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In a time of rapid change in college athletics, five of our partners—Penn State, Pitt, UTEP, Kent State, and West Virginia—achieved record-breaking fundraising years. While we aren't a donation-processing platform or a direct-ask tool, DonorElevate played a strategic role in helping these programs deepen relationships with their supporters and build sustainable momentum in a volatile fundraising environment.
A Platform Built for Engagement, Not Just Asks
DonorElevate is an engagement platform. It's built to help athletic departments consistently connect with their top financial contributors and actively nurture the next generation of donors. From selfie-style video messages and personal text campaigns to contact forms and email newsletters, our tool provides teams with more meaningful, intentional ways to stay top-of-mind with their supporters.
Real Touchpoints. Real Relationships. Real Results.
We don't claim credit for these fundraising records—that belongs to the incredible development teams, coaches, and institutional leadership behind each campaign. But we are proud to have provided the infrastructure that allowed those leaders to:
The success patterns we've observed align with the principles discussed in our analysis of building a donor-first culture and the strategic insights from focusing on your most valuable supporters.
- Increase the frequency and quality of personal communication
- Showcase impact through exclusive coach video updates
- Collect valuable donor insights through contact forms and landing pages
- Promote giving days, campaigns, and events with targeted outreach
Here's how five of our partners leveraged DonorElevate in the most successful fundraising years in their programs' history:
1. Penn State Athletics
Record: $164.9 million
From nearly 20,000 donors
- Rolled out DonorElevate as a resource for all 28 head coaches to engage their top donors and the top supporters of each individual sport
- Used the platform to send personalized videos, updates, and email newsletters to foster one-on-one relationships at scale
2. UTEP Athletics
Record: $50.5 million
Fourth consecutive record year
- Leveraged DonorElevate in the widest range of use cases: individual head coaches used it to raise money for rival game ticket pushes, NIL funds, and major gift campaigns
- Combined bulk messaging with data collection campaigns like Giving Days, season ticket announcements, and live auction promotions
3. Kent State Athletics
Record: $3 million
Fully endowed men's golf program
- DonorElevate was specifically used by the men's basketball program, with Head Coach Rob Senderoff sending updates to top supporters throughout the season and off-season
- This was a unique partnership between men's basketball and their NIL collective, The Blue and Gold Collective
- We also created a customized, donation-specific landing page to support Kent State MBB's campaign, helping convert interest into direct action
4. West Virginia Athletics
Part of WVU's Record: $282.6 million
University-wide fundraising year
- Utilized DonorElevate through the Mountaineer Athletic Club to send video messages from head coaches directly to top donors
- Created exclusivity by tying communications to key moments, like College Baseball World Series appearances and the hiring of a new men's basketball coach
5. Pitt Athletics
Record: $19.9 million
From 16,063 donors—largest donor base in history
- DonorElevate played a strategic role in this growth, enabling personalized video messages and texts from head coaches, the athletic director, and Pitt legends like Larry Fitzgerald
- This targeted engagement helped connect with high-value donors through the Script Society and deepened overall donor involvement
- We also supported Pitt with a six-month, preplanned engagement playbook—adaptive, strategic, and highly detailed—designed to guide consistent donor outreach through key athletic milestones and campaigns
Shaping the Future of Fundraising
Each of these partners used DonorElevate slightly differently, tailored to their strategy, voice, and audience—but all saw the benefits of more consistent, authentic communication. These partnerships are shaping the future of donor engagement, and we're just getting started.
We're not just building software. We're building relationships. We offer strategic donor engagement playbooks tailored to each program's goals, history, events calendar, and campaign timeline. These playbooks help our partners stay consistent and intentional with their outreach, even during the busiest times of the year.
We're learning from our partners, iterating fast, and delivering the tools that athletic departments need to keep pace with the evolving demands of fundraising in the NIL and revenue-sharing era.
Each program's journey is unique, but the fundamentals remain consistent. Whether it's implementing practical revenue generation strategies or understanding modern donor retention trends, success comes from consistent, authentic engagement.
The early success of these five programs is proof that innovation, personalization, and strategy—combined with the right tools—can drive real outcomes.
Is Your Program Ready for Record-Breaking Results?
The programs featured in this article all shared common characteristics before their success. Discover where your program stands and what opportunities exist for growth.
We're proud to be part of the journey.
DonorElevate
The future of donor engagement.
For more info, visit donorelevate.com/request-demo
Ben Graves
Founder & CEO, DonorElevate
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