University of Alabama at Birmingham Modernizes its Online Constituent Experience

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University of Alabama at Birmingham modernizes its online constituent experience

Challenge

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) came to iModules with the need to modernize and streamline its online constituent experience for giving and membership with its alumni community. Looking to move away from clunky forms and multiple systems, UAB’s National Alumni Society and UAB Giving and Advancement Services leveraged Encompass from iModules for a redesigned website experience to match its main .edu page. They also sought to simplify the online giving process, drive engagement, and track membership for its 135,000+ alumni worldwide.

Solution

During implementation, the UAB team was unsure of what they wanted with their web design. Working closely with iModules Project Management Office and Design Services, they aligned on a website design that followed their brand standards and guidelines based on the look and feel of uab.edu for a consistent flow of their brand.

In addition to the website design, iModules Professional Services assisted with new, streamlined custom giving forms and role-based membership forms, as UAB is a dues-based organization with multiple pricing tiers. For UAB National Alumni Society Membership, the application form now sustains eight tiers with an autorenewal option, in addition to lifetime membership. On the giving side, donation forms now feature the option to cite multiple designations, in memoriam gifts, joint gifts, and recurring gifts. The team also has the option to group funds and create vignette giving pages for individual schools and programs. Plus, UAB can maximize donations with the HEP Matching Gift integration, built directly into the form.

Before launch, custom email and event templates were created, as well as an online directory. Constituent information was pre-populated, allowing for easy updates while ensuring the most up-to-date data would be collected in one place. 

Result

In the first two months of UAB’s National Alumni Society website going live, email open rates jumped from an average of 13.6% to 20.94%, nearly a 54% increase. Additionally, email click rates are an impressive 90% higher since going live, compared to the rest of 2019. 

As giving and engagement campaigns roll out over the course of the year, the team expects to see spikes in giving, website traffic, event participation, volunteerism, and directory updates. UAB's team has been able to simplify their processes as a result of Encompass, helping save time and internal resources.