This multichannel solicitation appeal targeted degree-holding alumni with an ask to support the last two fund designations to which they contributed, as well as student support funds. The channels utilized for this effort included direct mail, email, and social media. The direct mail segment was defined as anyone who made a gift in the last seven years. The direct mail signers were two current students - one from our main campus and one from our medical center campus. The mailing included bright, spring-themed stationery, a premium piece banner, a custom project-specific themed gift card and envelope. Emails were sent to roughly 149,000 emailable degree-holders, all donor/nondonor types. The emails included personalized URLs. The online giving forms were customized with their last two applicable fund designations and the appropriate student support funds depending on which campus they graduated from. We also had a social media presence for this appeal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The posts dropped in tandem with the email drop dates. The first set of posts was for solicitation, the second set was a thank you with a downloadable screensaver, and the third posts concluded with a final solicitation effort.
What made this project unique was the bright, optimistic imagery, design and messaging, executed across all channels. Donors responded favorably with 457 gifts, totaling $100,670, making this one of our most successful spring campaigns to date.