Case Study: Indiana University of Pennsylvania raises $193K and supports 253 students during COVID-19 with Blackbaud

How Indiana University of Pennsylvania nimbly established a COVID-19 emergency fund for students that raised $130,000 in less than a month, and continued to grow

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), a public four-year institution with 10,000–15,000 undergraduates, needed to quickly provide financial support to students, faculty, and staff impacted by COVID-19 after moving instruction online. The university launched an online Emergency Response Fund to help those in need and enable remote fundraising and fund management.

Using Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT, staff managed the fund remotely and mobilized alumni and friends to give more than $130,000 by March. By May IUP had raised $193,094 from 383 donors ($191,123 from 368 donors for the Emergency Response Fund and $1,971 from 26 donors for the Food Pantry) and distributed $158,012.65 in awards to 253 students, supported by Blackbaud solutions for financial management, fundraising/relationship management, and marketing/engagement.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Heather Andring

Director of Advancement Services