University of Georgia
Higher Education Institutions
Blackbaud CRM enables us to work smarter and more efficiently and contributed to our reaching the Commit to Georgia campaign goal 16 months ahead of schedule.
OVERVIEW
The University of Georgia surpassed its Commit to Georgia $1.2 billion campaign goal ahead of schedule by leveraging technology to focus fundraising efforts, drive campus-wide collaboration, and cultivate relationships to boost support.
University of Georgia exceeds campaign goal ahead of schedule with Blackbaud CRM.
As Georgia’s flagship institution, the University of Georgia’s 17 colleges and schools enroll more than 37,000 students and have produced over 327,000 alumni around the world.
UGA kicked off its Commit to Georgia campaign in 2012 with the goal of raising $1.2 billion to support scholarships, enhance the learning environment, and tackle challenges through research and public service. With its strong community of loyal Bulldogs, UGA surpassed its campaign goal early and is still receiving strong support as the campaign’s fiscal year 2020 conclusion approaches.
Since going live on Blackbaud CRM, UGA has continually demonstrated success in leveraging technology to focus fundraising efforts, drive campus- wide collaboration, and cultivate relationships to boost support.
“With so many multidimensional relationships to manage, we rely on our CRM solution to provide a 360-degree view of those relationships to keep supporters informed, engaged, and connected to the institution,” said Greg Harmelink, senior director of advancement services. “Blackbaud solutions enable us to work smarter and more efficiently and contributed to our reaching the campaign goal 16 months ahead of schedule. Ultimately, we rely on this technology to help us in our pursuit to improve lives, communities, and habitats around Georgia and the world.”
Harnessing Data Insight
With the integrated suite of Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Internet SolutionsTM, and data enrichment services, UGA tracks and measures fundraising activity across campus with greater insight into the overall fundraising capacity of constituents. Blackbaud CRM has helped UGA to prioritize alumni and constituents and adopt the latest fundraising best practices.
By incorporating data from Blackbaud’s wealth and affluence service, UGA can measure the overall fundraising capacity of its constituent base, plan its fundraising activities, and create gift officer development plans that increase visibility throughout the organization.
By implementing their L.A.I.T. (linkage, ability, interest, and timing) prospect score model within Blackbaud CRM, UGA has been able to leverage data to execute a strategy that has yielded lasting results. Since UGA implemented several changes in its development program, including the advancement team’s use of the Blackbaud CRM solution, the university continues to achieve impressive fundraising results each year.
Most significantly, UGA’s five-year rolling fundraising average has risen every year—growing more than 77% in just four years. In fiscal-year 2019, that total reached $204 million, compared to just under $115 million in fiscal-year 2015.
Driving Efficiencies
Partnering with Blackbaud has helped UGA achieve a single, cohesive view of its constituents and improve efficiency throughout the institution. Since implementing Blackbaud CRM, UGA moved over 15 “sub-systems” that were in use throughout campus to a centralized model for constituent management. By consolidating fundraising and constituent management into a single solution, UGA can better support strategic planning across campus, maintain constituent data, and support all data-driven processes and reporting. Additionally, the university can support a growing number of users to maintain data records and access self-service reporting.
Empowering Communication
Blackbaud CRM also has enabled strategic segmentation and advanced coordination of fundraising efforts and increased visibility into the overall communications plan. Using Blackbaud CRM and Blackbaud Internet Solutions, UGA uses a combination of personal outreach, multichannel marketing, and events to engage its supporters and alumni across campus. This approach also provides UGA with a comprehensive view into constituents’ interests and activities, which enables smarter engagement efforts.
In the 2019 fiscal year, UGA managed over 1,000 marketing efforts and 1,116 events, yielding over 44,000 event registrants. “By centralizing constituent communication within Blackbaud CRM, we can capture and leverage personalized data, allowing us to strategically manage every communication we have for each of our constituents,” said Harmelink. “As a result, we now have a more complete toolset to address increasing our email response rates and decreasing subscriber opt-outs.”
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