From locker room to lifelong connections: How Penn State engages 12,000+ alumni athletes
Key stats
1.57
million
Content engagements, reflecting consistent alumni interest
22-25%
rates
Giving rates among alumni athletes, more than double industry averages
1033%
increase
In giving to one program after deepening engagement
About Penn State University
Penn State is one of the largest and most recognized universities in the United States, known for its academic excellence, commitment to community, and rich athletic tradition. The university’s mission centers on fostering lifelong learning, promoting a culture of engagement, and empowering its students and alumni to make meaningful contributions both on and off the field.
The Varsity ‘S’ Club, Penn State’s official letterwinner organization, is committed to fostering lifelong connections between the university and its former student-athletes. Supporting more than 12,000 alumni athletes, the Club serves as the hub for athlete engagement, providing opportunities for alumni to stay connected through events, mentoring programs, communications, and giving initiatives that honor their athletic legacy and strengthen the future of Penn State Athletics.
The challenge: Engaging a diverse and dispersed alumni athlete community at scale
With more than 30 varsity sports and thousands of former student-athletes, the Penn State Varsity S Club needed a way to consistently engage a wide-reaching and tightly bonded alumni community. Operating with a lean team, they were challenged to maintain strong relationships across programs, provide continuity through staff and leadership transitions, and support both engagement and giving efforts without adding more staff.
To continue building on Penn State’s strong athletic legacy, the Varsity S Club looked for a solution that could help them:
- Scale engagement, fundraising, and mentorship—without scaling staff
- Maintain communication and continuity across dozens of athletic programs
- Make alumni feel like they’re still “part of the locker room”
- Provide coaches with tools to build and sustain alumni relationships
The solution: Build a connected, sustainable alumni athlete community
To strengthen alumni athlete engagement at scale, the Varsity S Club turned to Athlete Network from Gravyty. With a single, centralized platform, they created a digital home base where former student-athletes can reconnect with teammates, hear directly from coaches, explore mentorship opportunities, and support sport-specific initiatives.
What started as a step toward more efficient communication has grown into one of the most successful alumni athlete communities in the country—powered by intentional strategy, clear goals, and a platform that makes engagement sustainable, even with a small team.
Rather than trying to do everything at once, Penn State focused on manageable, high-impact tactics that others can replicate:
- Launching with clear priorities and a plan for growth
- Empowering coaches to connect directly with their alumni
- Using clean data and reporting tools to drive outreach
- Highlighting shared experiences to foster connection and giving
- Making it easy for alumni to engage on their own terms
This approach proves that a small team can create big results—by building the right foundation and growing intentionally over time.
The outcome
With a small team managing the network, Penn State has seen powerful results—both in sustained engagement and philanthropic outcomes:
- 1.57+ million content engagements, reflecting consistent alumni interest and interaction
- Thousands of peer-to-peer connections made through the network, reinforcing a sense of community
- High participation in sport-specific initiatives and recently launched a mentorship program
- Athletes regularly return to the platform, engaging with new stories, updates, and teammates
- Organic sharing and word-of-mouth growth, expanding reach beyond initial contact lists
- Giving rates of 22–25% among alumni athletes, more than double the industry average of 10–15%
- 1033% increase in giving to one program after deepening engagement
Athlete Network helps Penn State deliver a personal, high-touch experience—at scale—to a large and passionate community of alumni athletes. With centralized communication tools, real-time insights, and a dedicated space for peer-to-peer connection, the Varsity ‘S’ Club has become a campus-wide model for strategic engagement.
Mentorship has moved from spreadsheets to streamlined digital connections, making it easier to track relationships and outcomes. Consistent engagement ensures athlete data stays clean and actionable—removing friction from future campaigns. And what started several years ago as a new initiative is now essential infrastructure: a scalable, sustainable approach to building lifelong relationships.
Kirk Diehl
Director, Varsity ‘S’ Club, Penn State University
Solution spotlight
Gravyty is the AI-powered engagement platform purpose-built for higher education, K-12 schools, and nonprofits. From first engagement to first gift, Gravyty empowers institutions to deliver smarter, faster, and more personalized engagement at every step of the student and donor journey. With solutions for 24/7 student support, alumni engagement, fundraising and stewardship, Gravyty helps teams scale their impact, break down silos, and provide always-on support without burning out staff.
Athlete Network from Gravyty empowers athletic departments and alumni associations to build strong, lifelong communities around their sports programs. With targeted communication tools, integrated giving features, and a centralized digital home, Athlete Network helps institutions like Penn State scale personalized sport-specific engagement and fundraising.
Get a personalized demo to see how Athlete Network from Gravyty can elevate alumni athlete engagement at your institution.
