Case study

Butler University raised 44% more giving day donations with personalized video messaging

Key stats

$653,000

Raised

Raised a total of $653,000, including $272,000 in challenge funding from 2,594 gifts

44%

Increase

Drove nearly 800 more gifts than the last day of giving

$150,000

Increase

Over $150,000 more dollars raised

1434

Donors

donors received personalized video messages

About Butler University

Butler University, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a private liberal arts institution renowned for its commitment to providing transformative educational experiences. 

The challenge: Increase donor participation on giving day in a digital-first fundraising environment

In the post-pandemic fundraising landscape, Butler sought to enhance its donor stewardship efforts by improving engagement with its community. Their technology wish list included a user-friendly video outreach tool to foster more informal and approachable interactions with donors that could include personalized messages from students and faculty, aiming to strengthen relationships and increase donor participation and support. 

Before the giving day, the fundraising team wanted to promote the date and challenges through segmented video outreach at scale. Video updates on the day of giving to show constituents progress towards the university’s goals were a high priority as well, all leading up to donor thank you outreach after the successful campaign was over.

The solution: Scale automated video messaging to connect personally & engage more donors on giving day

With Gravyty’s video messaging solution, Butler’s fundraising team began to send personalized video requests to campus community members, facilitating direct and engaging communication from both fundraisers and others in the community. The tool’s ease of use was particularly impactful, with the entire process – from receiving a video request to sending out the video to donors – taking less than an hour. 

“Since using [Gravyty], we have had more frequent interactions with a wide range of Butler donors. The platform has allowed us to create personalized messages that are appealing and highlight the sincerity of our appreciation for those who help us achieve our mission.”

Alyssa Cacini

Assistant Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship, Butler University

The outcome: 44% more gifts on giving day with personalized video outreach

With a seamless onboarding and implementation process, it was easy for Butler’s fundraising team to leverage video messaging, leading to stronger donor relationships and more gifts on giving day. 

  • Raised a total of $653,000, including $272,000 in challenge funding from 2,594 gifts
  • Drove nearly 800 more gifts than the last day of giving (44% increase)
  • Over $150,000 more dollars raised
  • Personalized video messages sent to 1,434 donors

The Butler team plans to use Gravyty’s video messaging tool for various initiatives moving forward in addition to giving days, including stewarding donors post-giving day and leveraging video for athletics fundraising initiatives.

“Each message was customized for the individual donor and was sent from a representative within the department supported by the donation. We received great feedback from those that received them.”

Alyssa Cacini

Assistant Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship, Butler University

Solution spotlight

Gravyty’s easy-to-use video messaging solution lets you connect with donors personally and at scale with fully branded, automated, and actionable videos. Motivate donors to take action at the point of inspiration with clear calls to action and embedded giving forms. Steward donors year-round with human-centric videos that drive 8x higher click-through rates. 

Want to learn more? Contact sales today to take a tour of the Gravyty fundraising platform.

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