UGA Engagement Center: New Technologies & New Opportunities

New technologies bring exciting new opportunities. When DAR incorporated texting and video into the UGA Engagement Center, we were energized by the fundraising, stewardship, and engagement opportunities that these channels would unlock. 

To make the most of these tools, we’re developing best practices for how to use them. As we try new things, we track what works–and what doesn’t. For example, A/B testing helps us learn what tactics are most effective. 

While we take a thoughtful and scientific approach to establishing best practices for the Engagement Center, we are excited to explore and test new, creative ideas. This semester, students in the Engagement Center recorded stewardship videos for their respective schools and colleges. The videos were emailed to alumni of that school or college when they made a gift or pledge over the phone. In many cases, the student in the video was the same student that the donor had spoken with! We received great feedback from alumni, many of whom have been making annual gifts over the phone for years. In the age of social distancing and mask-wearing, seeing a UGA student’s face was a real treat for donors. These short, 30–second videos meant a lot to them and we were glad to make it happen. 

As excited as we are about the positive results from text and video so far, what’s more exciting are the new ways to use this technology that we haven’t considered yet. This fall, we’ll test more ways to use these tools because we have only scratched the surface of what the Engagement Center can do for your teams and the university. 

So, bring us your ideas. We love to hear how the Engagement Center can partner with you—and brainstorm ways to solve your fundraising, stewardship, and engagement challenges. 

Email me and/or Jill Bateman to learn what the UGA Engagement Center can do for you!