Sustaining donor relationships through cadence-based fundraising

In the wake of its record-breaking US$1.1bn Boldly Buffalo campaign, the University at Buffalo (UB) sought new strategies to sustain donor engagement and strengthen its philanthropic pipeline. This paper explores the university’s implementation of a digital gift officer (DGO) programme using cadencebased fundraising software to reach mid-level donors often overlooked by traditional outreach models. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools like Salesloft, UB’s DGOs conducted over 14,000 personalised interactions in a single year — resulting in a 400 per cent increase in donor meetings and nearly US$700,000 in contributions. Through personalised video messages, multichannel cadences and data-informed stewardship, the programme successfully reactivated lapsed donors, uncovered significant bequest intentions and created more fluid collaboration between DGOs and major gift officers (MGOs). UB’s approach offers a scalable, cost-effective model for institutions aiming to enhance donor relationships, increase giving and build a robust pipeline of future major donors. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.