Case Study: UConn Foundation achieves fundraising growth and stronger donor engagement with Blackbaud

Supporting the University and its mission of pursuing excellence in teaching, research, and public service while also driving positive change around the world through its quality programs and services

The UConn Foundation partners with the University of Connecticut to advance teaching, research, and public service by rallying alumni and supporters to fund scholarships, address health disparities, and meet urgent student needs. Faced with growing student hardship—exacerbated by COVID-19—and the challenge of engaging and expanding its donor base (especially women donors), the Foundation needed scalable fundraising programs and better data-driven outreach to respond quickly and effectively.

The Foundation responded by establishing the Students First Fund to provide emergency student aid, growing the Women and Philanthropy program (including the 100 Women Giving $100,000 initiative) to fund targeted scholarships, and building a BI-driven predictive analytics model and dashboard to improve donor segmentation and outreach. Results include nearly $1 million raised for the Students First Fund from more than 4,000 donors (helping hundreds of students), over $10 million raised for Women and Philanthropy with 74 scholarship recipients and 14 graduates, a $6.9 million boost from the 100 Women initiative’s first year, and enhanced, data-informed fundraising and engagement capabilities.

UConn Foundation

Jennifer Sargent

Assistant Vice President