From engagement to fundraising: a Wasatch Academy customer success story

For schools looking to increase fundraising, creating genuine engagement between their alumni and the school is a crucial step. By building relationships with alumni, schools can tap into a network of supporters who are passionate about their alma mater and feel invested in the school’s success.

In this blog series, we’ll explore how schools of all sizes use various engagement strategies to increase their fundraising and see as much as a 380% increase in giving.

Today, we’ll discuss key engagement and fundraising strategies from Wasatch Academy and explore how Graduway and Advance from Gravyty have supported their success.

Wasatch Academy: Creating a personalized experience with alumni

About Wasatch Academy

Wasatch Academy is an elite co-educational boarding school in Utah that offers a college-preparatory education for students in grades 7-12. The school has a strong focus on building relationships between its students, faculty, and alumni, with alumni engagement efforts focusing on in-person events and personal outreach.

Alumni engagement at Wasatch Academy

With one and a half staff members overseeing alumni and development, Wasatch Academy has a small team dedicated to alumni engagement. They focus on creating a personalized experience for alumni, using a combination of in-person and virtual events as well as personal outreach to re-engage alumni with the school.

Wasatch Academy has made a significant effort to build an online community of alumni through its platform, Wasatch Connect. The platform currently has over 800 registered users and allows alumni to connect, share news, and engage with the school.

Fundraising at Wasatch Academy

Wasatch Academy’s efforts to re-engage alumni have paid off in terms of fundraising. The school saw a 200% increase in alumni giving from 2019 to 2022, with alumni giving rates increasing from 1.4% to 4.3%. The school achieved this through a combination of its Care Package campaign and Tiger Giving Day, where alumni were encouraged to donate and give back to the school community.

Key Takeaways:

These high schools’ fundraising success stories hold valuable lessons for other institutions looking to drive fundraising through enhanced engagement. Here are some key takeaways:

• Prioritize alumni engagement to drive fundraising success. Genuine engagement with your alumni is essential if you want to raise funds in the future.
• Use technology platforms effectively to foster engagement between alumni and students. Tech platforms such as Graduway and Advance from Gravyty make it easier than ever to connect with alumni, engage them with events and campaigns, and identify potential donors.
• Create a culture of collaboration across departments, especially regarding fundraising and student engagement. Different departments within the school can combine their efforts to create a more cohesive approach.
• Focus on creating targeted campaigns and events that resonate with your alumni community. By understanding what your alumni care about, you can create campaigns and events that are more likely to drive engagement and donations.
• Always strive to build and strengthen relationships with your alumni. This will allow them to stay connected with the school community and more likely to give back in the future.

For schools looking to increase their fundraising and build stronger engagement with their alumni, following these takeaways can be a solid foundation for a successful alumni engagement and fundraising campaign. Graduway and Advance from Gravyty can also provide tools and insights to make this a reality. By fostering a culture of collaboration and prioritizing engagement with alumni, any institution can expect to see improvements in their engagement metrics and fundraising results.