Case study

Building community and connection: How Texas Tech transformed alumni athlete engagement

Key stats

1M

engagements

On content

5,200+

connections

Member-to-member

20-30

Average

New users joining monthly

About Texas Tech University

Founded in 1923, Texas Tech University is a public research institution located in Lubbock, Texas, and home to more than 40,000 students. As a proud member of the Big 12 Conference, Texas Tech has a rich athletic tradition and a strong alumni network of former student-athletes. The university is committed to fostering lifelong connections between its athletic alumni and current programs through innovative engagement strategies and a deep sense of Red Raider pride.

The challenge: Turning fragmented outreach into meaningful, measurable engagement

Letterwinners—former student-athletes who earned a varsity letter by meeting specific performance or participation standards—represent a vital part of Texas Tech’s alumni community. Engaging this affinity group effectively is essential for building ongoing relationships and supporting fundraising efforts.

Before partnering with Athlete Network, Texas Tech faced the common challenge of fragmented communication. Their team relied on multiple systems and manual processes to stay in touch with former student-athletes, which led to inconsistent outreach, limited visibility into engagement, and missed opportunities to build long-term relationships.

“Our communication strategy felt disjointed—we were using so many different tools that it was hard to be consistent.“

Will Culpepper

Executive Director, Double T Varsity Club

Additionally, data cleanliness was a persistent challenge, with incomplete or outdated contact information limiting outreach effectiveness. The team recognized the need for a more streamlined, centralized solution to bring this important community together and foster stronger engagement, a strategic solution that could scale with them.

The solution: A centralized, scalable platform driving strategic & meaningful engagement

Texas Tech embraced Athlete Network as the primary tool to unify and elevate communication with letterwinners. The platform became the essential hub for engaging this key alumni community by enabling:

  • Seamless event management: Streamlining promotions and registrations, including exclusive opportunities like the Letterwinner Lounge access and game ticket lottery, which incentivizes platform membership and boosts participation.
  • Targeted affinity campaigns: Innovative initiatives such as the Jersey Number Project foster personal connections by involving former athletes in meaningful activities, increasing both engagement and data collection while finding solutions for coaches
  • Segmented, personalized outreach: The ability to tailor communications by sport, era, and specific interests allows the team to deliver relevant content that resonates with diverse segments within the letterwinner community.

Leveraging real-time reporting and analytics, Texas Tech’s team continuously measures engagement and identifies successful strategies, enabling them to replicate high-impact content across sports and seasons. Beyond communications, Athlete Network supports deeper community building that all contributes to a vibrant and supportive alumni ecosystem.

This strategic, data-informed approach not only maximizes outreach efficiency but also creates an inclusive environment where former student-athletes feel connected, informed and valued year-round.

The outcome: Measurable growth in connection, engagement & impact

Texas Tech consistently ranks in the top five for engagement across all Athlete Network partners, a testament to their strategy that balances passion with precision. 

Sometimes teams can overthink what engagement looks like, but Texas Tech has discovered that affinity-based ideas can make a big difference in driving authentic connections. 

Their results speak volumes:

  • Nearly 1 million engagements on content (999,929 and counting!)
  • 5,200+ member-to-member connections
  • 20–30 new users joining monthly
  • 1 centralized location for athletes to find what they need

Additional wins include:

  • A sold-out golf tournament, powered by targeted platform promotion
  • A $25,000-per-locker sponsorship campaign for football (with baseball soon to follow), fueled by effective network communication
  • Over 400 comments and valuable new data points collected through their Jersey Number Project

With scalable outreach, personalized experiences, and a focus and commitment on consistent connection, Texas Tech has transformed how they engage their alumni athletes—proving that the right tools, used with intention, can drive lasting impact.

“We do this work because we love it, but there’s intention behind it too. I’m not just engaging to engage—I’m trying to help alumni connect, grow, and give back.“

Will Culpepper

Executive Director, Double T Varsity Club

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 Texas Tech 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.

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