Dordt University Case Study

Overview

Dordt University, located in Sioux Center, Iowa, is dedicated to fostering student development and athletic excellence. With a growing number of athletic programs and student initiatives, the university needed an efficient, modern, and scalable fundraising solution. Through a strategic partnership with eTeamSponsor, Dordt University successfully raised $332,000+ in one year, supporting 17 programs, including football and dance.

The Challenge

Dordt University sought a streamlined and effective way to fundraise for its athletic teams and student programs. Traditional methods, such as direct mail campaigns, were primarily targeting older donors, leaving a gap in outreach to younger alumni and supporters. The university needed:

• A modern and easy-to-use platform that simplified fundraising efforts.

• Better donor engagement through digital channels.

• A scalable solution that could support multiple programs simultaneously.

The Solution

eTeamSponsor provided Dordt University with an automated and data-driven fundraising platform that empowered teams to launch, manage, and optimize their fundraising efforts efficiently. With the ability to leverage emails, text messaging, and personalized campaign pages, Dordt was able to expand its donor base and increase engagement across different demographics.

The Results

• $332,000+ raised in one year.
• 17 athletic programs successfully funded.
• Increased donor engagement, particularly among younger alumni.
• Improved campaign efficiency, allowing coaches and athletes to focus on their programs rather than manual fundraising efforts.

Client Testimonials

Mika Kooistra, Athletics Gifts Officer at Dordt University, shared the key factors behind their success with eTeamSponsor:

“There are a few factors that influenced our success using eTeamSponsor this fall. Firstly, we have not used a platform like this in recent years, so the ease of sharing, modern format, and online donation options all were new and exciting features for our donors. Using emails and texts allowed our athletes to target a younger demographic more successfully than the typical parent/grandparent route our letter campaigns appeal to.

Our donor base is also very interconnected and involved at Dordt, especially with the increasing success of many of our sports programs over the last five years. Many current athletes have connections with previous alumni, which helped us gain traction.

Our athletic department emphasizes a ‘develop the person, not just the athlete’ mindset, which parents and donors respond well to. The trust from our donor base in the student and student-athlete experience is high, which translates to monetary support.

Several things stood out about using eTeamSponsor. The messaging capabilities for a campaign were great in terms of building a landing page and video message. The automatic email system worked well to increase donations. Probably my favorite feature is the availability of eTeamSponsor reps (David and Nichole), who provided us with a lot of help in launching campaigns smoothly. Another feature our coaches loved was the launch day itself and the limited time investment it took for them to execute a campaign.”

Kyle Lindbergh, Major Gift Officer at Dordt University, echoed this sentiment:

“Having someone to coordinate with coaches and help hold them accountable within our department was very helpful in my opinion. Mika was well-organized with our coaches and helped coordinate their launch dates and other details. I would echo what Mika shared, that we have historically strong support through alumni and families. The money we raised through eTeamSponsor will account for roughly 10% of our athletic fundraising this year. So while it is not our main avenue of fundraising, it did help bring in the largest number of gifts we have ever received (3x the number of gifts we have ever received!) because of eTeam’s ability to connect to a large number of supporters via email and text.

I would add to Mika’s points that our coaches were successful because of the ease of giving through the platform. Being able to watch the video, read the coaches’ write-ups, and then give through a couple of simple clicks helped make our coaches successful.

3 Things I enjoyed about eTeamSponsor:

1. The support team of David and Nichole, who went above and beyond to not just meet our needs but work with some of the unique pieces of our programs.
2. The launch day, which made it engaging for the athletes and coaches who did not have to do much of the heavy lifting.
3. Being able to see who gave to what program, what their connection was to the program, and then having that donor’s contact information to thank them accordingly and be able to solicit them in the future.

Looking Ahead

With the overwhelming success of its fundraising campaigns, Dordt University plans to continue leveraging eTeamSponsor to further enhance financial support for student programs and athletic teams. The efficiency, ease of use, and engagement-driven approach have proven to be game-changers for the university’s fundraising strategy.

Join the Winning Team

Dordt University’s success demonstrates how eTeamSponsor’s platform can revolutionize fundraising for athletic departments and university programs. Want to see how eTeamSponsor can help your institution? Learn more at www.eteamsponsor.com.