the institution's future.
Encourage other forms of giving
In addition to launching capital campaigns, your organization should integrate workplace giving into your alumni annual fund strategy. This is because corporate philanthropy programs, such as matching gifts and volunteer grants, significantly amplify the ROI of each contribution.
That said, not many people know about workplace giving initiatives; in fact, studies show that nearly 80% of donors are unaware of whether their company offers a matching gift program. Because of this, you must educate your investors about these programs by:
- Integrating workplace giving awareness into appeals: Do not treat corporate giving as an afterthought. Advise your development teams to actively educate alumni about corporate matching gift programs as part of your standard outreach, noting that many investors may qualify for workplace matching without realizing it.
- Reminding investors about these programs on their thank-you receipt: When someone contributes to your fundraiser, encourage them to check their matching gift eligibility to maximize their investment. You can set up these automated reminders on your nonprofit’s donor management software.
- Adding workplace giving to your “Ways to Give” page: Provide a brief explanation of how certain corporate giving programs work so that investors know how to participate.
- Creating educational content about workplace giving: For example, you can write a long-form informational post or create video tutorials on how to check matching gift eligibility.
By leveraging corporate philanthropy programs, you’re shifting the giving narrative away from individual charitable donations toward larger-scale, sustainable institutional investments. In other words, you’re ensuring no money is left on the table, while maximizing the impact of your existing investor base.
As an educational institution, you’re an indispensable community asset, and your funding strategies must reflect this vital role. Transitioning from transactional appeals to a sustainable, investment-focused model ensures that you maintain long-term partnerships with alumni investors. By prioritizing data-driven stewardship and clear ROI, your future fundraising efforts will build a resilient foundation for generations to come.
Transforming Your Alumni Annual Fund for Sustainability
Transition alumni giving from transactional exchanges to sustainable investments. Discover how to rethink your alumni annual fund for long-term ROI here.
Brian Abernathy
July 10, 2026
12 minutes
Your university’s marketing strategies shape whether donors feel connected to you. They also determine whether a prospective student finds your institution when they start searching, or finds a competitor instead. Done well, they benefit both enrollment numbers and campaign totals. Because guess what? Advancement and admissions teams now compete for the same audience's attention, trust, and money, whether they've coordinated around that fact or not.
In this blog, we’ll go over the best marketing strategies for your university whether you're trying to improve brand awareness, grow donor participation, or get more out of your digital marketing efforts.
What is University Marketing and What's Driving it?
University marketing is the set of strategies used to attract new students, retain and engage alumni, and build relationships with donors and community stakeholders. It spans paid advertising, content, events, email, social media, and direct outreach.
Several forces are shaping how universities approach marketing right now. One of the main factors is in how students and donors find and evaluate universities is changing. A school's digital presence, its website, search ranking, social media, and reputation on review platforms all influence decisions and are questions frequently asked on AI tools.
Over 80% of students now use AI tools to research programs. They ask questions about costs, outcomes, and campus life. A university website that doesn't answer those questions effectively to help AI-assisted searches or feed Answer Engine Optimization gets skipped.
Generation Alpha in particular, who entered high school in fall 2024, grew up watching short-form videos and expect two-way conversations. They want to know what a degree leads to in more specific terms. In this case, personalized and outcome-focused communication works well with them.
For advancement teams, the same principle applies. Alumni and donors expect to feel like the institution knows who they are. When communications feel mass-produced, engagement drops, and donor participation follows.
Why University Marketing Matters More Than Ever
Advancement raised money. Marketing recruited students. For a long time, those were separate jobs with separate teams. But that separation is not so clear cut in 2026.
American colleges and universities received $61.5 billion in voluntary contributions in FY24, according to the CASE VSE report. That number grows at institutions that stay visible and credible all year round, and not just between campaigns.
Here's where the connection between marketing and fundraising becomes inevitable:
- Digital presence affects donor confidence because donors research institutions online before they give.
- Alumni expect personalized communication. Generic emails see lower engagement and higher unsubscribes.
- A university's reputation is influenced by its students, parents, faculty, and donors. This reputation has an impact on donor confidence.
- Brand awareness through digital channels keeps the institution visible in the gap between campaigns, so donors haven't gone cold by the next giving day. It also creates familiarity for new donors, which affects their confidence to give again.
- Digital channels give fundraising teams real data on what's driving engagement and gifts, so campaigns get progressively smarter.
Advancement, alumni relations, admissions, and communications share more goals than most universities acknowledge. When those teams coordinate around a shared consistent message, their work compounds. When they don't, they often compete for the same audience's attention with conflicting messages.
12 University Marketing Strategies for Modern Advancement Teams
These strategies focus on how advancement and alumni relations teams can use marketing to drive donor participation and deeper engagement.
1. Segment your audience
Sending the same appeal to a recent graduate, parents, and a major donor is a missed opportunity for all 3. Effective segmentation divides audiences by graduation year, geographic location, interest area, giving history, and engagement level. Start with what's already in your CRM, even basic segmentation will get you good results.
2. Personalize email outreach
Personalization today goes far beyond using someone's first name. It means referencing their class year, their program, or the cause they previously supported. Personalized email campaigns consistently outperform generic ones on click-through rates and on conversion to gifts.
3. Invest in video storytelling
Short-form video on TikTok and Instagram Reels generates the highest engagement rates among prospective students, who will be your future donors. It’s also an effective way to invite current students to be influencers or advocates for your campaign. On the other hand, longer-form impact videos work well for alumni and donor audiences. For example, showing how a scholarship changed a student's trajectory or how funding to a particular department helped keep an important program alive. Both formats outperform text-only content for emotional response and sharing.
4. Build a peer-to-peer fundraising program
Alumni give more when asked by people they know. Peer-to-peer campaigns, where engaged alumni solicit gifts from classmates and community members, have consistently raised more per campaign than institution-led appeals. They also extend reach into networks the advancement office can't access.
5. Use student and alumni-generated content
The less scripted and more user-generated your content is (while keeping the core message intact), the better. All audience segments are starting to prefer more organic content over polished scripts. Alumni sharing their own stories reinforces the value of an institution's network for current donors and giving-day prospects.
6. Run giving day campaigns with urgency mechanics
A giving day is a marketing campaign with a deadline. The urgency mechanics that make it work are the countdown timers, matching gift challenges, leaderboards, and other gamification elements on the fundraising page. They are the same tools any timed marketing campaign uses to drive action.
Thomas Aquinas College used this approach to achieve a 45% alumni donor participation rate, raising $142K+ from more than 650 donors.
7. Optimize for answer engines, not just search
New donors and alumni nowadays often use ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI Overview to research institutions and causes before they give. They ask questions like "what has [university] done with donations?". Answer Engine Optimization for AI-powered search tools is now as important as traditional SEO. So, if your institution's impact content, donor stories, and program outcomes aren't structured to answer those questions clearly, you won't appear in AI-generated responses. This means writing content that leads with specific answers: how gifts were used, what changed, and what outcomes were achieved.
8. Build a digital alumni engagement program
Mentorship platforms, alumni directories, job boards, and affinity group networks give alumni reasons to stay connected all year round and not just during fundraising campaigns. Engaged alumni are significantly more likely to donate than those with no ongoing relationship to the institution.
Illinois Tech generated 123,000+ engagement activities in a single month after rebuilding its digital engagement strategy with Almabase.
9. Prioritize content marketing
Blog posts, impact reports, case studies, and research-backed thought leadership serve multiple purposes: they improve SEO, build institutional credibility, and give advancement teams shareable material for donor outreach. Content that addresses what prospective new donors actually care about will work wonders over generic promotional material (for example: student outcomes, program impact, institutional stewardship content over generic giving day numbers)
10. Track attribution across the full donor journey
Which email led to which gift? Which event attendance correlated with a subsequent donation? What content on which platform led to the most amount of engagement? Advancement teams that track attribution across touchpoints can plan and allocate marketing budgets toward what works, and stop spending on what doesn't.
11. Make mobile-first the default
Most alumni and prospective donors open emails, visit giving pages, and register for events on their phones. Giving pages and event registration forms that aren't mobile-optimized see higher abandonment rates. Test the entire donor journey on a phone before every campaign launch.
12. Coordinate digital and traditional channels deliberately
Digital-only or mail-only campaigns never consistently outperform integrated approaches. A direct mail followed by a personalized email, or a social ad retargeting someone who visited your giving page but didn't donate, will outperform either channel working on its own. The next section covers the data.
Digital Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing for University Fundraising
According to the M+R Benchmarks 2026 report, direct mail revenue grew 9%, online giving revenue grew 15%, and email revenue grew 16% in 2025. Digital is growing faster, but direct mail is holding its own.
According to the same report, the average direct mail gift was $120. For every dollar raised online, nonprofits in the study raised $0.66 through direct mail. That's a channel that still drives real money and not one in decline, especially with donors who already know your institution.
But digital channels do bring different strengths to the table: lower costs, wider and more accurate targeting, real-time data, and the ability to reach alumni whose mailing addresses have long since changed.
The truth is, the right mix depends on your audience, budget, and your data quality. Older alumni tend to respond better to direct mail. Younger alumni and recent graduates engage more through digital. That's not a reason to run two separate campaigns. You can let channel selection be driven by the audience segment rather than what’s been the norm.
How to Create a University Marketing Strategy
Step 1: Define the goal
Generic goals like "Increase alumni engagement" are too broad to act on. Create clear and practical goals such as "Increase donor participation rate among alumni who graduated between 2015 and 2022 by 10% before our March giving day" which is actionable.
Here are some common goals you can include:
- Increasing applications or improving yield
- Growing brand awareness in target recruitment markets
- Increasing event attendance or registrations
- Re-engaging alumni who haven't interacted with the institution in over two years
- Promoting a new program or research initiative
- Increasing the number of first-time donors
Step 2: Identify the audience
Different audiences need different messages, channels, and timing. Know who you're talking to before you decide what to say or where to say it. Typical higher ed audiences usually include:
- High school and graduate students, and parents
- Transfer students
- International prospective students
- Recent active alumni and alumni with no giving history
- New donors and lapsed donors who haven't given in 2+ years
- Major gift prospects
- Faculty, staff, and community partners
Step 3: Define the message
Most universities lead with what they're proud of. Rankings, facilities, research output. But for some that might already be common knowledge and in any case, that's not always what your audience is there for.
A prospective student is curious about the costs involved, the campus life, and whether the degree will open doors for them. A donor wants to know if their last gift made a difference and if this one will too.
Build the message around what your audience is asking, not based on internal priorities or what your institution wants to say.
Step 4: Choose the right channels
Channel selection should always follow your audience and your goal, not over team familiarity. Ask yourself,
- “Where does this audience actually spend time?” “
- What format does this message need?”
- “What's the budget?”
- “Which channels give you measurable data for the outcomes you care about?”
A giving day campaign has vastly different channel needs than a graduate program recruitment campaign, and marketing is heavily dependent on choosing and making the most out of the right channels for each objective.
Step 5: Create content and campaign assets
Based on what we’ve already discussed above, you'll need a combination of:
- A landing page or giving page
- An email sequence (usually 3-5 emails for a fundraising campaign)
- Social media posts and ads: organic and paid
- A short video (for email, social, or the giving page itself)
- Blog content to support SEO and content marketing
- Event pages with clear registration flows
- Donor testimonials or impact stories
- FAQs addressing the most common points of confusion
Step 6: Launch, measure, and optimize
A smart team builds a measurement before launch. Set up A/B tests where volume permits and track which channels, subject lines, and messages are actually driving the outcomes important to you, not just opens and clicks, but registrations, gifts, and engagement activities.
Use your analytics tools during and after each campaign to review and carry the findings forward.
Your marketing strategy will continue to improve through several iterations. For longer campaigns, a team that collects data and iterates on the go tends to see better results.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in University Marketing
Here are some common pitfalls that you or your team may want to avoid while marketing your university.
1. Treating your audiences as a homogeneous group
A 23-year-old recent graduate and a 60-year-old major donor share almost nothing as an audience. Generic communications that try to speak to everyone end up reaching no one. Basic segmentation by graduation year and giving history alone will improve your campaign performance.
2. Running campaigns with no follow-ups in between
A lot of advancement teams pour everything into a giving day and then go quiet for months. Donors who give once and hear nothing back are less likely to give again. A newsletter, an alumni spotlight, an event invitation, or impact stories - low-pressure touchpoints between campaigns keep the relationship warm.
3. Optimizing for vanity metrics
High follower counts and strong open rates feel good. But they don't always translate to gifts. Track what actually matters: donor participation rates, year-over-year retention, cost per gift, and lifetime donor value. Track the entire journey, from first impression, to gift, to retention.
4. Writing about the institution instead of the donor's impact
Donors want to know their gift made an impact. Show them, specifically: "Our endowment grew by X%" tells a donor little to nothing. "Here's a student whose scholarship changed what was possible for her" tells donors their impact.
5. Neglecting the donor experience
A slow-loading giving page, a confusing registration process, or a broken confirmation email does more damage than a weak campaign. Donors who hit friction don't often come back. Walk through your own giving journey multiple times and fix on the go.
6. Letting channel preference override audience preference
Some teams default to direct mail because that's what they've always done. Others go fully digital because it's cheaper. Both channels work. The best results come from using them together and letting your audience segment guide you.
FAQs About University Marketing Strategies
How can universities improve brand awareness?
Give current students, recent alumni, and active donors moments and opportunities worth sharing, since organic awareness grows when people with a genuine connection to your institution talk about it publicly. Build on that momentum through consistent content marketing across every channel and paid social advertising in your target markets.
Is digital marketing better than traditional advertising for universities?
Neither of them win out categorically. Both channels work and the right balance changes from one institution to another. Most modern approaches use them together, as in a direct mail piece followed by a personalized email to the same person lets each touchpoint build on the last and reinforces your message.
What social media platforms should universities use for admissions?
For undergraduate programs, Instagram and TikTok see the highest engagement. RNL's 2025 research found that social media mattered most for 56% of students when they first started thinking about college, and students tend to follow college accounts for organic student life content, application information, and major-specific content. For graduate and professional programs, LinkedIn usually performs better. You’ll want to pick two or three that match your audience and invest in them.
How do you measure the ROI of university marketing campaigns?
Define what ROI means for each campaign first, because it changes with the goal. A giving day might be measured by total revenue raised, cost per gift, or donor participation rate, while admissions might look at applications per dollar spent or yield improvement. Track the full funnel rather than the single channel that drove traffic, asking which touchpoints in what sequence led to the outcome you wanted. UTM parameters reveal which email, ad, or post someone clicked, CRM attribution reporting shows which touchpoints led to a gift, and A/B testing tells you which subject lines, messages, and formats perform best.
University Marketing Strategies: 12 Proven Tactics for Higher Ed
Whether it is to attract admissions, donations, or simply to raise your institution's brand, university marketing plays a big role in your institution's engagement strategy.
Prajnya Yelamali
July 8, 2026
12 minutes
For decades now, fundraising galas have been at the forefront of philanthropic events, and with good reason. It’s a format that combines formality, cause and accessible fun very effortlessly.
The best part about a fundraising gala is that it doesn’t have to follow specific guidelines; you can customise it however you want according to your needs and your donors. It can include just about anything ranging from live entertainment, food, presentations to auctions and awards.
And that’s also why the distinctness of your particular gala is all the more important. We’ll take a look into how these events are planned, and some unique ideas that you can adopt to engage your donors.
Are Fundraising Galas Worth it in 2026?
Galas have been a philanthropy event mainstay for a long time now, but it begs the question of whether they still provide ROI or just function as a general networking event.
The data on this leans towards the former. Overall, in 2025, about 77% of organizations met or exceeded their fundraising goals. The ones that organized purely in-person events or mixed it up with virtual/hybrid events were the standout performers.
But there’s more. Here are a couple of interesting takeaways from the same study:
- Around 80% of organizations who incorporated in-person events met their fundraising goals.
- In contrast, almost half (46%) the nonprofits who skipped events altogether failed to meet their goals.
This gives us two important takeaways: one being that events in general continue to be a crucial part of philanthropy. Secondly, galas meet both the criteria of being an in-person event as well as an event that can incorporate virtual or hybrid events (or purely any of the three).
All that is to say that galas continue to meet the preferences of donors as well as the innovations of fundraising teams, giving us an easy answer to our question above: Yes, galas are definitely worth it in 2026 and will in all likelihood, continue to be in the foreseeable future.
Exploring the Impact of a Fundraising Gala
With events involving so much of spontaneous conversation, recreation, chance sign-ups, and curating experiences, it can be quite hard to see how extensive the benefits are and the areas they influence:
- Relationships with major gift prospects: Community building is an obvious benefit but more specifically, wealthy donors and philanthropists require multiple touchpoints, a lot of trust, and a relationship with not just your team, but the cause itself. All of which can be generated through fundraising galas.
- Increased awareness of your efforts and success: There’s no better way to share stories, heartwarming moments, and showcase your progress. Newsletters and blogs are fine, but not nearly as thought-provoking or emotional.
- Brand Visibility: Successful galas can attract new supporters. If people recognize the influence you’re able to have on your donors and beneficiaries as a brand, they are more likely to trust you.
- Multiple avenues for revenue: Donations aren’t the only support you’ll get. A fundraising gala offers so many more opportunities to contribute. You can generate revenue through ticket sales, selling merchandise, organizing fun workshops, and so much more.
How to Plan a Fundraising Gala
As you might know, a successful fundraising gala sometimes takes months and months of preparation. Coming up with plans and goals is easy enough, but with the amount of moving parts, keeping track of progress across all fronts can be confusing. The step-wise approach outlined below ensures you don’t leave any stones unturned.
1. Form Your Gala Planning Committee
Clearly define every team’s roles and responsibilities. A few key roles to include are:
- Event Chair
- Auction Chair
- Marketing Head
- Sponsorship Lead
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Treasurer/Finance Lead
It’s important to make sure you have enough event volunteers to pull the gala off without a hitch. You will inevitably need help with minor problems and logistics hurdles during the gala itself.
2. Set Clear and Actionable Fundraising Goals
Go through past event data to set a realistic goal. Refresh your lists and segments, check ticket sales from previous galas, and take into account all the revenue sources. The key here is to have goals centered around net revenue, not total cashflow. Setting goals using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) can help a lot.
3. Decide the Total Budget
Getting this right is crucial, as your fundraising goals are directly dependent on the gala budget. Be as extensive as you can, and categorize expenses to track them better. Separate fixed costs (like venue, catering) from variable costs (merch, printing, staff) and compare it against projected revenue from all the different sources like tickets, donations, and auctions. If your expenses are greater than the potential earnings, reduce costs wherever possible without taking away from the core experience itself.
4. Choose your Date, Venue, and Theme
You don’t really have restrictions as fundraising galas can be held at any time of the year. So decide the date and venue based on your donors’ availability and proximity. You can gauge this through surveys/forms or analyzing participation data from previous events.
Depending on projected footfall, choose a venue that has enough space to comfortably accommodate everyone. Before you book it though, gather information on AV capabilities, official capacity, catering conditions, and Wi-Fi speed. Visit the venue in person and take note of power sources, layout, and parking as well. Evaluate the venue based on the participant’s convenience.
5. Decide Ticket Prices
A good way to land on a feasible ticket price is to work backwards from the total cost of hosting the gala. A simple yet useful formula for calculating ticket prices is as follows:
(Total event cost + fundraising goal) / paid attendees = minimum ticket price
On average, gala tickets are usually in the $100 - $250 range. Of course, you also have to account for platform fees if you’re using ticket management software.
There’s really no need for all tickets to be the same price. There are also options like the pay-what-you-want model if you want to provide more flexibility to your attendees. Introduce tiered prices offering different perks. Give discounts to families, students, etc. Early-bird offers are actually great to get some initial ticket sales and momentum going.
6. Arranging the Program and Speakers
Identify your event host early. Finding a good orator who is familiar with your organization, and does a good job of engaging the crowd, can take time. Create an inventory tracker and source equipment for entertainment (speakers, lights, stage props and the like).
If you’re running a live auction, then contact and book an auctioneer a few months before the event. Set procurement targets for auction items and include 3 or 4 premium ‘big-money’ items that bidders will contest over (like unique art, travel packages, etc.)
Prepare a full-fledged agenda for attendees to refer to and for you to plan around with.
7. Secure Sponsors and Form Partnerships
Getting the right sponsor can not only reduce expenses, but also add to your marketing efforts. Depending on the scale of your gala, choose between local businesses and corporate sponsors. Having a company whose mission aligns with yours (creating affordable health-monitoring devices, for example) can provide a big boost in trust.
Have a tiered system for sponsorships, and clearly outline the different levels of visibility and recognition that your sponsors get like social media shoutouts, speaking slots, banners, and so on.
8. Promotion and Marketing
After you have your list of prospects, promote your gala in as many channels as you can. This means multiple teams with their own responsibilities. You’ll have to create email sequences, a social media post schedule, landing pages on your website, and visual media like billboards and posters. Marketing starts months before the gala. Start off by providing sneak peeks, and gradually reveal details as the event draws closer. Building anticipation takes time.
For your more affluent donors, send out personalized invites through their preferred mode of communication.
9. Set Up Registration Workflows
Open registration around the same time you send out invites. Collect key information such as meal preferences, payment methods, and additional guests to ensure a smooth experience during the gala. Save-the-date emails can be sent a couple of months prior.
Your registration process should only ask for necessary information and should be fairly easy to complete. As the event date approaches, send targeted reminders to certain segments.
Fundraising Gala Ideas
Fundraising galas are heavily customizable, making it easy for you to incorporate themes and programs catered to your organization and its donors. Here are a few gala ideas that can create fun, memorable experiences that inspire your donors to contribute.
1. Silent Auction + Cocktail Party
Silent auctions can be a great alternative to conventional ones as they don’t involve crowding, too much competition, or loud announcements. You’ll have to decide on a bidding app and pay a lot of attention to how the items are presented, but it is well worth the effort.
Combined with a cocktail party, this creates a really nice environment for interesting conversations, some friendly competition, and generates good interest for items in the auction. Attendees can bid at their convenience without the stress of time running out or the pressure of matching someone else’s amount on the spot.
2. Casino Night Gala
This one changes the energy of the room entirely. Instead of a seated program with a single fundraising moment, guests rotate between blackjack tables, roulette, and poker throughout the evening, with chips that convert to charitable contributions at the end.
It's also one of the easier formats to get sponsors involved with. Each table can be presented by a different sponsor, giving them more visibility without cramping the experience. You could layer it with a James Bond or Las Vegas theme, but it’s entirely optional, the format holds up even without the extra theatrics.
Note: Check your local regulations on charity gaming events before you start planning as the rules vary quite a bit by state.
3. Live Art Auction
Commission local artists to create work live during the event. Guests watch the pieces come together over the course of the evening, and it goes up for auction towards the end of the night when emotional investment is at its peak.
It works particularly well because it gives people something to gather around and talk about, rather than just passive participation. Art is an important subject of interest for a lot of wealthy donors. But do keep in mind that the work should be compelling enough that guests actually want it, not just feel obligated to bid. Vetting the artists beforehand is not something to skip over.
4. Masquerade or Themed Gala
A strong theme does something a generic gala dinner can't – it gives guests a reason to get excited before the event even starts. A masquerade or a black and white affair creates a strong visual identity perfectly suited for social media. They’re also extremely conversation friendly, with plenty of compliments and ice-breakers being thrown around.
The key is committing to it properly. Half-hearted theming, like placing a few props in a standard hotel ballroom can sour things. The decor, music, dress code, and even the menu should all ideally have the same aesthetic. For healthcare organizations especially, a well executed theme can shift the tone away from the clinical and toward something your donors look forward to all year.
If you’re stuck on deciding a theme or are looking for some inspiration, check out this list by the American Fundraising Association.
How Almabase Helps Teams Run Successful Fundraising Galas
Keeping track of outreach sequences, responses, and registrations while simultaneously planning for event logistics can end up being messy and stressful. Almabase gets some weight off your shoulders by bringing together engagement, giving, and event planning under one roof.
Especially with a gala involving auctions and sponsorships, you’ll need varying registration forms and workflows. With the built-in event builder module you don’t have to worry about losing track of different groups of attendees and the relevant forms. Almabase can also accommodate complex tiered ticketing structures, which you will need to tackle for a large fundraising gala with multiple sub-events.
With Emily AI, you don’t have to take painstaking effort to manually personalize outreach for every segment of attendees. The context-aware AI drafts subject lines and event emails which you can further tweak to your liking.
During the gala itself, ground operations can be hard to manage even with enough volunteers. QR check-ins, payments, and on-site registrations are all automatically synced to your CRM when using Almabase. Additionally, seating assignments and name tags are easy to arrange.
As for tracking and collecting event data, you can do away with spreadsheets (well, most of them). Almabase lets you see registrations, revenue, attendance, and engagement data all at the same place. If you’re selling merch, tracking order count ensures that you’re prepared with just the right amount of stock next time around.
Wrapping Up
Fundraising galas inject some much needed spectacle and celebration when it comes to giving. They’ve been a mainstay in philanthropy for many decades, and will continue being so long into the future. Hopefully, you’ve gained some helpful pointers in planning one of your own and drawing people to your cause.
If you’re on the lookout for tools that could help your team and wish to learn more about Almabase, we’d suggest booking a personalized demo. Happy planning!
How To Plan a Fundraising Gala + Gala Ideas
The perfect blog for planning your next fundraising gala. We go over the essential steps to planning your next fundraising gala as well as creative ideas you can use.
Hari Govind
July 7, 2026
12 minutes
As a higher education fundraising professional, it can be a lot of pressure to constantly come up with new, innovative fundraising ideas for your school. Seasonal fundraisers are a great way to add variety and excite donors. When you host a seasonal fundraiser, you play into students’ and donors’ existing excitement for the upcoming season, leading to more engagement.
Plus, product fundraisers make seasonal fundraising easy. All you have to do is pick a season-relevant product to sell, and donors receive something tangible in return for their contributions. It’s a win-win!
To get you started, we’ll provide three ideas for each season for a total of 12 engaging fundraising ideas you can use throughout the year.
Fall Fundraising Ideas
1. Pizza
Starting a new school year can be daunting, especially for freshmen. Besides the academic stressors of beginning college, many students stress about finding their footing socially.
With a pizza fundraiser, you can bring students together at the start of the year and help them forge lasting friendships. Work with a local pizza shop to provide pizza pies at a discounted rate. Then, you can sell them to students by the slice or by the pie and provide tables for them to enjoy their meal.
Alternatively, you can sell pizza at your back-to-school club fair to encourage students to attend. Let students grab a quick bite to eat while they check out all the extracurricular activities your school has to offer.
2. Care Packages
Many parents send their children care packages during their first semester of college to show that they miss them and provide some treats from back home. Make it easier for them to do so by hosting a care package fundraiser.
Have older students stuff boxes with items such as:
- Candy
- Snacks
- School apparel
Then, set up a care package fundraising page on your website, and promote it on social media to spread the word to new students’ families.
3. Popcorn
One of the most exciting parts of the fall season for students is Halloween. Consider hosting a Halloween-themed movie night with spooky movies. That way, you can sell popcorn at the event for students to enjoy and earn money for your school.
Since popcorn can stay fresh for a long time, you can also include alumni in your popcorn fundraiser. Sell the popcorn online, and ship it to alumni so they can join in on the fall fun from anywhere.
Winter Fundraising Ideas
4. Cookie Dough
Who doesn’t want to enjoy a warm cookie fresh out of the oven during the colder months? ABC Fundraising recommends hosting a cookie dough fundraiser because they have a high earning potential and cater to different tastes with a variety of flavors.
Plus, this type of fundraiser can bring students together and provide an indoor activity to help them stay out of the cold. Students can use their dorm kitchens to bake the cookies together and even swap them in a holiday cookie exchange hosted by their resident advisors.
5. Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper is a must during the holiday season, so you might as well allow your supporters to purchase it and give back to your school at the same time. Along with selling wrapping paper, eCardWidget’s Christmas fundraising guide recommends hosting gift-wrapping services to help donors wrap their gifts during the holiday season.
Students can volunteer to work the gift-wrapping station and sell the wrapping paper there as well. Then, you can invite members of the community to come to campus and get their gifts wrapped in exchange for a small donation.
6. Candles
Warm students’ and donors’ hearts with a candle fundraiser. To make this fundraiser even more suited to the holiday season, choose scents like peppermint, pine, and gingerbread.
This type of fundraiser presents a good opportunity to remind donors of matching gift opportunities at year-end. Send alumni and other supporters an email notifying them of your candle fundraiser. Include a short paragraph that thanks them for their contributions throughout the year and reminds them to submit any lingering matching gift requests before the year wraps up.
Spring Fundraising Ideas
7. Flower Bulbs
Nothing screams spring like flowers! Have environmental clubs on campus host a flower bulb fundraiser. That way, they can give students tips on how to keep their new plants healthy throughout the season.
Parents and alumni with gardens may be enticed to participate as well. Let them know about your fundraiser in your newsletter, detailing how they can order the bulbs online or pick them up on campus if they’re local.
8. Cotton Candy
Bring everyone together before the school year ends with a spring carnival! Allow student groups to run booths, and offer games and food for everyone to enjoy.
Then, top it all off with a cotton candy fundraiser! You’ll transport students back to their childhood with this nostalgic snack and earn a ton of funds for your school.
9. Gourmet Coffee
When the end of the school year looms close, students start stressing about finals. Late library sessions become the norm, and some will pull all-nighters in hopes of acing their final assessments.
For many students, coffee is a must, especially during this busy time. Help them fuel up for finals with a gourmet coffee fundraiser. You can also sell and ship coffee bags to alumni, allowing them to reminisce about the woes of college finals.
Summer Fundraising Ideas
10. Flip-Flops
Remind students and alumni of their alma mater during summer break by selling branded flip-flops. That way, they can show off their school spirit at the beach or the pool all summer long!
Work with a product fundraiser provider that can find an apparel company best suited for your flip-flop fundraiser. For example, you may want to customize the flip-flops to your school's colors or add your logo, so you’ll need to work with a company that can cater to your needs.
11. Snacks
A snack fundraiser is easy to pull off in the summer because you can ship snacks to alumni and students no matter where they may be. Consider selling snacks that can travel well in the heat, such as:
- Trail mix
- Pretzels
- Nuts
- Candy
Whether they choose to enjoy their snacks on a picnic, by the pool, or on the journey traveling back to school, a snack fundraiser is sure to please supporters of all ages.
12. Discount Cards
Gear up your students for back to school with discount cards that offer them savings at local restaurants and shops near campus. Then, you can sell the cards and put the funds toward programs that will benefit your school community.
Not only can these discount cards help your students save money, but they’ll also get them excited to return to campus and support their favorite local vendors.
While these suggestions should give you plenty of inspiration for your next seasonal product fundraiser, make sure to survey your students and alumni to collect data about which products they’d prefer to purchase. That way, you can ensure you have high participation rates and raise sufficient funds to support your school’s programming.
Conclusion
Hopefully this blog has inspired you and given your next fundraiser some exciting ideas. If you're looking for a platform to help you host your next fundraiser or event your way, do give Almabase a try!
About the Author
Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising(r) - Debbie joined ABC Fundraising(r) in 2010 and is responsible for launching over 6500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations all across the USA. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.
12 Products to Sell For Your School's Seasonal Fundraiser
Discover 12 seasonal product fundraising ideas for schools that boost engagement and revenue year-round—perfect for students, parents, and alumni.
Fundraising
When was the last time you took a good hard look at your higher education website? Your college’s website is one of your most important marketing tools for recruiting new students, connecting with alumni, driving donations, and demonstrating your school’s positive impact on the world. If it seems outdated, stale, or not reflective of your values, it could be time for a revamp.
In this guide, we’ll highlight five reasons to refresh your website and tips for making impactful updates. Along the way, we’ll highlight examples from the top college websites to show a few best practices in action.
1. You need to refresh the user journey
When a visitor lands on your college website, what’s the first thing they do? The answer depends on who they are and what they’re hoping to get out of their visit. You can create a simple, user-friendly experience for all visitors by updating your user journeys.
The user journey encompasses the steps visitors take to engage with your website: the links they click, forms they fill out, pages they read, and more.
Kanopi’s guide to higher ed web design offers these tips for designing compelling user journeys:
- Streamline navigation. Simplify your website’s main menu to include the categories that matter most to visitors. For most universities, this will include menu items like admissions, academics, campus/student life, alumni, donations, and athletics.
- Incorporate specific, eye-catching calls to action (CTAs). Include CTAs that speak to different user groups and their motivations. For example, The University of Arizona website includes a great “I Am” CTA that allows visitors to choose a category that best represents them. Then, they’re directed to a web page that compiles resources that are relevant to their needs.
- Offer concrete next steps. Provide a variety of quick links and FAQ pages to address common concerns and questions visitors may have. Empower them with clear ways to take action, whether by applying to your university, submitting a donation, registering for an event, etc.
Track website analytics, such as time on page, bounce rate, and conversion rates for different forms, to understand users’ satisfaction with your website. You can also track user flow to understand how visitors are moving throughout your website and the common steps they take as they navigate from page to page. Identify common drop-off or bounce points to investigate what causes visitors to leave your website, then adjust your user journey accordingly.
2. Your website could do more to drive donations
Plenty of people are willing to donate to colleges and universities, and the data reflects this commitment. Donations to higher education institutions in the U.S. rose 12.5% in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
However, if your college website doesn’t offer a variety of giving opportunities or adequately show the impact of donations, you could be leaving valuable dollars on the table.
Therefore, consider revamping your website to include more elements that promote giving, including:
- Donation page CTAs, such as a donation page menu link and buttons on your homepage
- Multiple giving options, such as online donations, planned gifts/bequests, in-kind donations, gifts of stock, etc.
- Stories that show the positive impact of donations on your student body or community
- Digital donor walls to recognize existing donors and highlight donation opportunities
To learn more ways to target prospective donors on your website, create donor personas based on supporter data and demographics. Go beyond alumni donors to develop personas for faculty and staff, business leaders in the local community, families of students, and foundations. These personas can help you design unique, personalized user journeys for each donor segment.
3. Your website needs to be more accessible
If your university’s website isn’t up to accessibility standards (and sadly, the majority of them aren’t), it’s important to correct any issues as quickly as possible. This ensures that you can build an inviting environment for all users and comply with ADA regulations.
Review your website to see if you need to improve the following elements:
- Strong color contrast
- Descriptive alternative text for images
- Accurate video captions
- Keyboard navigability
- Hierarchical heading structure
- Accessible digital waivers and forms
Offer an email address or form visitors can complete to report accessibility issues. For example, take a look at Adelphi University’s web accessibility information page and form for reporting issues:
This demonstrates how simple it can be to provide a resource for visitors and gather feedback that helps continuously improve your website.
4. You need to connect with more alumni
Your university’s alumni are among your most passionate supporters, lending a hand by participating in fundraising efforts, volunteer opportunities, and word-of-mouth marketing.
To show alumni that you appreciate them for more than just their financial support, your college website should provide a variety of ways for alumni to get involved beyond donating. For example, spotlight opportunities like:
- Volunteer initiatives
- Networking nights
- Mentorship opportunities
- Homecoming events
- Career services
- Award ceremonies
Gather a few alumni testimonials to include on your alumni information page or microsite to show other former students the benefits of getting involved. For example, you could spotlight alumni who are involved in your mentoring program or who have been able to find their dream jobs with the help of your career services. Seeing other alumni’s success will help encourage more engagement with your alumni program.
5. Your website isn’t inclusive enough
Your university’s website should be a welcoming resource for all online audience members. Prioritizing inclusivity tells all visitors—current and potential students, alumni, staff, and community members—“You belong here.”
Promote inclusivity by taking these steps:
- Share your diversity and inclusion policy. Include a prominent CTA or menu item that leads to your diversity and inclusion policy. This policy should include mission and vision statements as well as clear steps your university is taking to promote inclusivity.
- Share content that reflects the diversity of your student body. Make sure your website’s content, whether your images, blog posts, videos, or testimonials, mirrors the diversity of your campus. Prospective students from all backgrounds should be able to envision themselves becoming part of your community.
- Use inclusive form field options. Inclusive forms intentionally only ask questions your institution needs the answers to. They also provide a wide variety of options for demographic-related questions and don’t include character limits or minimums for names.
Diversity is improving at higher education institutions across the country, but there is still more work to be done. Make inclusivity a leading priority at your institution, and within your website’s content, to show prospective and current students you’re committed to developing an inviting campus community.
These tips are a great place to start when it comes to refreshing your website to align with current higher education trends. However, if your website needs more than a revamp, consult with a higher education website design professional. These experts can take a deep dive into your website strategy to design a user experience that appeals to multiple audiences, drives engagement, and enhances your university’s reputation.
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5 Reasons to Revamp Your College Website (& Refresh Tips)
Do you think your higher education website could use a makeover? Here are five reasons why you should revamp your college website and expert tips to do so.
Alumni Engagement
This is the season of charitable giving! We don’t know what it is about the holidays - the Christmas spirit of altruism or the December 31st tax receipt deadline. But we do know that we could expect an increase in donations coming in during this time of the year!
According to M+R Benchmarks Report, December giving accounts for 26% of annual nonprofit revenue.
This blog will help you amplify the impact of your year-end giving campaign. From crafting strategic partnerships to embracing innovative engagement techniques, we'll explore the key pillars that make a year-end initiative truly shine.
Donor Segmentation
Achieving personalization at scale might seem daunting. Here's where donor segmentation steps in as a strategic powerhouse for a successful end-of-year campaign.
The essence lies in tailoring messages based on behavior or traits—grouping donors into categories like LYBUNT, SYBUNT, First-time donors, Young alumni donors, etc., and acknowledging their support through gift size categories. The mission is clear: make every message resonate uniquely.
You can also:
- Utilize Existing Data: Incorporate names, last gift amounts, or dates for a personalized touch.
- Dynamic Appeals: Customize emails dynamically to ensure relevance.
- Surprise Personalization: Delight donors with occasional surprises, be it personalized acknowledgments or thank-you videos.
- VIP Tier: Establish a VIP tier for top donors, offering exclusive perks such as private groups or live sessions, fostering a sense of exclusivity and direct interaction with institutional leaders. to deepen their connection with your cause.
Create an Engagement Strategy for Pre-Giving Tuesday
In the midst of the holiday hustle, Giving Tuesday stands out as the day for charitable giving. To harness its potential, precision is key—target the right donors with a compelling message that highlights your nonprofit's unique value proposition and the direct impact of Giving Tuesday contributions.
There are many ways you can make your Giving Tuesday a hit!
- Dedicated Landing Page: Craft a user-friendly landing page—your central hub for details, goals, history, and the allure of matching gifts. Ensure it's a seamless experience for potential donors seeking information.
- Online Fundraising Tools: Simplify the giving process with online platforms, embedded donation forms, and personalized fundraising pages. User-friendly interfaces pave the way for seamless contributions.
- Text2Give for Mobile Donations: Capitalize on mobile usage trends by incorporating Text2Give. Enable quick and convenient mobile donations to capture a broader audience.
- Peer-to-Peer Solutions: Tap into social giving networks using peer-to-peer fundraising solutions. Leverage the power of community and shared giving experiences.
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- Take Advantage of Shopping Savings: Capitalize on the strategic timing of Giving Tuesday following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Encourage donors to redirect their shopping savings towards your cause. Make it tangible—associate specific dollar amounts with impactful contributions to individuals, projects, or programs.
- Gamify Giving: Infuse an element of gamification by setting milestones and challenges tied to giving. Encourage friendly competition among donors to reach specific goals, creating excitement and momentum.
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- Leverage AI: Utilize AI for year-end giving with personalized donor interactions, real-time data analysis, and automated follow-ups. Predictive modeling identifies potential donors, while sentiment analysis ensures timely feedback response. Streamline the giving process with donor journey mapping, refine messaging through A/B testing, and create urgency with dynamic giving thermometers. AI optimizes engagement, tailors strategies, and maximizes fundraising impact for a successful year-end giving day.
💡 With Almabase, you can seamlessly create engaging campaigns with leaderboards, thermometers, and more.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Strategic collaborations can elevate your year-end giving campaign to new heights. Imagine the resonance of every donation being doubled, not just by one entity but through a mix of foundations, companies, and dedicated alumni.
However, proposing custom matching gift initiatives to companies without existing programs may seem like opening new doors. The hack here lies in education and incentive. Provide a toolkit simplifying the process for both the company and your alumni, emphasizing the profound impact of matching gifts.
Communicate Effectively
Personalization is your key to success. Tailoring messages to address donors by name, referencing their past contributions, and articulating specific impacts significantly elevates the efficacy of fundraising appeals.
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Some channels you can focus on:
- Video appeals can serve as a visually compelling medium to narrate beneficiary stories and showcase organizational impact.
- Website appeals help create dedicated year-end giving pages featuring compelling visuals, impactful beneficiary stories, and streamlined donation forms that can enhance the donor's online experience.
- Email marketing can be a successful mode of communication through effective segmentation, attention-grabbing subject lines, and concise, mobile-friendly content are crucial elements for enhancing the effectiveness of email campaigns.
- Social media stories can help you create engaging narratives, highlighting stories of individuals or projects directly impacted by Giving Tuesday contributions. Visual storytelling fosters a sense of connection and urgency.
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A robust follow-through strategy is essential in sustaining donor momentum throughout the year-end fundraising campaign. Continuous reminders, balanced urgency in messaging, and targeted follow-up appeals contribute to maintaining engagement without overwhelming donors.
Donor Stewardship
We all know that swift acknowledgments significantly boost the likelihood of repeat donations, making prompt gratitude a strategic move. However, the art of appreciation extends beyond mere transactional gestures.
This might include weaving stories into thank-you letters that evoke emotion and connection, illuminating the journey of individuals or causes touched by the donor's support, emphasizing tangible change, or shifting the narrative to showcase the donor's role in solving the problem. You can also capture attention by strategically using visual cues such as brackets, PS lines, or bold/underlined text.
How to Amplify the Impact of the Year-End Giving Campaign?
Explore actionable tips for a successful year-end giving campaign, focusing on donor segmentation, precise engagement for Giving Tuesday, strategic partnerships, etc.
Fundraising
Ho, ho, ho—the holiday season is quickly approaching. Schools like yours are presented with a powerful opportunity to engage supporters amidst a period of heightened generosity and giving, in which alumni are one of the most essential segments to consider.
And it’s the perfect time to increase your matching gift fundraising efforts, too!
But do you have a plan in place to optimize alumni outreach and make the most of your donation match potential as the end of the year draws near? In this blog post, we’ll demonstrate exactly how you can do so by incorporating these tried-and-true practices:
- Implement a multi-channel EOY matching gift marketing plan.
- Craft compelling messaging centered around matching gift impact.
- Integrate matching gifts directly into your holiday giving experience.
- Pursue matching gifts from previously made alumni donations.
- Consider exploring new matching gift partnerships.
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The end-of-year fundraising season is one of the most lucrative times for colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. A well-thought-out strategy for matching gifts can make your efforts go even further as you prepare your team for the coming year.
Let’s dive in!
1. Implement a multichannel EOY matching gift marketing plan.
Matching gifts often go unclaimed due to a lack of awareness on the part of the donors who unknowingly qualify. Therefore, spreading knowledge of the programs is one of the best ways to increase participation—and it’s a good idea to market the opportunity using all of your favorite donor communication channels.
For example, Double the Donation’s matching gift experts recommend:
Sharing ample matching gift information on your school website. Connect with alumni online by providing substantial information regarding matching gifts on your school’s website. This should include a page dedicated to matching gift opportunities, a section on your “Ways to Give” page, and more. And if you have access to a matching gift database tool, add that widget here as well.
Promoting matching gift opportunities on your social media pages. Regularly share materials that highlight the availability and impact of corporate matching gifts on your institution’s social media profiles—and ramp up your content schedule leading up to the end of the year. Direct followers to the matching gift hub on your website for additional information, and encourage them to look into their own employers’ available programming.
Mentioning matching gifts in all alumni email communications. In the coming weeks, you likely have a plan to send alumni newsletters, fundraising appeals, campaign updates, gift acknowledgments, and more to engage supporters in your year-end efforts. Be sure to include valuable mentions of matching gifts in these communications! Not sure where to start? Check out some sample matching gift blurbs you can leverage in your outreach here.
2. Craft compelling messaging focused on matching gift impact.
Alumni already have a significant connection to your cause. They’ve seen firsthand the widespread benefits your institution has on your school community, and that’s why they’re interested in giving back to support your future endeavors.
Ensure you communicate well how matching gift opportunities can produce a tangible impact for your specific fundraising needs. This might include success stories, testimonials, and metrics related to matching gifts.
Consider the following example: “In 2023, our school collected more than $50,000 worth of matching gifts from alumni donors who took the extra step on our behalf. This supplemental funding allowed our team to provide additional scholarships for 10 eager students who are now able to join our school community. One donor shared the following about the experience: ‘I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have my employer DOUBLE my gift to my alma mater. I was feeling generous in the giving season and came to find out that my contribution was able to make an even greater impact for the school I love.’”
3. Integrate matching gifts into your holiday giving experience.
During the holiday season, alumni engagement tends to surge, resulting in significant increases in individual giving. To harness this heightened generosity, incorporating matching gift opportunities directly within the donation process goes a long way.
For instance, once an individual completes their donation through the online form and clicks "submit," they can be redirected to a confirmation page that encourages them to explore matching gift possibilities. This approach facilitates a straightforward way to extend their support for your school while retaining the momentum of the initial giving experience.
Top tip: For donors who opt not to complete their match immediately from the gift confirmation screen, your school can trigger post-transaction reminders (ideally within 24 hours of the initial gift) as well!
4. Pursue matching gifts from previously made alumni donations.
Did you know that the holiday giving season, which coincides with the end of the calendar year, is also an excellent opportunity to re-engage donors from earlier in the year?
Tons of companies require employees to submit their match requests during the year in which the initial gift was made. That means many matching gift submission windows are set to close in the coming weeks—and that a year-end push can be particularly effective!
Not only does this allow you to secure last-minute matching gift funds, but it also empowers supporters to get involved in your year-end campaign without requiring another donation. For example, an alumnus who last gave in January may still qualify to request a match even if they don’t have the funds to make an additional gift at this time.
5. Consider exploring new matching gift partnerships.
A final way to drive matching gift revenue this giving season involves pursuing relationships with companies that may otherwise not match employee gifts. And that is exploring custom (or “one-off”) matching gift partnerships.
In order to do so, begin by identifying and reaching out to corporations whose values align with your school's mission. It’s great if you have something in common to help get your foot in the door—such as an overlap between your alumni or donors and the company’s employees or even geographic proximity.
Communicate the opportunity to your point of contact at the business, being sure to emphasize the benefits to the company’s employee engagement, public image, and more. Plus, keep in mind that your alumni or other existing donors can be some of your greatest advocates in this process. Encourage supporters to pitch the idea to their employers, facilitate a warm introduction for your institution, or help guide the company through the program development process.
Not to mention, the end-of-year holiday season is an excellent chance to pursue these types of partnerships. After all, it’s not just your donors who tend to experience an elevated giving spirit—their employers may be, too
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As you begin crafting your end-of-year appeals, don’t let corporate matching donations fall by the wayside. Securing matching gifts during the holiday giving season enables your school to make the most of incoming funds, re-engage previous donors, bankroll important initiatives, support your student community, and enhance alumni relations.
By equipping your development team with the right tools to streamline and advance your efforts (such as the Almabase + Double the Donation matching gifts integration), you can do more to pursue corporate matching opportunities while requiring less time and resources.
About the Author
Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of matching gift tools to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Adam created Double the Donation in order to help nonprofits increase their annual revenue through corporate matching gift and volunteer grant programs.
Securing Matching Gifts From Alumni This Holiday Season
Unlock the power of alumni support this holiday season! Discover effective strategies for securing more matching gift funding from your school’s graduates.
Fundraising
If you’ve ever been rock climbing or whitewater rafting, you probably remember signing a waiver before getting started. While these documents are just a small part of your experience as a participant, they are incredibly important to the business or organization hosting the activity.
By choosing digital waivers, your school can see why waivers are so beneficial to the organizations that use them. From using the data you gather via waivers to develop deeper relationships with your donors to going paperless, digital waivers are designed to make the process easier and more convenient for everyone.
Before diving into the benefits of digital waivers, let's cover the basics you’ll need to get started.
How can you make a waiver?
Most often, waivers are used prior to events or activities that involve some level of risk to participants, such as injury or financial loss
Because waivers are legal documents, it’s important to take care when creating them—fortunately, digital waiver tools can streamline the process for you. Smartwaiver’s guide to creating a waiver breaks down this process into four steps:
- Work with a lawyer.
- Invest in digital waiver software.
- Determine the type of waiver you need.
- Add the form to your waiver tool.
Once you’ve loaded your completed waiver into your waiver software, you can start sharing it with participants ahead of the event. This way, participants can access the waiver in advance and skip the check-in desk at your event or activity.
In addition to added convenience for your supporters, here are three more benefits to switching to digital waivers:
What are the top benefits of digital waivers?
1. Improved convenience and accessibility.
If your school already uses physical waivers and other paper forms, you know how much time (and funding) printing and organizing those papers can take. Digital waivers are hosted entirely online, meaning they’ll lend much more convenience and flexibility to you and your donors or alumni.
Here are three ways you’ll save time and bring opportunities to participate to more people:
- No more filing - Digital waivers are 100% paperless, so you won’t need to spend time filing them or making copies. This could save your school hundreds of dollars in printing costs, and your staff will have more time to do tasks related to serving students, funding your school, or connecting with the community.
- Compatible with assistive technology - Assistive technology like screen readers or magnifiers helps those with permanent or temporary disabilities communicate and interact. Unlike with paper documents, these tools can be applied to your digital waiver to make reading and signing it easier for all participants.
- Locating documents is much easier - If an incident happens to a participant at your event, you’ll need to find the waiver they signed. Instead of rifling through a file cabinet, you can simply search for a person’s name in your waiver provider’s database and immediately find the document.
In addition to saving you time and money, a paperless approach is much more sustainable. For schools that value sustainability and limiting their negative impact on the environment, this can be a significant reason to start using digital waivers.
2. More personalized communications.
Whether your school is hosting an important annual fundraiser or building relationships with alumni, data can come in handy. Waivers can help you collect this data so you can tailor the way you communicate with donors, parents, and other supporters.
With personal data gleaned from waivers, you can make the following types of messages feel more genuine:
- Marketing efforts - You may have heard that personalized marketing messages are the new standard, but, this can be easier said than done. Digital waivers give you some information to help you get started, such as first and last name, contact information, and birth date (i.e., age). You can also add custom fields to secure other information, like the participant’s interests or relation to your school.
- Thank-you letters - Writing volunteer or donor thank-you letters will foster a sense of appreciation and understanding between you and your supporters. Use what you learn from waivers to tailor these letters to each supporter. For example, you can greet them by name, mention the specific events they attended, and invite them to future opportunities based on what you can infer about their interests.
- Non-transactional message - You can engage your supporters beyond donating by contacting them for reasons outside of fundraising or asking them to do something for you (e.g., sharing your latest blog post). For example, you might share a message with them on their birthday using the date you have on file from a waiver they signed. You can also use dates on waivers to track important milestones, like the anniversary of their first event with your school.
While it is possible to collect this data with traditional paper waivers, your school would need to spend hours translating those records into digital spreadsheets. Make sure to work with a digital waiver provider that has robust data analytics tools so you can take full advantage of this valuable information.
3. Deepened relationships with parents and donors.
Because of their added convenience and ease of use, digital waivers can even have a positive impact on parents, donors, alumni, and anyone else who uses these documents.
For example, you can enhance their experiences by:
- Using waiver kiosks or creating scannable QR codes linked to the waiver to limit lines at your check-in desk.
- Helping participants prepare by letting them know about the conditions of the event (if it’s a color run, for example, they may want a change of clothes).
- Promising secure, trustworthy data storage.
- Eliminating the possibility of lost paperwork.
- Offering a way to provide feedback to your school via custom, open-ended fields in the document.
These enhancements make for extremely positive experiences with your school. Over time, this will drive more attendance at events, help boost revenue, and empower you to cultivate lasting relationships with donors, alumni, and your community.
While waivers are extremely important for legal reasons, don’t miss out on the benefits that go beyond liability protection. A digital waiver makes the process easy and approachable for your school, and you can rest assured that sensitive data is kept safe. When you can leverage this data, you’ll be able to learn more about your school’s supporters to foster deeper relationships, provide them with positive experiences, and have authentic, connection-promoting interactions with them.
3 Ways Using a Digital Waiver Can Benefit Your School
Did you know digital waivers can do more for your school? Learn how to get started with digital waivers and take advantage of these three top benefits.
Events
As a school administrator or fundraising coordinator, you know the importance of carefully planning and executing school fundraisers. After all, the supplementary revenue from these campaigns allows you to enrich students’ educational experiences in various ways, from upgrading the school’s technology to purchasing new sports equipment for physical education classes.
The key to effective school fundraising is getting your whole community involved in campaigns they’ll enjoy participating in. Chances are there are more people than you’d think who are invested in your students’ academic success—you just need to provide them with appealing opportunities to support your school.
In this guide, we’ll walk through three strategies for engaging your community in your school fundraisers, including how to:
- Understand Your Audiences
- Diversify Your Fundraising Methods
- Promote Your Fundraisers Through Multiple Channels
As you apply these tips to your school’s campaigns, make sure that your offline and online fundraising efforts align. Each type has different advantages—for instance, digital campaigns are often more convenient to participate in, while traditional fundraisers can make it easier to form individual connections with supporters. Keep this in mind when building out your fundraising calendar to maximize the benefits to your school. Let’s dive in!
1. Understand Your Audiences
The first step in planning a school fundraiser that will excite your community is to know who your target audiences are. That’s right, audiences—there are several different groups of people you’ll need to engage in your campaigns, including:
- Faculty and staff, to ensure that their needs and desires are taken into account as you plan fundraising initiatives and allocate the revenue generated from them.
- Parents and other family members, since this group is likely to be the most interested in improving their children’s education.
- Your school's alumni, who have likely reflected on their time as students and may want to help enhance the experience for those who come after them.
- Current students, as they’re the ones who will benefit most directly from your fundraising efforts.
Each group’s involvement in your fundraisers will vary depending on your students’ education level. For example, parents will often take a more active role in elementary school fundraisers, while alumni are more likely to participate in higher education campaigns. However, you should still consider all of these groups because together they constitute the bulk of your school’s community.
2. Diversify Your Fundraising Methods
Many schools rely on the same few fundraisers year after year. While having some tried-and-true ideas in your toolbox can be useful for planning purposes, diversifying your fundraising methods can spark new interest in your campaigns. Plus, having multiple revenue streams is more financially sustainable—your school will be in a better position to fund its initiatives even if some costs are higher than expected or a revenue source falls through.
Some new campaigns to consider adding to your school’s fundraising strategy include:
- Online shopping fundraisers - This type of campaign allows community members to contribute to your school simply by making everyday purchases at participating online retailers. You may have heard of AmazonSmile before its 2023 discontinuation, and there are alternative fundraising platforms your school can still use that function similarly to the Smile program but provide even more flexibility and higher commission rates.
- Gift card fundraising - This method involves supporters buying gift cards to their favorite businesses where a portion of the proceeds go back to your school. ShopRaise’s gift card fundraising guide recommends partnering with a platform that offers a variety of digital gift cards, as this provides supporters with a wide range of options and makes the gift cards easy to distribute via email.
- Crowdfunding - Crowdfunding campaigns are great for funding specific projects that can benefit from many small donations, and their social sharing ability encourages donors to get their friends and family involved. Make sure your fundraiser has a defined goal and time frame to create a sense of urgency around contributing.
- Events - Whether they’re held in-person or virtually, fundraising events bring your school’s community together around a common cause. There are also many types of events that work well for schools, from auctions to walk-a-thons to family movie nights, so choose one that resonates with your supporter base.
No matter what fundraising methods you try at your school, collect participation data and ask for supporters’ feedback on each one. Then, use this information to determine which fundraisers are most popular among your community so you can focus on those methods going forward.
3. Promote Your Fundraisers Through Multiple Channels
Use a multi-channel marketing strategy to spread the word about all of your school fundraisers. Leveraging several communication methods creates multiple opportunities for community members to learn about your fundraiser, which in turn can lead to increased involvement.
Here are some popular marketing channels that you could use to promote your school’s fundraisers:
- Your website - When community members want in-depth information about your school’s activities, they’ll likely turn to your website. Create a dedicated fundraising page that includes a calendar of all of the campaigns you’re planning for the current academic year and descriptions of each of your fundraisers. Also, include links to signup forms, landing pages, or other materials necessary to participate.
- Email marketing - If your school sends out a weekly or monthly newsletter, add a “Fundraising” section to each issue. Additionally, send out individualized email blasts to each of your major mailing lists: parents and guardians, alumni, faculty, and staff.
- Social media - Your school’s social media accounts are a great way to keep the community up to date on current fundraising initiatives. Make sure to tailor your content to each platform for maximum engagement. For example, you might turn a text-based Facebook post into a series of infographics for Instagram and a short explainer video for TikTok.
- Flyers - Consider supplementing your digital communications with print marketing materials like fundraising flyers to increase awareness of your campaigns. Hang flyers around the school building in places where students and parents are likely to see them, such as the front lobby and the cafeteria, and send a copy home with each student. To connect your online and offline efforts, include a QR code to your signup form or landing page.
Similarly to your campaigns themselves, collect and analyze data on each of your marketing methods to see which ones are most effective at reaching your community. That way, you can put more time and resources into the channels that convert more supporters.
Keep in mind that every school is unique, so the fundraising and marketing methods that best engage your community might be different from other schools in your area. But with the right tools and a strong understanding of your school’s target audiences, you can develop a fundraising strategy that generates both excitement and reliable revenue.
Engaging the Community: 3 Strategies for School Fundraising
To maximize your school’s fundraising efforts, you need to plan campaigns your community will enjoy participating in. Get started with these three strategies.
Alumni Engagement
K-12 schools and higher ed institutions, public and private alike, rely on smart fundraising strategies to generate the revenue needed to maintain and grow their operations. But planning and carrying out fundraising initiatives without the donor data to inform them can feel like a shot in the dark.
By harnessing the power of data analytics, however, educational institutions can unlock new avenues of support and establish personalized fundraising tactics that resonate with supporters on a deeper level.
In this blog post, we delve into the world of data-driven fundraising and explore what schools of all shapes and sizes need to know.
The Value of a Data-Informed Fundraising Approach
A data-informed fundraising approach empowers school fundraisers to build and strengthen donor relationships in a rapidly changing landscape. Today, tailored engagement efforts are seeing particularly high levels of success, with personalized initiatives resonating deeply with organizations’ support networks.
In fact, according to industry research, personalized emails see open rates over 82% higher than generic emails, while segmented campaigns produce up to 760% revenue growth!
Each contact in your CRM is a different person who has their own unique set of behaviors, preferences, and history with your school. For example, Sarah (a recent college grad and devoted alumnus who has recently begun donating to the college's scholarship fund) and John (a retired faculty member who actively participates in campus events and has supported the annual fund campaign for the past twenty years) should not be engaged with in the same way.
Instead, the insights gleaned from personal interactions, surveys and forms, and third-party resources—powered by smart technology—can guide your efforts with individualized engagement recommendations and more.
In this guide, we’ll explore several critical donor data points and how each one can inform your school’s efforts. These include:
- Demographic Information
- Relation to the Institution
- Engagement History
- Communication Preference
- Employment Details
- Wealth Level
- Affinity and Interests
The more you know, the better you can tailor your strategy for each person supporting your cause. By establishing donor-centric fundraising practices, you can create a positive giving experience that fosters long-term engagement that goes beyond any single transaction.
Demographic Information
Demographic data is some of the most basic information you can collect about a donor. And it’s the foundation of a successfully personalized strategy.
Key demographic points to look out for include a supporter’s name (full name and preferred name or nickname, if applicable), contact information (phone number, email address, social media handles, etc.), address and geographic location, age or D.O.B., and more.
How to get this data point: Ask for these details on your online donation pages. While you’ll want to limit the number of required form fields to the must-haves (typically name and email), the rest can be optional requests. Tons of donors are willing to provide additional information when asked!
Relation to the Institution
Understanding a donor or prospect’s affiliation with your school can be the key to pulling off an effectively tailored strategy. After all, it’s likely one of the primary motivations behind an individual’s giving.
For example, you’d likely take a different approach to alumni engagement than you would for a current student, faculty member, or unrelated donor. Each group has its own unique set of defining characteristics, and acknowledging a supporter’s relationship with your school can establish a more personalized giving experience.
How to get this data point: This is another piece of information you can ask for in your donation form. Consider implementing an optional drop-down field that encourages donors to mark their status as a student, alumnus, family member, friend, faculty/staff, or other.
Engagement History
A donor’s past giving patterns can be one of the largest indicators of future behavior. By tracking how your supporters are involved with your school, you can take key steps to encourage further support. For example, you’ll be able to better understand giving motivations, predict engagement trends, and even uncover major donor opportunities.
Keep in mind that engagement history should go beyond traditional donations—and encompass all instances of giving, volunteering, peer-to-peer fundraising, attending events, matching gifts, and more.
How to get this data point: This information should be quick and easy to locate in your donor database. To ensure you have a thorough understanding of each individual’s engagement with your institution, regularly updating your CRM is a must.
Communication Preference
If you send donation appeals using a channel that a donor doesn’t care for, your outreach is more likely to be discarded without consideration. On the other hand, if you use an individual’s favorite means of communication, you can expect a significantly greater response.
Thus, tracking and analyzing donor communication preferences can go a long way—not only in securing more gifts for your school, but also in reducing costs invested in non-responsive channels.
How to get this data point: Take a look at your recent interactions with a donor. Do they tend to be more responsive over email compared to direct mail? Do they favor phone calls or text messages? Your past campaign conversion rates can provide a ton of useful details. Alternatively, consider sending a donor survey that asks respondents to share their preferred communication channels to get straight to the point!
Employment Details
Knowing where your donors work is one of the most impactful data points you can have. Not only does employment data allow your team to uncover existing workplace giving opportunities (i.e., matching gifts, volunteer grants, annual giving stipends, and more) within your support network, but it can also inform your broader corporate partnership strategy, provide wealth insights, and allow for increasingly personalized outreach.
While the employing company is the most important aspect, it also helps to have additional insights such as their job title, rank, and part-time versus full-time status. Many companies even match donations made by their retirees—so don’t count them out, either!
How to get this data point: Employment information is another data point that can be collected directly within the online giving experience. But our #1 recommendation is to integrate your fundraising platform with an innovative matching gift tool—like Double the Donation’s partnership with Almabase!
Leveraging a solution like this empowers your school to collect employment data from donors as they reach the confirmation screen. Plus, it allows you to screen contact information for corporate email addresses and trigger automated post-donation outreach—each of which provides your team with employer insights.
Wealth Level
Asking for too much from your donors can lead to extra “no’s,” while asking for too little often leaves available dollars on the table. Thus, having a basic understanding of an individual’s wealth level and capacity to give can help your development team tailor gift requests with optimal donation suggestions that resonate with the prospect.
This information can also help uncover major donation opportunities that already exist in your network—you just might not know it yet!
How to get this data point: Conduct a wealth screening of the donors, prospects, and alumni in your database to identify those with the ability to contribute substantial gifts. Take a look at common wealth markers like stock ownership, real estate holdings, past giving, and previously uncovered employment details to estimate an individual’s capacity to give.
Affinity and Interests
Beyond a donor’s financial giving abilities, another key tenet of prospect research includes looking into the person’s affinity to give. In other words—do they take a natural liking to your cause?
If an individual has an existing relationship with your school (i.e., student, alumnus, faculty member, family, etc.), that connection often does produce an affinity to support your efforts. However, you’d want to note that a chemistry student would likely be more inclined to donate to an expansion of the college’s science wing rather than a scholarship fund for incoming art classes.
How to get this data point: Make a note in your donor database after each meeting with a major donor or prospect. If they mention any particular interests, jot it down to have on record going forward. If an individual is an alumnus of your institution, their major or field of study can provide some insight into their personal and professional interests.
As the educational fundraising landscape continues to evolve, data-driven fundraising becomes increasingly essential to unlocking untapped potential.
The invaluable insights gleaned from supporter data can empower your institution to make the most of available resources, identify and engage effectively with high-value prospects, and enhance donor retention—from first-time donors to life-long supporters.
Make sure your development team has the tools and the strategies in place to collect, store, and analyze the data available to you. Don’t let that resource go to waste!
Data-Driven Fundraising for K12 and Higher Ed: What to Know
Discover the power of data-driven fundraising for K-12 and higher education institutions. Learn essential tips to boost your fundraising results here.
Fundraising
Adam Weinger
October 10, 2023
12 minutes
Alumni events and reunions are essential for keeping alumni connected to each other and your school. These events present the perfect opportunity to fundraise by evoking a nostalgia of fond memories of their time at your school. So as you consider event options to bring your alumni together, consider these fundraising-savvy ideas to host an engaging and successful alumni event:
1. Auction Extravaganza
Auctions are a tried and true fundraising concept. Their appeal goes beyond charity and the support of alumni's beloved alma mater—they get the chance to engage in some friendly competition with fellow alums to win a variety of items in exchange for their generosity. Your development staff also gets to build relationships with alumni and make connections that go beyond the auction itself.
The type of auction you hold is up to you, based on your school and team’s preferences, the event the auction might accompany, and the donated items you’re able to secure. A live auction is typically reserved for bigger ticket items, such as vacations or one-of-a-kind experiences, and held at the end of a gala or charity golf tournament. In general, a silent auction boasts more numerous, but smaller, items that are bid on over the course of the event or before with the use of a mobile bidding platform. These might include gift baskets from local businesses or branded gear from your school.
First, choose what type of auction you will hold and whether or not it will be held in conjunction with another event. Next, reach out to your networks for auction item donations and sponsorships. Donated items are the key to maximizing fundraising, so utilize your connections at area businesses for donated goods and services to include in your auction. Think about items that will make your auction unique, like personalized prizes for certain graduating classes or memorabilia from your school.
If you are hosting an online or a virtual live auction, you'll need to choose an auction management platform to run the auction and make it easy for alumni to place bids on their mobile devices and pay for their winning bids. Be sure to promote the auction in your event outreach, highlighting big-ticket or exclusive items that alumni will find attractive. Finally, create baskets and displays for each item that alumni can peruse as they place bids.
2. Sports-Related Events
Nothing rallies alumni quite like sports, so take advantage of their passion by hosting a sport-related alumni event, such as:
- Watch party: Host an event to watch your school or other beloved sports team play in a sporting event. Ask folks to make a donation when they RSVP or have a donation station at the event. This could be held at a sports bar, your school’s gym or arena, or other popular location.
- Tailgate party: Invite alumni to get prepped for a big game by gathering before the event for fun, food, and fellowship. You can charge a flat fee for alumni to attend or find a sponsor to offset costs and make donation asks throughout the party.
- Sports tournament: Tap into your alums’ competitive nature and love for activity with a tournament. For example, a golf tournament fundraiser is a great way to bring alumni together for a fun day on the course to raise money for your school. According to GolfStatus, golf tournaments attract donors and sponsors with a higher net worth and affinity to give. Other ideas might include a pickleball tournament, cornhole tournament, volleyball tournament, or a run-walk.
Gamified events also feature multiple ways to incorporate fun and lucrative revenue-boosting activities, such as hole-in-one contests for a golf tournament.
3. Alumni-led Workshops & Seminars
Your school’s network likely includes many established and successful alumni in their fields. Don’t underestimate the value of providing valuable opportunities to network and broaden professional skills. Hold a workshop, networking event, lecture, or seminar led by one or more alums. Your alumni will love to connect with their peers about topics they’re interested in and passionate about and support your school.
These events could be held alongside another fundraising or school event, such as a conference, homecoming weekend, or concert, or as a standalone event. Monetize the event by charging a registration fee and securing sponsors for the event, with all proceeds going to the alumni fund. And thanks to a myriad of webinars and other virtual event platforms, these events can easily be made virtual or hybrid, allowing you to engage a wider audience that might not be able to attend in person.
4. Galas
Who doesn’t love dressing up every once in a while? Consider throwing a black-tie or other themed gala fundraiser for an event with an upscale appeal. You might try to tailor your gala specifically to alumni with higher net worth and giving capacity, but you can also structure it to allow more people to attend. Galas can raise money in a number of ways, including ticket sales, an accompanying silent and/or live auction, table sponsorships, other sponsorships, and opportunities to make donations. You might invite a guest speaker or two, or ask notable alumni to share inspiring stories about their time at your school or take the opportunity to present awards to distinguished alumni. Choose an upscale venue, serve a delicious meal, and provide entertainment to make the entire event unforgettable—and make alumni open their wallets.
The type of alumni fundraising event you choose is just one piece of the puzzle. Effective outreach is just as important as planning and executing the event itself. Find ways to optimize your outreach efforts to boost participation and better engage alumni. Try strategies such as segmenting your audience and tailoring messaging to each segment, or hosting social media challenges to spread awareness about the event and use individual alum’s networks to get others excited about it and jump at the chance to participate.
In the end, you’ll forge strong connections between your school and its alumni, boost fundraising, and set your school up for success in the future.
4 Event Ideas That Raise Money & Connect With Alumni
Achieving fundraising success starts with creating effective fundraising ideas. Consider trying these event ideas to engage your alumni and raise more funds.
Fundraising
See how leading institutions put these ideas into action
