Breaking Records with Digital Gift Agreements
The University of Mary Washington's annual "Mary Wash Day" has always been an important fundraising event for the institution. However, last year's campaign shattered all previous records, thanks in part to Givzey's innovative digital gift agreement platform.
The Challenge: Paper-Based Pledge Agreements
Before implementing Givzey, the Mary Washington fundraising team faced significant hurdles with their donation process. Fundraisers sent PDF pledge agreements for matching gifts as follow-ups to donor conversations, which often took weeks for donors to complete as they needed to print, sign, scan, and return these documents. Staff tracked these pledges through shared spreadsheets, while payment collection required manual pledge reminder letters mailed by advancement services. This cumbersome process created delays, increased administrative burden, and limited the potential impact of matching gift opportunities.
The Givzey Solution: Streamlined Digital Agreements
By implementing Givzey's digital gift agreement platform, University of Mary Washington transformed their approach to securing matches and challenges. They created branded Mary Wash Day Givzey templates for a consistent donor experience, enabling immediate digital agreement submission. This new approach secured early confirmations from donors, reduced administrative tracking with automated systems, and significantly decreased stress on the fundraising team.
Record-Breaking Results
The impact of implementing Givzey was immediate and substantial. Gift officers secured pledges for both matches and challenges at double the amount raised compared to the prior year. The Giving Day total far exceeded previous records, and the team surpassed their donor participation goals. A key component of this success was Givzey's ability to accommodate pledges of all sizes. The Mary Washington team encouraged donors at every giving level to participate, creating an inclusive campaign that welcomed contributions both large and small. This approach of valuing every pledge, regardless of size, helped drive the unprecedented participation and overall growth.
“Givzey’s efficient yet personalized tools have been a game-changer, allowing us to scale our pledge strategy beyond major gifts.” - Katie Turcotte, Vice President of Advancement, University of Mary Washington
Why It Worked: Key Success Factors
Givzey's platform addressed several critical needs for the Mary Washington fundraising team. The digital agreements eliminated the print-sign-scan burden for donors, creating a simplified experience that secured commitments well ahead of Mary Wash Day. The automated tracking replaced manual spreadsheets, reducing administrative burden, while branded templates created a cohesive and professional donor experience. Perhaps most importantly, the early success in securing matches and challenges reduced team stress and built momentum leading up to the event.
"The integration of Givzey within our advancement toolkit has empowered us to shift the dialogue with our longstanding annual giving supporters away from the routine cycle of responding to yearly appeals. Instead, we can now seamlessly transition these donors into multi-year pledge commitments. This not only enhances the donor experience but also enables our expanding yet compact frontline fundraising team to dedicate more time to prospect discovery and pipeline cultivation. Moreover, it initiates organic conversations with donors about the potential for multi-year giving, offering invaluable educational insights into the various avenues through which they can contribute to the advancement of Mary Washington." - Katie Turcotte, Vice President of Advancement, University of Mary Washington
Looking Forward
With this transformative success, the University of Mary Washington has established a new standard for their annual Giving Day. The combination of timely matching gifts, participation challenges, and Givzey's streamlined digital agreement process has created a powerful model for future campaigns, for gifts of any size. By embracing digital transformation in their gift agreement process, Mary Washington didn't just improve administrative efficiency—they fundamentally enhanced their ability to inspire and secure donor commitments, resulting in their most successful Mary Wash Day ever.
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