American University of Beirut: Fundraising Through Multiple Crises

Congratulations to the American University of Beirut, our 2020 Honor Roll Winner for Gain Efficiency!

This content was previously published by iModules, now part of Anthology. Product and/or solution names may have changed.

Challenge

The American University of Beirut faced a truly unprecedented series of events during the 2019-2020 academic year: Nationwide protests demanding political reform, devaluation of the local currency, cancellation of student loans by local banks, COVID-19, and finally, the economic collapse of the country. They were facing, what AUB's president described as, "perhaps its greatest crisis since the university's foundation in 1866." Their challenge was to raise money under enormous constraints, which was especially daunting because most of their alumni and contributors were directly impacted by the same circumstances causing financial challenges for the university.

Solution

The only solution AUB had was to fundraise. The Encompass suite of tools (online giving page, fundraising appeal email, Encompass database) was critical to their fundraising efforts - especially since they were unable to hold face-to-face meetings or solicitations due to COVID-19. For the first time, the American University of Beirut sent fundraising appeals, not just in English, but also in Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese. They launched a worldwide Solidarity Appeal in November 2019 to raise money for current AUB students and needy patients seeking medical care. In April 2020, AUB launched an appeal in response to the pandemic, and in May 2020, launched an Emergency Fund appeal to support the most vulnerable members of the community.

Result

As of May 15, 2020, AUB's three fundraising appeals have raised more than $19.9 million, and they've also raised more money from first-time donors than at any other time in its history. In the seven months since launching the first of the appeals, the number of online gifts received through Encompass increased by 211% and total online giving by 223% over the previous seven-month period. AUB credits the response of its truly extraordinary alumni and friends for the success of the fundraising appeals, and credits iModules for offering the tools and support they needed at a truly critical time. Take a look at AUB's November 2019 Solidarity Appeal YouTube video.