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In the world of fundraising, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. For advancement professionals, this means embracing innovative technology that streamlines operations and strengthens donor relationships. This is why we’re thrilled to feature Michelle Bates, Vice President of IT at the Purdue for Life Foundation, in our latest Innovator Spotlight.
The Purdue for Life Foundation has long been a power user of Kindsight’s ascend CRM solution to manage their fundraising efforts. However, when Kindsight announced its new enterprise Fundraising Platform CRM, the Purdue team saw an exciting opportunity to build on their success—unlocking even greater efficiency, flexibility, and impact.
We sat down with Michelle to learn more about the “why” behind their decision, the challenges they’ve tackled, and the future they’re helping shape for fundraising at Purdue.
The Challenge: Advancing to the next level of efficiency
With ascend serving as a strong foundation for their fundraising efforts, the Purdue for Life Foundation was ready to take the next step: eliminating the time-consuming, manual work happening outside the CRM to empower fundraisers with more automation and insight.
Challenge #1 – One area ripe for improvement was fundraiser outreach. The team was in and out of spreadsheets, keeping track of many interactions outside of the CRM. Needless to say, this was a labour-intensive task, likely resulting in missed follow-ups and untapped opportunities.
Challenge #2 – Another key challenge was donor data freshness. Like so many advancement teams, they screened portions of their database a few times per year. This information is invaluable, but unfortunately it is a snapshot in time and not automated, so fundraisers were not always be acting on current information. The team wanted a more dynamic and continuous way to stay on top of key donor signals and surface new prospects faster.
The Solution: A transformational leap into an integrated platform
The decision to move to the Kindsight Fundraising Platform was a natural next step. By combining the trusted functionality of ascend with real-time donor intelligence and automation, the platform empowers fundraisers to work smarter, act faster, and drive greater impact.
Two key features of the platform stood out as game-changers:
Solution #1 – The ability to identify and qualify donors with live profiles, donor profiles that can be continuously screened for real-time data updates and insights, means they no longer have to wait a year to get the most up-to-date information. This continuous stream of information will lead to more current and complete donor profiles.
Solution #2 – Purdue will leverage action sequences, which are multi-step outreach plans powered by AI and behaviour-based triggers. These will enable fundraisers to automate tasks and allow them to connect with constituents at exactly the right moment. This approach will transform how Purdue’s fundraisers manage their outreach, eliminating the need for manual list management and ensuring consistent and timely communication with every prospect.
“It’s going to enable us to be more calculated in who we’re reaching out to and which cadences we’re applying to which populations of donors,” she adds.
The Future: Efficiency, accuracy, and empowered fundraisers
For the Purdue for Life Foundation, the future is all about enabling their team to operate at peak performance. By reducing administrative overhead and manual processes, fundraisers can increase their focus on what truly matters—cultivating the relationships that fuel philanthropy. It’s a strategic evolution: using cutting-edge technology not to replace human connection, but to deepen it.
Michelle’s advice to other higher education institutions charting a similar course is clear:
“Once you‘re on ascend, you already have the foundation… and the next level is fundraising intelligence. It will turbocharge your fundraising team and your data. Truly a differentiator and this capability will move the CRM from a system of record to a system of empowerment.”
It’s time to level up your fundraising strategy. Explore how the Kindsight Fundraising Platform empowers your team to work smarter, act faster, and raise more.
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