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The Story Behind Success
Indiana State University closed its second-ever comprehensive campaign, surpassing its $100M goal. Yet as the campaign wound down, leaders recognized a gap in their advancement structure.
The Challenge
With 110,000 alumni and only seven frontline fundraisers, the vast majority of annual giving donors did not receive the one-to-one engagement, as most of the team's resources were dedicated to major gifts. This left the base of the giving pyramid under-resourced.
The Solution
Indiana State added Samantha, a Virtual Engagement Officer, to manage a portfolio of annual giving donors with recent gift activity who were not assigned to a gift officer, along with foundation members who opted in. The goal: strengthen retention, increase participation, and build sustainable support from this under-engaged segment.
The Results
Samantha demonstrated the ability to strengthen donor relationships and generate gifts as the natural outcome of engagement. Since launch, Samantha has raised $160,502 from 1,285 gifts, including $8,821 from lapsed donors who re-engaged after years of inactivity.
Impact By The Numbers
$160K
1,285
Raised
Gifts
$8.8K
Lapsed Recaptures
14K
Personalized touchpoints
Sustaining Momentum Beyond the Campaign
Through personalized outreach, stewardship touches, and real-time engagement tracking, Samantha expanded Indiana State University’s reach while seamlessly handing conversations to staff when human connections were needed. This consistent, scalable coverage at the base of the pyramid created new fundraising capacity without adding staff—helping Indiana State University close its campaign strong and carry forward its culture of care.