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Macalester College Raises $487K and Readies for
a Campaign with Autonomous Fundraising
"When I think about the health of our donor pool, seeing those upgrades and lapsed recaptures is so important. Getting those donors back — and keeping them — is exactly what we need heading into the public phase of our campaign." - Joanna Curtis, Vice President for Advancement
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The Story Behind Success
With a $250 million campaign on the horizon, Macalester's advancement team knew that campaign readiness wasn't just about major gifts, but the health of the full donor pyramid.
The Challenge
Less than half of their nearly 8,000 rated donors were assigned to a gift officer. And these donors weren’t just rated and not giving—they were loyal, generous donors, but the team simply didn’t have enough staff capacity for one-to-one engagement with all of them. They knew that this group of donors was deserving of year-round, personalized cultivation, and they were exactly the untapped pipeline that could make or break a campaign's momentum.
The Solution
Macalester introduced Scottie, their Virtual Engagement Officer, to the team to manage a portfolio of these donors. The portfolio was built around loyal, consistent givers — recent alumni donors, LYBUNTs, and non-alumni donors with giving over $500 — strategically focused on renewal, upgrades, and reactivation.
The Results
In year one, Scottie generated $487,656 in total giving. Over 150 donors upgraded their gifts, contributing $48,642 in upgraded revenue, and 40 lapsed donors were reactivated, bringing back $25,063 in revenue that had been lost.
Impact By The Numbers
$487K
$28.6K
Raised
Upgrades
$25K
Lapsed Recaptures
58%
Portfolio Participation
New Revenue, Stronger Connections, and a Nurtured Pipeline
For donors who had only ever received mass communications, Scottie opened a new opportunity for genuine, personal conversation. Donors are replying, sharing why they give and what Mac means to them, making gifts, and showing up across Macalester's other channels.
Scottie’s portfolio went from loyal and generous donors with no personal cultivation to move them through the pipeline, to retained givers with stronger connections to Macalester.