Case Study: University of Montevallo achieves $37M fundraising milestone and builds AI-driven prospect pipeline with Blackbaud

University of Montevallo Builds a Prospect Research Function with Predictive Analytics

The University of Montevallo, Alabama’s public liberal arts college, launched a MomentUM campaign to raise $30 million for student access, academic programs, and capital projects. Facing an aging major-donor base and limited prospect-research capacity (one researcher), the foundation needed to build a fresh pipeline of mid‑level and major gift prospects and clean up outdated portfolio assignments.

They implemented Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Prospect Insights, ResearchPoint, and predictive analytics with help from a strategic consultant to automate segmentation, prioritize prospects, and guide deep research. Over ~10 months they reviewed 1,500 records, identified 815 unassigned high‑potential prospects and 211 underperforming assigned donors, qualified 37 new major prospects, and secured two $25K endowed scholarships. One year into the public phase MomentUM had raised $37M (exceeding the $30M goal), prompting an extended timeline and a revised $50M target while establishing stronger prospect-management processes.

University of Montevallo

Lizbeth Juarez

Director of Comprehensive Campaign and Special Giving