San Francisco Bay University Creates an Inclusive Welcome Experience for First-Generation Students

The Challenge 

San Francisco Bay University (SFBU), an institution focused on preparing the next generation of Silicon Valley innovators, recognized a key opportunity to enhance their admissions process. With many first-generation college students navigating the unfamiliar terrain of college enrollment, SFBU wanted to create an engaging, supportive experience that would guide students through the key admission milestones. The approach needed to reflect SFBU’s innovative spirit while ensuring accessibility for all admitted students and their families. Increase first generation collegiate enrollment

The Solution

The university implemented a two-phase strategy that would both celebrate students’ achievements and provide clear guidance through the enrollment process. 

  1. Newly admitted students were sent a branded sticker postcard that served multiple purposes beyond a traditional direct mail piece. Stickers created an eye-catching and engaging moment that encouraged interaction and allowed students to display their university pride on laptops, water bottles, and other personal items. This transformed a simple form of communication into long-lasting affiliation with the university.

Serving as both a congratulatory message and a friendly reminder of the next step in the enrollment process, the message from the President included, “On behalf of our entire community, I’d like to welcome you to SFBU and share my sincere congratulations for all you’ve done to make it this far. In order to accept your admission and secure your place in our incoming class, all you need to do is scan the QR code or follow the link below and follow the directions to submit your deposit”.

Thanks to the university’s weekly updates on admitted students, Magellan ensured the sticker postcards were mailed quickly, delivering them at the perfect moment to amplify the excitement of their acceptance.

  1. Once students made their deposit, SFBU elevated the experience with a carefully curated welcome box. The items were strategically selected for both practical and emotional impact, fostering a connection with the university’s community. 

Each package included a pennant, water bottle, window cling, and an informative insert card to welcome them to their new home away from home. The water bottle offered a daily opportunity to display SFBU pride. The pennant gave students a tangible way to celebrate their achievement and build affinity by displaying it in their room or locker, helping them share their college decision with family and friends. 

Understanding the importance of family support in the college journey, the window cling for parents and family members was provided in both English and Spanish, reflecting the university’s commitment to creating an inclusive experience that resonates with their diverse student community.Increase first generation collegiate enrollment

 

 


The Outcome

By managing weekly fulfillment updates and maintaining consistent quality control, Magellan helped SFBU execute this multi-phase outreach smoothly and efficiently. The strategic use of branded merchandise created meaningful touch points that guided students through the admission process. The thoughtful attention to inclusivity helped ensure every student and their family felt welcomed into the SFBU community.

Does your merch help create an engaging, inclusive and supportive experience for all incoming students and their families?

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Variable Data Best Practices

  • At the quoting stage of your project, please let us know how many fields of variable data your piece will have as this can affect pricing.
  • Data should be provided to us as an Excel spreadsheet with only the applicable data included.
  • Verbiage for variable data fields on artwork file should match up exactly with data fields on spreadsheet.
  • Spacing on artwork must allow for longest data entries. We recommend that your designer tests this in advance to confirm that the fields in the design can fit your longest pieces of data.

Postage Permits

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:

  • CRID (customer registration ID)
  • Non-Profit Authorization Number (with USPS, not their nonprofit number for the university)
  • Non-profit indicia
  • Return address that is on file with USPS for the non-profit authorization number
  • Permit number

Formatting the Mailing List

Our account team will advise on specific requirements for your project’s mailing list.  We generally recommend these best practices to format the mailing list:
  • Send your data in a spreadsheet, saving it in the comma-separated values (CSV) format
  • International addresses must be separated from domestic addresses
  • Domestic addresses should at least contain data fields for “first name”, “last name”, “address 1”, “address 2”, “city”, “state” and “ZIP code”