Anthology Helps Raise the Bar on This Very Different #GivingTuesday
Despite uncertainties of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, Anthology’s higher ed customers saw a substantial increase in both dollars and donors
Boca Raton, Fla. — December 7, 2020 — Anthology, a leading provider of proven higher education solutions, announced that its customers using the Encompass platform raised over $10.5 million this past #GivingTuesday – a 37 percent increase from the previous year. Rather than an increase in the value of each donation, the upswing came in the form of more individuals choosing to donate.
Although the average gift size took a slight dip, Anthology’s Encompass product processed nearly 47,000 donations this past Tuesday, December 1, beating prior year records by 7 p.m. EST. There was a 48 percent increase in total transactions by the end of the 24-hour period.
It is possible the results were bolstered, rather than hindered, by the ongoing global pandemic and the profound effect it has had on our nation’s students. According to the Alumni Engagement Survey the company conducted earlier this year, over a third of respondents indicated that they were still interested in supporting their respective university, despite the high percentage of reported job furloughs and lay-offs. Of particular interest to donors was contributing to student emergency funds.
“Seeing the wave of generosity benefiting our institutional partners this #GivingTuesday has been truly gratifying,” said Jim Milton, CEO of Anthology. “We’re proud that our Encompass platform could play such an integral role in supporting students and campus communities through these difficult times and continuing into the future.”
Anthology’s #GivingTuesday U.S. customer initiatives by the numbers:
- $10,508,632 in total donations, a 37% increase over 2019
- 46,896 total gifts, a 48% increase over 2019
- Average online gift of $237.92 (down from $242.40 in 2019)
- 23,294,074 emails sent, a 9.65% increase over 2019
- 23 institutions raised more than $100,000
With robust analytics being made available in real time, Anthology customers were encouraged to create engaging and interactive donation webpages and follow up with potential donors. Institutions also utilized the Encompass email marketing tools to simplify the donation process by personalizing online experiences and auto-populating information, thereby removing roadblocks that typically prevent potential donors from completing a gift.
Established in 2012, #GivingTuesday was created as a way of linking individuals in a bid to strengthen communities and encourage giving. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that has inspired hundreds of millions of people all over the world to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. In addition to the many millions of dollars that have been raised online to benefit a broad range of organizations, #GivingTuesday also encourages volunteering, donations of food and clothing, and other acts of kindness.
For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit www.givingtuesday.org or follow @GivingTuesday and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media.
About the Analysis
This analysis includes all U.S. clients that collected donations using Anthology’s Encompass technology between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. EST on December 1, 2020.