Iowa State University Foundation

"We made an excellent investment decision when we chose Convio. The solution has advanced our communication capabilities without requiring additional staff. Thanks to Convio's online training and support, we have improved our integrated marketing efforts and reached many of our strategic goals. Moreover, the research Convio publishes reinforces its position as an industry leader and helps us compare our results against the performance of similar organizations." - Rosa Unal, Assistant Vice President, Information Technology, Iowa State University Foundation

About Iowa State University Foundation

The Iowa State University (ISU) Foundation is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to securing and stewarding private gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State University. Each year, thousands of generous benefactors make gifts to show their support for Iowa State. The ISU Foundation works with Iowa State administrators, deans, and unit leaders to determine the university's fundraising priorities. The ISU Foundation staff and volunteer leadership works in partnership with university officials to generate private support for ISU.

The challenge

• Had separate tools for email and online donations
• Without any integration between the two systems, giving forms could not be pre-populated and donors were unable to update their records online
• With limited technical skills, staff members struggled to keep Web site content current
• Precious resources were being used to process event registrations by telephone or mail because payments could not be accepted online
   

The solution

• Convio Email Marketing to deliver personalized messages tailored to the recipient's relationship with the university, and links that automatically log in to forms pre-populated with an individual's information;
• Convio Fundraising to enable multiple designation options for 186 funds (including the foundation's capital campaign), and provide administrators with consolidated reporting of development results across more than 23 colleges, schools and units;
• Convio PageBuilder to create and manage Web pages for two main sites, each with a different look and feel; and
• Convio Events to process RSVPs online for offline events, and for foundation staff members to manage registrations, payments, and an event calendar via the Internet.
  

Results

• Raised $285,000 online in FY 2008 (a $100,000 increase from FY 2007)
• Had a ten-fold increase in profile updates during a one year period, thus improving list hygiene and ensuring alumni contact details are current
• Engaged alumni with a survey that yielded 1,000 online responses and many stories, photos, and favorite memories from ISU (all submitted using the StoryBuilder functionality within Convio PageBuilder)
• Registered more than 500 people online for regional events tied to the foundation's capital campaign

Related links

• Visit Iowa State University Foundation's website at www.foundation.iastate.edu