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The Story Behind Success
The Challenge
MUSC's Annual Giving team knew that mid-level donor engagement was key to nurturing the pipeline. After an internal pivot of how they were looking at grateful patient prospecting, there was a clear gap in their individual engagement for rated but unassigned mid-level donors.
The Solution
MUSC added two Virtual Engagement Officers, one focused on the clinical segment, the other on the alumni segment. James was built for the clinical segment, focused on five years of grateful patient activity and identifying opportunities for continued cultivation.
The Results
Since launch, more than $450,000 has been raised by James. The most significant outcome was the depth of upgrade activity. Donors who had been giving at consistent but modest levels made five-figure gifts after just a handful of personalized touchpoints. James’s portfolio has seen $259,231 in upgrade revenue.
Impact By The Numbers
$450K+
Raised
$259K+
Upgraded Giving
$81.5K+
Lapsed Recaptures
4.6K+
Personalized Touchpoints
Reaching Mid-Level Donors
To demonstrate the need and track what could be done on a small scale, MUSC's annual giving team ran an internal pilot, each managing a portfolio of about 40–50 donors. After their leadership attended a conference and learned about Autonomous Fundraising, they decided to build on the Annual Giving team's pilot and added two Virtual Engagement Officers to work alongside their team.
Increased Revenue, Stronger Connections, and a Nurtured Pipeline
In under one year, James has helped nurture the pipeline, raising over $450K from once unmanaged leadership annual donors. The team is already thinking about year two and beyond, focusing on building the program to reach even more donors while sustaining growth. “There were so many people just waiting for a little bit more," says Carley. "They'd been showing us for years that they were ready."
