Miss Porter's School Revolutionizes Donor Engagement with Smart Gift Agreements
- Lily Johnson
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Elevating Annual Fund Leadership Giving
Miss Porter's has strategically focused on growing the top level of their annual fund—targeting gifts between $10,000 and $50,000 annually. These leadership donors represent a crucial segment: individuals with significant giving potential who might not yet be ready for the major gift pipeline but can make substantial impact through the annual fund.
Pina shared their innovative approach: "We've invited donors to make a multi-year pledge to student financial aid... commitments of $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 a year for four years."
A multi-year pledge strategy delivers multiple results:
Creates budget predictability for the business office
Provides donors with clear understanding of their direct impact through current-use scholarships
Allows the advancement team to focus on stewarding these relationships rather than repeated solicitations, creating better donor engagement
Smart Gift Agreements: A Game-Changer
The implementation of Givzey's Smart Gift Agreement platform has been instrumental in this transformation. As Pina noted, "Using the Givzey form helps us to codify those things. It's hugely helpful... there's a lot of automation pieces that remind people about when their pledges are due."
This automation frees gift officers to focus on relationship building and providing meaningful updates about the students impacted by these gifts. The result? Leadership donors receive major-donor-level stewardship, with quality interactions replacing routine solicitations.
Innovative Donor Partnerships for Donor Engagement
One of the most creative strategies Miss Porter's has implemented is pairing different types of donors toward common goals:
"We partner donors who've already made significant major gifts with younger donors interested in long-term philanthropy," Pina explained. "We might have a donor who's not yet ready to make a million-dollar gift to our endowment, but they could donate $25,000 a year through the annual fund, and we would pair them up with a donor who is able to make that million-dollar gift."
This creates a powerful dynamic where:
Annual fund donors make immediate impact through current-use giving
Endowment donors secure long-term sustainability
Both donor groups connect over shared purpose, often creating intergenerational relationships
Engaging Younger Alumni
The approach extends beyond just leadership giving. Miss Porter's uses smart gift agreements even for modest multi-year commitments of $250-$500 annually. These formalized agreements help donors understand the collective power of giving at all levels toward institutional priorities like student financial aid.
"Even though a $500 or $250 gift might not seem like a lot, we want to treat it as a big deal because we get a lot of those gifts and those people should be recognized and stewarded," Pina emphasized.
Powering Giving Day Success
Miss Porter's annual Farmington Give Day has also benefited from smart gift agreements. Now in its tenth year, the giving day aims for 500 gifts totaling half a million dollars—goals they've consistently surpassed.
Pina notes that the Givzey platform has been "hugely helpful, particularly with our early donors" who make leadership gifts or serve as influencers. The professional presentation of these agreements demonstrates institutional confidence and helps donors understand their critical role in the school's success.
By implementing these innovative approaches to multi-year giving through smart gift agreements, Miss Porter's School has created a more efficient, donor-centric fundraising operation that strengthens relationships while providing crucial support for their students.