80% Video Open Rate on Donor Communications
Leveraging personalized video to support fundraising initiatives and deepen donor relationships at scale.
Overview
Client: Rutgers Foundation
Platform: ThankView
Role: Strategy, creative direction, and execution
Scope: Personalized video for Giving Days, donor stewardship, and ongoing engagement
Timeline: Ongoing
The Opportunity
Donor communications needed to feel more personal and timely, particularly during key fundraising moments and ongoing stewardship efforts. The opportunity was to use video not as a novelty, but as a relationship-building tool: one that could scale while still feeling genuinely human.
The Strategy
The approach focused on integrating personalized video into moments where connection mattered most, encouraging participation during Giving Days and reinforcing relationships through donor follow-up and impact storytelling.
Execution
Giving Day Camapaigns
Coaches and athletes recorded personalized videos that were distributed to segmented audiences ahead of and during Giving Days, encouraging participation through familiarity, pride, and shared purpose.
Donor Stewardship & Follow-Up
Gift officers used video to follow up after events, meetings, and visits, as well as to show donors the real-world impact of their contributions — from walkthroughs of funded spaces to personal thank-you messages.
The Results
Personalized video outreach consistently achieved strong open rates, indicating higher donor attention and engagement across both fundraising and stewardship communications. The success of these efforts reflected a strategy built around relevance and timing — meeting donors with messages that felt personal, purposeful, and worth opening.