Tap Into Family Pride: How Parents Can Elevate University Donation Campaigns

  • by Michael Wolaver, Founder/Captain of Magellan Promotions

Including current parents in collegiate fundraising campaigns

Successful collegiate fundraising campaigns should consider all potential audience segments. If you increase the size of the pie, you can increase the amount of donations you receive.  

One group that colleges should engage are parents of current students. This group may not seem obvious as they are already financially funding the university through tuition. However, there are a number of good reasons why you should include this group in giving campaigns.  

These include:

  • They are a very engaged group. How can’t they be, their kid is there! Families can be frequent visitors to campus, for move in day, attending athletic events and just visiting.  
  • Families have tremendous pride in their kids going to college. When their child is having an impactful experience, their affinity for the university rises.  


My personal story. 

I went to Marquette University. Through my positive experience on the campus, my sister followed me and my parents became huge fans of the college. They rave about the experience I had and are proud to share it.  

As parents’ affinity rises, so does their potential willingness to help other families have the same experience. Use this emotional connection to drive new donors to the university by including them in fundraising campaigns.  


including current parents in collegiate fundraising

Tone Matters

A really important consideration of outreach to this group is to strike the right tone. To do this effectively, use your CRM to segment the marketing to this group from other audiences. Use framing around recognizing that they are already paying tuition, but the purpose of the giving campaign.

For example, the university is having a Giving Day and fundraising for scholarships for students. The messaging can be framed that the college trusts that their student is having a positive experience and through participating in giving day, they are helping other families get this same experience, if not a better one.  

Another great example is athletics! Do your teams need funding for new facilities, equipment or travel expenses? Crowdfunding campaigns are a great way to engage current parents, family, and friends. Set the tone in a way that helps them understand the direct impact they’re making. Perhaps you can even invite them to the next game with VIP seats for donating! 

Role of Merch

Take advantage of the power of merch to drive these donations with families. Families love to show off their pride in their student’s college choice. Merch provides this conduit from the emotional connection to showcasing their pride. Take advantage of this pride to drive donations and help the university.   

Through getting families involved as donors while their students are in college, colleges can increase donations in the short term and potentially create life-long donors.including current parents in collegiate fundraising

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We are happy to mail using a client’s USPS non-profit number. Here are a few best practices for this to go smoothly. Let our team know up front on the project so we can make sure to get the information we need right away. 

While our mail house does prefer to use their permit number for the mailing, we can use the client’s permit, If using their permit number, ensure there is enough postage to cover the mailing.

The information we need to in order to use a client’s nonprofit number includes the following:

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