Case Study: Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse Boosts Fundraising by Combining Live Events and Digital Engagement with Insider Inbox
Nashville, TN – October 10, 2024
Overview: Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse faced the challenge of building a large and engaged donor base. By combining live events with a strategic digital engagement campaign through Insider Inbox, they effectively grew their donor list. Leveraging QR codes at live fundraising events and using social media to drive sign-ups, Ohio State not only expanded their supporter base but also laid the groundwork for converting lower-tier supporters into middle and top-tier financial contributors over time.
Challenge: Like many college athletic programs, Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse initially struggled with not having a large, established donor base. They needed a strategy to expand their list of contributors and move beyond relying solely on top-tier donors. Growing the base of lower-tier supporters was especially critical to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
Solution: Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse utilized Insider Inbox to grow their donor base by integrating QR codes at live events, such as their cocktail evening and golf outing. These codes encouraged attendees to sign up for exclusive video content delivered straight to their phones. This method helped not only capture new contacts from event participants but also keep existing supporters engaged with personalized content.
Furthermore, Ohio State took advantage of their social media channels to promote the Insider Inbox sign-up form. While social media followers are often part of the bottom 80% of financial supporters, collecting their information and adding them to Insider Inbox enabled Ohio State to engage with this group on a deeper level. The strategy aimed to convert these lower-tier supporters into middle and top-tier financial contributors by maintaining continuous, personalized communication and fostering stronger connections over time.
Key Strategies:
- Using QR Codes to Grow the Donor List: At live fundraising events, Ohio State placed QR codes on table tents, allowing attendees to easily sign up for exclusive video content through Insider Inbox. This strategy not only captured new leads but also helped grow their list of supporters, ensuring that attendees remained connected to the team long after the event ended.
- Driving Traffic from Social Media: Recognizing that social media followers typically belong to the bottom 80% of financial supporters, Ohio State used their platforms to encourage followers to sign up for Insider Inbox. By promoting exclusive behind-the-scenes content and personalized updates, the program engaged these followers, turning them into potential financial supporters. Adding these supporters to Insider Inbox enabled Ohio State to build relationships and create opportunities to eventually move them up to middle and top-tier donor levels.
-
Converting Lower-Tier Supporters: By continuously engaging bottom-tier supporters through Insider Inbox, Ohio State aimed to cultivate these relationships over time. Personalized video content, regular updates, and consistent communication helped convert these casual followers into deeper supporters, with the potential to become middle and top-tier contributors as they developed a stronger emotional connection with the program.
-
Continuous Engagement: Insider Inbox bridged the gap between major events and campaigns by keeping supporters engaged year-round, even when there were no games or active fundraising efforts. This consistent communication helped maintain interest and reduce donor fatigue, especially among lower-tier supporters who may otherwise lose touch with the program.
Results:
-
Significant Donor List Growth: By utilizing QR codes at events and promoting sign-ups via social media, Ohio State significantly grew their donor base. This strategy helped them capture information from supporters who may not have been part of the core donor pool initially.
-
Higher Engagement from Bottom-Tier Supporters: Adding social media followers and event attendees to Insider Inbox allowed Ohio State to consistently engage with their bottom 80% of supporters. Through regular updates and personalized video content, the program began converting these lower-tier supporters into more engaged, higher-tier contributors.
-
Stronger Donor Commitment: By keeping new supporters engaged with personalized, continuous communication, Ohio State deepened relationships with their bottom-tier donors. This engagement created pathways for these supporters to transition into middle and top-tier financial contributors, ensuring a more sustainable and diversified donor base over time.
Conclusion: Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse successfully grew their donor base by combining live event engagement with digital tools like Insider Inbox. Using QR codes at events and driving sign-ups through social media, they captured information from a broad range of supporters. While many of these new sign-ups initially belonged to the bottom 80% of contributors, Ohio State’s strategy of continuous engagement allowed them to cultivate deeper relationships with these supporters. Through Insider Inbox, they turned casual followers into potential middle and top-tier financial supporters, creating a scalable and sustainable growth strategy for their donor base.
About Insider Inbox:
Insider Inbox is a communications software platform that helps coaches and NIL Collectives connect with their top 20% financial supporters through premium, behind-the-scenes video content. Designed to raise more money for special projects and NIL opportunities, Insider Inbox enables personalized, real-time engagement that strengthens relationships and drives financial support. For more information, follow Insider Inbox on social media and visit InsiderInbox.co.
