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Cleveland State University
5 minute read

Standardizing and Elevating the Donor Experience

Challenge


Established in 1964, Cleveland State University (CSU) has a population of over 14,000 students – largely commuter students living in the area – and offers 200 fields of study across the undergraduate and graduate levels. As with many higher education institutions in this day and age, CSU has been faced with budget cuts and declining donations. Facing difficulty retaining donors, the institution needed a flexible platform that would make fundraising and giving seamless for both staff and donors.


Solution


CSU turned to ScaleFunder to boost its fundraising efforts, excited by the platform’s features that make it a good fit for multiple types of campaigns, from scholarship funds to department funding requests and more. ScaleFunder’s ease of use and low barrier to entry have proven extremely helpful. “If I need to train somebody on ScaleFunder, I can do it in about 15 minutes,” said the director of annual giving at CSU. “The more people I can train to fundraise, the better.”


The platform also helps to ensure opportunities for giving are not missed. ScaleFunder’s DAFpay feature enables donors to contribute directly from their donor-advised funds. Beyond the fundraising tools, CSU also uses the platform to send thank-you messages to donors.



Giving Solutions

ScaleFunder

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The great thing about ScaleFunder is that all projects are going to the same place and they count towards our fundraising attainment. Most importantly, the donor gets the correct experience.
Director of Annual Giving
Director of Annual Giving logo

Results

CSU’s utilization of ScaleFunder has already made a measurable impact. On their most recent Giving Day, the university set a record with over $900,000 raised — including six gifts from donor-based funds through the DAFpay feature. CSU also sent 2,520 thank-you videos, achieving an open rate of 66%. And as an additional token of gratitude to their donors, they included 20% off coupons on the ScaleFunder receipts, one for the campus bookstore, and another for a popular pizza restaurant on campus. CSU is leveraging ScaleFunder beyond Giving Day to support additional fundraising initiatives, including pages for student groups, centers around campus, and memorial scholarships.

Website engagement 5 times higher than previous campaigns
Raised over $900,000, setting a university record
Website engagement 5 times higher than previous campaigns
Generated half of donations from online giving
Website engagement 5 times higher than previous campaigns
Achieved an open rate of 66%
Website engagement 5 times higher than previous campaigns
Received contributions from 2,600 individual donors
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