Case Study
A Regional University in Tennessee
By identifying key people groups, GivingDNA helped the university navigate a sensitive situation and double their response goals.
By the
Numbers
$20k
Overall amount raised during the campaign
14%
Percent of donors who made their largest gifts to date to the appeal
47%
to
60%
Increases in giving higher than the average gift given from this cohort over the previous three months to start the year
By the
Numbers
$20k
Overall amount raised during the campaign
14%
Percent of donors who made their largest gifts to date to the appeal
47%
to
60%
Increases in giving higher than the average gift given from this cohort over the previous three months to start the year
The Challenge
A regional university in Tennessee made headlines when one of their sports teams kneeled during “The Star Spangled Banner.” In response, the reaction of the deeply-rooted southern community spanned the divide, from those who believe kneeling during the national anthem is an appropriate form of protest to those who believe the act is ineffective at best and disrespectful at worst. As a member of the Advancement Department noted, “No matter how you feel about this issue, in this part of the country especially, it was a very big deal!”
Given these realities, the university planned to launch their annual Day of Giving in the spring, but wondered if they might be able to appropriately adjust their funding priorities to match the concerns raised by their community. That’s when the university reached out to GivingDNA for help. Specifically, their Advancement team wondered if any behavioral data existed that would allow them to tap into two completely different giving segments: 1) those who voice support for equity and diversity, and 2) those who voice support for veterans and patriotism.
With these guidelines in place, Ryan Carpenter, VP, Client Success, got to work on thinking about how various digital strategies might be implemented to help the school successfully navigate an annual giving campaign, despite present tensions.
We previously had a hard time getting accurate reporting information, but the reporting features, statistics, and demographics GivingDNA provided helped us diversify our messages to meet different audience needs and help us reach our goals.
Executive Director
Annual Fund
The Solution
The university partnered with GivingDNA to identify and diversify the needs of two separate audiences in order to meet annual Day of Giving goals.
- First, by using political associations and various philanthropic priorities, GivingDNA identified 3,055 constituents that would likely support messages of equity and diversity.
- Second, by looking at political leanings, veteran status, and philanthropic priorities, GivingDNA identified another 2,200 constituents that would likely support messages focused on patriotism and veterans.
From there, the university emailed out two different versions of the annual Giving Day appeal, each addressing the topic in a way that resonated with each group.
The Results
With GivingDNA, the advancement team experienced a 2 percent response rate, which was double their initial goal for the mailing campaign. According to a member of the advancement team, “104 people made a gift, with an average gift size of $131. This made the storm we’ve weathered well worth it in the end!”
Using the tools of fundraising analytics, data visualization, and wealth screening tools, the university gained valuable insights, further helping them best communicate to different groups of donors. As a result, 14 percent of donors made their largest gifts to date to this appeal; additionally, these gifts were 47 to 60 percent higher than the average gift given from this cohort over the previous three months to start the year.
In total, the university raised $20,000 during the campaign. When change is often the only constant, the Advancement Department is excited to see how the tool can continue to serve their future fundraising needs.
