Indiana State’s Virtual Engagement Officer Raises $47K in Four Months

What stands out in fundraising is how much potential lives at the base of the pyramid. Alumni, parents, and friends want to feel connected, but when they don’t, retention slips and the pipeline weakens.

Indiana State University faced that exact challenge. With 110,000 alumni and only seven frontline fundraisers, most annual donors weren’t getting the one-to-one engagement that naturally leads to giving. The rest of the pyramid needed more attention.

Indiana State University turned to trusted digital labor to begin the work of closing that gap. The Foundation became the first in Indiana to launch a Virtual Engagement Officer. The University’s VEO, Samantha, was given a portfolio of annual donors with recent gift activity, but who had never been engaged through gift officer relationships. The charge was simple: strengthen retention, increase participation, and give these donors the consistent attention they deserved.

The early results speak for themselves. In just four months, Samantha raised $47,485 from 527 gifts, including more than $4,000 from lapsed donors. The VEO sent nearly 7,000 personalized messages, held 190 conversations with alumni, and handed off prospects to staff when human connection mattered most. Those touches led to renewed giving, higher event attendance, and new donor stories that advancement staff used in appeals.

This is what Autonomous Fundraising makes possible. By strengthening the base of the pyramid, institutions see healthier retention, stronger participation, and a pipeline they can rely on for the future. Loyalty at every level of giving is acknowledged and nurtured, even when staff capacity is stretched.

At Indiana State University, trusted digital labor has already meant new dollars raised, alumni re-engaged, and a stronger foundation that will carry growth forward long after the campaign.

Indiana State's success proves that the donors who sustain your mission aren't waiting for more staff or bigger budgets. They're waiting for consistent attention and new pathways for engagement that we now have the ability to provide.