Gravyty or Anthology? A critical decision for advancement leaders
A major vendor shake-up can create uncertainty in even the most experienced teams, but it can also give institutions a concrete reason to re-visit current strategies and discover what’s possible. In late 2025, Anthology’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy sent exactly that signal to higher ed advancement, alumni relations, and fundraising teams.
Suddenly, campus leaders relying on Anthology’s engagement tools and donor management support were faced with an urgent question: What comes next? Looking into alternatives, like Gravyty, is something smart advancement teams are doing now to ensure their missions don’t stall during Anthology’s reorganization. (In our recent guide on Anthology’s bankruptcy we detailed what happened and why.)
Now, this follow-up dives into the practical side – how Anthology vs. Gravyty stack up head-to-head so you can make the best decision to protect your programs, data, and donor relationships.
The bottom line? Anthology’s advancement products are entering a prolonged transition, while Gravyty’s platform is moving full steam ahead. Instead of waiting in limbo, institutions have a chance to choose a more stable, innovative path forward. Here’s a quick snapshot of the differences:
- Innovation: Anthology’s development is effectively on hold until new owners take over in 2026, leaving users with feature freeze. In contrast, Gravyty continues to roll out AI-driven enhancements and new capabilities without pause.
- Ownership: Anthology’s business is being split among multiple buyers (Encoura, Ellucian, and a refocused Anthology/Blackboard), which fragments its product line. Gravyty, on the other hand, has single, stable ownership fully invested in the advancement space, giving clear direction and providing consistency.
- Integration: Anthology’s solutions lean heavily on very specific ecosystems (for example, its Raise CRM is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365) and will be spread across different vendors, complicating integrations. Gravyty offers an integrated suite that connects with leading CRMs (Salesforce, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, etc.) without requiring a rip-and-replace of your existing systems.
- Alumni Engagement: Anthology’s alumni tools (like Encompass) cover basic directories and events, but future improvements are uncertain. Gravyty provides deep community-building features (through products like Graduway) that support mentoring, affinity groups, and lifelong networking – fostering a true sense of belonging.
- Fundraising Tools: Anthology’s advancement workflows very frequently use labor-intensive manual processes and siloed systems. Gravyty delivers automated donor outreach and prioritization (via its AI-powered Raise platform) and modern digital fundraising experiences (via Advance) to help your team engage more donors with less effort.
- Support & Continuity: Under Anthology’s breakup, customer support will be fragmented across new entities (and key staff may not carry over), creating potential gaps. Gravyty offers dedicated support and customer success teams – including hands-on transition help – to ensure continuity without disruption for institutions switching platforms.
Table of Contents
- Comparing Anthology and Gravyty
- Understanding platform stability: Gravyty vs Anthology
- How do Anthology and Gravyty compare on AI innovation and modern advancement features?
- Which advancement platform plays better with the tools you already use?
- What should advancement teams look for in an alumni engagement platform like Anthology or Gravyty?
- How do Anthology and Gravyty differ in their fundraising and donor outreach tools?
- Anthology vs. Gravyty: What does day‑to‑day support really look like?
- How should advancement leaders move forward after Anthology’s restructuring?
- Your next platform should move you forward, not hold you back
Why compare Anthology and Gravyty now?
Anthology’s sudden restructuring has created an inflection point for its clients. In September 2025, Anthology, a major provider of higher ed CRM, alumni engagement, and fundraising systems, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing an unsustainable $1.7 billion debt load and declining revenue.
As part of the court-supervised process, Anthology’s business is being broken apart and sold off in pieces to new owners. Encoura (an enrollment analytics company) is set to acquire Anthology’s “Lifecycle Engagement” products, including its advancement CRM and alumni community platforms, while Ellucian will take over the student information and ERP systems. Anthology itself will refocus on its learning management system (Blackboard) once it emerges from bankruptcy.
For advancement and alumni teams, this upheaval means the vendor they trusted for fundraising and engagement is essentially exiting that market. Their tools (Anthology Raise, Encompass, etc.) will soon belong to a different company (Encoura) with different priorities. Notably, Encoura’s expertise is student recruiting and marketing analytics, not in developing advancement software. It remains unclear how much innovation or support these products will receive under the new ownership. Meanwhile, Anthology’s internal teams have paused all new product development during the bankruptcy and sale process – no major upgrades or features are expected until at least mid-2026 when the dust settles[3]. In short, Anthology’s customers face a year or more of status quo and uncertainty.
This is why many higher ed leaders are proactively evaluating alternatives like Gravyty now. Gravyty specializes in alumni engagement and fundraising technology, and it’s not affected by Anthology’s turmoil. By comparing Anthology vs. Gravyty side by side, institutions can decide for themselves which platform will best safeguard their advancement mission through this transition. We’ll discuss the differences between the two platforms, from stability to specific feature capabilities, as well as what the future could hold, to help inform your decision.
Platform stability and future roadmap
When evaluating technology partners, few factors matter more than long-term stability and product direction. Advancement teams need to know that the tools they rely on today will continue to grow, evolve, and support them in the future. The future looks very different for Anthology and Gravyty, and this reality should be an important consideration for any advancement team considering a change.
Anthology’s uncertain transition
One of the most crucial differences between Anthology and Gravyty is the overall stability of the platform and clarity of its roadmap. Anthology’s situation is inherently unstable at the moment: its advancement products are changing hands and won’t have a defined long-term roadmap until the new owner (Encoura) formulates a plan sometime after the sales finalize.
In practical terms, Anthology’s clients are looking at 2026 before they know how (or if) their advancement tools will evolve. The immediate goal of the bankruptcy process is simply to “keep the lights on.” Anthology has secured stop-gap financing to maintain operations and support through early 2026 from other companies in the space, like Element 451.
Any major improvements or new initiatives are on hold. Furthermore, once Encoura takes control, it could completely reorient the products toward its own focus areas (which historically center on enrollment and student success). There’s a real risk that advancement-specific features and innovation will take a backseat.
Key concerns for Anthology clients
- No clear roadmap until 2026 or later – Strategic direction won’t be defined until after Encoura completes the acquisition
- Stop-gap operations only – Financing is focused on maintaining current functionality, not advancing it
- Potential product reorientation – Encoura may shift its focus away from advancement tools entirely
Gravyty’s continued momentum
Gravyty’s platform, by contrast, offers stability without pause. Gravyty is a dedicated advancement technology provider whose sole focus is building and improving tools for fundraising and alumni engagement. The company is on solid footing and is actively investing in its roadmap.
While Anthology reorganizes, Gravyty has continued to launch new features and even new products,
You can expect regular updates, expanded capabilities, and improvements aligned to the needs of development and alumni teams. In short, Gravyty’s roadmap is full speed ahead, whereas Anthology’s is essentially in a holding pattern until further notice.
Modern features that move your mission forward
Innovation is another area where the two platforms sharply diverge. Over the past several years, Gravyty has distinguished itself through AI-driven features that help advancement offices work smarter, not harder. Gravyty’s platform leverages modern automation in several different ways to drive advancement. It’s capable of identifying high-potential donors, can suggest who to reach out to next, and generates personalized email drafts and nudges to stay in touch.
Anthology’s innovation freeze amid financial uncertainty
Anthology’s advancement products have seen their innovation grind to a halt in the current climate. Prior to bankruptcy, Anthology’s development efforts were already stretched thin across a sprawling suite of 30+ products. Cutting-edge features specifically for fundraising and alumni engagement were not a prominent strength of Anthology’s portfolio, and now any such efforts are frozen entirely during the reorganization.
Anthology Raise (the CRM for advancement) and Encompass (their alumni portal) certainly provided core functionality, but neither was known for AI-driven capabilities. For instance, Anthology’s tools could track donor information and facilitate emails/events, but they lacked the kind of AI automation that automates personalized outreach.
Given the company’s financial constraints, it’s unlikely Anthology customers will see improvements or modern, AI-powered additions to those tools until well after the transition (if at all). Encoura, as the incoming owner, is not known for software innovation in advancement, raising concerns that Anthology’s customers could be stuck with unsupported, stagnating tools just when the rest of the industry is moving ahead with AI and data-driven engagement.
Gravyty’s AI-powered advancement tools in action
Modern features aren’t theoretical for Gravyty; these innovative technologies are built directly into our offerings (such as the Raise donor outreach tool) and are refined and updated regularly as new needs are identified. For example, Gravyty’s AI analyzes donor data to prioritize your fundraiser’s portfolios, ensuring every important relationship gets the attention it needs to flourish. It can automatically suggest who to reach out to, streamlining follow-up communications and reminders.
Gravyty’s commitment to continuous innovation means our clients are always getting new ways to engage constituents and improve results. If modern tools and capabilities like AI present a new opportunity to connect with donors, Gravyty is already exploring how to responsibly incorporate it to benefit its users.
So while Anthology has been struggling to innovate since well before its current troubles, Gravyty is delivering next-generation advancement technology, with AI as its foundation, right now. For teams that don’t want to fall behind in adopting modern fundraising practices, this difference is critical. Gravyty enables you to leverage artificial intelligence and automation immediately to maintain and grow donor relationships, whereas Anthology’s path is uncertain, unclear, and likely devoid of new features in the near term.
Will your advancement platform work with your current tools?
Another practical consideration when comparing Anthology vs Gravyty is how each platform is designed to operate within your current tech environment, especially for CRM and data integration. Many universities have multiple systems that need to work together (advancement CRM, student information system, finance software, etc.), so the flexibility to integrate is key.
Anthology’s fragmented integration landscape
Anthology’s approach historically was to offer an “all-in-one” suite – born from merging several companies to cover everything from the alumni CRM to the LMS. In practice, however, few schools went all-in, and many used Anthology’s advancement tools alongside other vendors’ products. Notably, Anthology Raise (advancement CRM) is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, which meant it often required using Microsoft’s CRM framework or syncing with it.
With the breakup of Anthology, the integration picture grows even murkier: the products will be owned by different companies (Encoura for advancement CRM, Ellucian for SIS, etc.), so any existing connectors between them might suffer from lack of coordination. An integration that previously was managed under one company now could require cooperation between multiple vendors who may even be competitors. Staying on Anthology could introduce new integration headaches or even break certain data flows.
Gravyty’s open, plug-and-play approach
Gravyty takes a more open and integrative stance. Rather than forcing a single-vendor ecosystem, Gravyty is designed to plug into the systems you already use. Gravyty’s solutions integrate directly with popular higher ed CRMs like Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge, RE NXT, or Salesforce to make data exchange simple and efficient.
Importantly, Gravyty does not require replacing your primary CRM, it can sit on top of and alongside the tech stack you’re already using, enhancing it with advanced engagement functionality. Gravyty’s philosophy is to meet institutions where they are, ensuring adoption is smooth with minimal disruption to other systems.
Because Gravyty was born in the era of cloud software and interoperability, it emphasizes integration and data continuity. By contrast, Anthology’s legacy architecture is now being chopped up, which could jeopardize integrations institutions rely on. If maintaining a connected campus tech environment is a priority, Gravyty provides more confidence that your advancement software will play nicely with others.
Creating an engaged alumni community
Effectively engaging alumni is about so much more than sending emails or organizing reunions. At its core, it’s about building an active, connected community. This is where the feature sets of Anthology and Gravyty take very different approaches, especially given Gravyty’s recent investments in alumni networking capabilities.
Anthology’s basic alumni portal approach
Anthology’s primary alumni engagement product has been Anthology Encompass (originating from the iModules acquisition). Encompass provides an online alumni community portal where graduates can log in, update their info, register for events, and (sometimes) provide mentoring opportunities. It also powers giving forms and event registrations.
However, feedback from users seems to indicate that these tools felt dated and siloed, even if serviceable for now. They required no small amount of manual effort to drive alumni to participate, and the “community” features were limited.
Post-bankruptcy, with Encompass moving to Encoura, there’s uncertainty around how much that platform will evolve. Encoura’s focus on enrollment means alumni features might not get top priority, if they get attention at all. This leaves campuses with software that maintains the status quo but doesn’t introduce any new tools to engage graduates more effectively.
Gravyty’s dynamic alumni social network
Gravyty brings a much more robust approach to alumni engagement, largely thanks to the inclusion of Graduway, a leading alumni community platform. As part of the Gravyty family, Graduway’s capabilities are integrated into Gravyty’s suite, giving your alumni relations team access to a full-fledged, modern social platform.
Key alumni engagement features include:
- Interest-based groups and affinity networks – Alumni can form regional chapters, identity groups, or special interest communities that self-organize and thrive online
- Mentoring programs – Built-in matching and communication tools connect alumni mentors with students or fellow graduates
- LinkedIn-style professional directory – Alumni can connect professionally and leverage their network for career opportunities
- Discussion forums and content feeds – Regular interaction through relevant news, job postings, and campus updates keeps alumni engaged beyond once-a-year events
- Peer-to-peer fundraising integration – Seamlessly channel community engagement directly into giving challenges or inform new campaigns
The platform is mobile-friendly and designed to encourage real community interaction, not just event signups. Gravyty provides alumni with ongoing reasons to return, whereas Anthology’s Encompass primarily acted as a static hub requiring alumni to self-motivate to log in.
Today’s alumni expect consumer-grade digital experiences, and having a living, breathing online community can dramatically increase participation and affinity. Gravyty offers richer engagement functionality out of the box, it’s the difference between a basic alumni directory (Anthology’s approach) and Gravyty’s active alumni social network.
Fundraising and donor outreach tools
For fundraising professionals, your software can directly impact efficiency and effectiveness of advancement services, annual giving, and major gifts. Here again, comparing Anthology vs Gravyty reveals important differences in how each supports the fundraising cycle.
Anthology’s manual donor management approach
Anthology’s advancement offerings centered on Anthology Raise, the donor database and CRM, coupled with email marketing and online giving pages through Encompass. Anthology Raise provided standard donor management functions: recording donations, tracking pledges, managing gift pipelines, and running reports. However, many users found processes remained manual or labor-intensive.
For example, prioritizing which prospects to call or visit was largely up to the gift officer’s own system or Excel sheets; Anthology’s tools didn’t intelligently surface the best prospects or automate routine follow-ups. Campaign planning via Encompass was possible, but sites were fairly templated and not as gamified or engaging as newer solutions. With the company’s future unclear , advancement teams could be stuck relying on the same workflows for the next year or more.
Gravyty’s AI-powered fundraising optimization
Gravyty is built to amplify and streamline fundraising efforts through technology. Its Raise product applies AI to help answer key questions: Which donors should we focus on today? What message will resonate with them? How can we expand our pipeline efficiently?
Key fundraising advantages include:
- Automated donor prioritization – AI analyzes engagement data and giving history to surface prospects most likely to give or upgrade
- Personalized outreach at scale – System suggests tailored talking points and email drafts while letting staff review, change, and customize
- Advanced campaign tools – Gravyty’s Advance platform offers gamified leaderboards, challenge grants, mobile-optimized donation pages, and social sharing prompts
- Modern giving experiences – Create 24-hour Giving Days with countdowns, real-time donor rolls, peer-to-peer fundraising, and managing recurring donations
AI, used intelligently, is a game-changer for productivity. Even small teams can manage larger portfolios effectively because the software handles legwork in the background, scaling to support teams of any size. Legacy systems tend to be cumbersome unless you have extensive admin support available.
In essence, if your goal is to raise more money with less effort, Gravyty offers features that directly support that goal, whereas Anthology’s feature set is showing its age and is now in a holding pattern. Especially heading into a challenging fundraising climate, having AI-driven efficiencies can mean the difference between missing and exceeding your targets.
Support and implementation considerations
Even the best software can miss the mark if it’s not backed by strong support and if switching to it is too painful. So, how do Anthology and Gravyty compare when it comes to customer support and implementation, especially for those considering a change?
Anthology’s fragmented support structure
Anthology’s breakup introduces serious concerns on the support front. Previously, you had a single company to call for help with your CRM, alumni portal, and giving forms. Going forward, support will be spread across different organizations depending on the product. For example, Anthology Raise and Encompass will fall under Encoura’s umbrella, but if you also used finance or student systems, those will be under Ellucian.
Imagine that your CRM is Encoura’s responsibility but an integration to your SIS (now Ellucian) has a new issue. You could end up being bounced around between two vendors to solve the problem. Encoura has pledged to hire relevant staff, but not necessarily everyone. There is likely to be a loss of information and disruption as support teams are restructured, potentially meaning longer response times or less experienced reps during the transition period.
Gravyty’s guided transition and ongoing support
Gravyty offers a high-touch, bespoke support model for transitions. If you migrate from Anthology, the company provides dedicated transition specialists to guide you through data migration, technical integration setup, and user training. Instead of figuring it out alone, you get a partner who has done it before.
Post-implementation, Gravyty continues to support clients with a customer success team that proactively checks in, offers best practice guidance, and ensures you’re getting value from the platform. Because Gravyty is singularly focused on advancement, their support folks are experts in the fundraising and alumni domain. We speak the language of advancement offices, not just software.
During Anthology’s handover, institutions would be extremely aware of their data continuity. We recommend carefully exporting your data from Anthology systems before the final transfer as a precaution, a step many institutions are taking based on their own internal contingency planning.
Staying with Anthology means learning to live with an uncertain, quickly changing support structure and hoping for the best. Gravyty gives you a clear, guided support experience focused on making you successful from day one. This level of customer care can be an eye-opener for teams that may have gotten used to feeling like a small fish in Anthology’s big pond.
Moving forward strategically
What comes next is up to you, but it’s clear that higher ed advancement teams have a decision to make.
On one side is Anthology’s fragmented road, which will keep the lights on but won’t move you forward; on the other is Gravyty’s focused path, which aims to keep you moving ahead without losing continuity.
Don’t let your mission wait for vendor uncertainty
The right choice comes down to whether or not your institution is willing to risk losing momentum or if they’re ready to make a change to expand their reach. Do you ride out Anthology’s uncertain restructuring and hope that in a year or two your tools resume evolving? Or do you seize this moment to pivot to a platform already delivering what’s next in alumni engagement and fundraising?
For many, the answer is increasingly the latter. Your mission can’t wait for a vendor to catch up. Donor relationships, alumni connections, and fundraising opportunities are happening in real time and won’t pause for a corporate reorg. By switching to a stable, innovation-focused platform like Gravyty, you ensure your advancement operations continue to grow, not stall.
Focus versus fragmentation
If Anthology’s story is one of fragmentation, Gravyty’s is one of focus. That focus means every update, every support call, every new feature is centered on helping advancement professionals succeed. As the higher ed landscape heads into 2026 and beyond, institutions that effectively partner with forward-looking partners will be significantly better positioned.
Technology is more than just buzz, it directly and measurably expands your team… and their impact… when used intelligently. Gravyty is building that kind of technology for advancement: unified, intelligent, and user-friendly. Meanwhile, Anthology’s advancement technology is essentially hitting pause and entering caretaker mode under new ownership.
At Gravyty, we’re aware of how significant a change like this can be. We encourage you to assess your current state: Are you seeing the innovation you need to engage donors and alumni effectively? Do you have confidence in your vendor’s roadmap and support for the next few years? If the answer is no, it may be time to explore how a purpose-built solution like Gravyty can reinvigorate your strategy.
Big picture: Your next platform should move you forward, not hold you back
As institutions enter 2026, Gravyty helps higher-ed leaders move forward with confidence, through a unified AI-powered advancement suite that keeps everything connected. Fundraising, outreach, alumni engagement, and stewardship are all working together. With dedicated transition support, easy integrations, and a firm commitment to continual innovation, you don’t have to settle for uncertainty. Your advancement program can continue growing even through industry upheaval.
Ready to see what that looks like? Book a demo today to experience how Gravyty helps your advancement team maintain continuity, connection, and confidence through change. Let’s turn this moment of challenge into an opportunity to chart a smarter path forward. Anthology’s financial upheaval in 2025 left many institutions facing a “broken piggy bank” situation – but also opened the door to reimagine their advancement tech stack for a more secure future.
