Case Study: Wingate University grows major gift pipeline and identifies 40 new prospects with Blackbaud predictive modeling and prospect research

How Wingate University grew its major gift pipeline with predictive modeling and prospect research

Wingate University, a private North Carolina institution serving about 3,500 students, needed to grow its major gift pipeline and make fundraising more efficient and more data-driven despite a small development shop. The university sought better ways to pinpoint top donor prospects, improve relationship management, and maximize ROI across annual, major, and planned giving.

By adding Blackbaud predictive modeling and prospect research (alongside fundraising, merchant, and marketing tools), Wingate used queries, screening data, modeling scores, and ratings to focus on high-value prospects, segmentation, upgrades, and new donor acquisition—and to assign top prospects to gift officers. The effort produced measurable gains: the university identified, qualified, and assigned 40 new major-gift prospects in one year (about 10 per quarter), enabled more aggressive goal-setting and tracking, and saved staff time.

Wingate University

Amy Jackson

Assistant Vice President for Foundation