Case Study: St. Lawrence University achieves a 151% increase in donors with Blackbaud Guided Fundraising

Track the success of a text-first approach with Blackbaud Guided Fundraising that offers a new way to connect personally with supporters

St. Lawrence University, a small residential liberal arts college with a highly engaged alumni network, faced a post‑pandemic decline in its phone fundraising program and needed a more personalized, efficient way to reconnect alumni and grow its annual fund. The challenge was adapting outreach to donors who increasingly ignore unexpected calls while preserving authentic student-led conversations.

The university implemented Blackbaud Guided Fundraising and shifted to a text‑first, multichannel “Calling All Saints” approach—text to start, then scheduled calls and tailored emails—using segmentation and donor context for student fundraisers. In year one this drove a 151% increase in donors and a 134% increase in dollars, with 51% of text respondents engaging (pledge, donate, schedule callback, or update records), 1,774 profile updates, a 71% email open rate, and under 6% opt‑outs.

St. Lawrence University

Erica Byrne

Assistant Director of Annual Giving