Have Your Alumni Forsaken You?
Alumni giving is a critical part of your school’s academic fundraising effort. Unfortunately, studies show that since 2001 there has been a steady decline in alumni donations. So, have alumni forsaken the very institutions that prepared them for life and career? In most cases, they have not. Fact is, most graduates have fond memories of their college days and would gladly give back. The problem is they haven’t been asked.
Advantage offers colleges and universities a complete fundraising
solution that helps re-build relationships with alumni
while giving a boost to fundraising efforts.
To help institutions overcome the hurdles of academic fundraising, Advantage works closely with academic leaders to launch alumni giving campaigns that enable institutions to:
- Clean up their alumni data pool;
- Locate alumni that have fallen off the institution’s radar;
- Create an effective funding strategy;
- Deliver a compelling giving proposition to alumni; and
- Offer multiple channels by which alumni can give.
Update Data Pool
In pursuit of life, dreams and careers, graduates often move, get married, change names and phone numbers making it difficult for their alma mater to maintain accurate alumni data. Moreover, the integrity of alumni data is often further compromised by inadequate recordkeeping and the spread of data cross multiple data systems throughout the institution. Advantage understands these challenges and provides the support institutions need to update their alumni files with the most current information available. To help you clean up their data pool, our team of data experts will update your alumni records and deliver current alumni data packaged in a user-friendly format.
Learn more about how Advantage updates your data pool. >>
Crafting Your Funding Strategy
As with all campaigns, strategy is key. Our team of experts will work with your development team to craft a funding strategy that capitalizes on your institutions brand, reputation and alumni loyalty. Once your funding strategy has been outlined, Advantage will work with you to execute a plan of action utilizing our agents and/or your internal team.
Your funding strategy can be based on a 1, 2 or 5-year plan, and include one or more of the following campaigns:
Sustainer Campaign. A giving program in which members of your alumni can commit to making a monthly donation, which will be automatically deducted from their bank account.
Annual Gift Campaign. Annual giving campaigns are ideal for soliciting large gifts. Strategically, they can be tailored to target members of your alumni who prefer to give once a year.
College Events. College events, such as sporting, homecoming, and class reunions provide great opportunities to reach members of your alumni. Asking alumni to pledge a gift during a reminiscent and fun-filled visit to the old alma mater is an effective funding strategy.
Planned Giving
Our affiliated financial planners will consult with your alumni to develop personal Charitable Estate Plans that enable them to leave legacy gifts to their alma mater in their will or trust. Such gifts include annuities, real estate, cash, stocks/securities, and more.
Alumni Outreach
Reaching your alumni can sometimes be difficult. Advantage offers multiple channels by which we can deliver your institution’s giving proposition. Our technological capabilities enable us to reach your alumni through a variety of channels, including:
- Contact Center Inbound/Outbound Calls
- Direct Mail
- Web Link
Reporting & Follow-Up
To gauge the success of your campaign, Advantage provides daily reports along with a cumulative report to help us analyze and assess our tactics. In addition, we will update your institution’s database with giving history, follow-up on unfulfilled pledges of support, and collaborate with you to develop a fundraising plan for the upcoming year.