Giving Story Spotlight: Minnesota State University, Mankato

While giving page visitors may need no more than a brief inspirational message to prompt a gift, others prefer a bit more detail, and some will give after taking time to explore impact stories on their own. The advancement team at Minnesota State, Mankato has created a site that demonstrates these “giving tiers” well.

Leading the giving page is a full-page image slideshow with beautiful shots of campus and students. The first make-a-gift button appears after this large-font message: “Giving to Minnesota State Mankato has a real-world impact on students: It transforms their lives by supporting them as they pursue their big ideas. Your support provides scholarships, funds research opportunities, improves our facilities and so much more.”

Scrolling down, friends are served a menu of four options. While neither of the sections allows donors to drill down into stories about any of the funds—clicking for more info brings up the giving form—the first two can help in inspiring gifts with impact.

The Current Causes section beckons with: “Find your philanthropic passion and invest in the causes and communities you care about most. Make an immediate impact and inspire students with big ideas for solving real-world problems.” And the Support Students in Financial Need section promotes giving to the MAV Cares Emergency Grant Program, which “ensures students will be successful in their daily life even when they are faced with unexpected financial emergencies.” Those who click through are also given the option of supporting student scholarships.

STORIES THEY’RE TELLING: The more detailed content arrives as eight video Impact Stories, found via a link in the bottom section of the giving homepage. The stories “illustrate how donor support has allowed students to succeed in achieving their big ideas.”

The newest video is unfortunately from 2022—which is quite obvious because most of the headers have the year in them—but the collection serves as an effective glimpse at students’ excitement about scholarship funding and gratitude for having received emergency financial help in their time of need.

Three videos show staff surprising accepted students with the news that they were selected as scholarship recipients.

In one video, with messaging geared toward thanking scholarship donors, students were individually asked on zoom how a scholarship would change their lives, and then came the big reveal. Some were speechless or in shock, several cried. As one student, choked up with emotion, shared that she has a toddler and how worried she was about not being able to afford school along with a good daycare. Alumni and others giving gifts for scholarships, one student summarizes, sends this simple key message: “We believe in you.”

Another video shows Zoom calls with scholarship winners, but scheduled under false pretenses. “I just have a couple questions about your application,” one staff member said. “We wanted to interview you about your advising experience,” said another. Part two shows the staff admitting it was all a trick. “I have to be completely honest with you, I am lying through my teeth,” one said. Then the video jumps to the emotional reactions to the scholarship news, and finally the video captures students’ off-the-cuff messages of thanks to donors.

The third “good news” video, filmed in 2019, features scholarship recipients being surprised at school and work by administrators and the college mascot, Stomper the Maverick.

Other impact videos feature:

· A speech with highlights from a reception that brought together scholarship recipients with donors and campus leaders, including students getting personal with their own stories

· Snapshots from a 1963 alum’s visit to campus, in which he reflects on his time at the university and the impact it has had on students and graduates over the past 150 years.

· A 2019 graduate (who had been a student stewardship officer) taking time to thank donors just after receiving her diploma

· Students who have received emergency fund support sharing, in one continuing message, how gifts to the fund helped them continue their education, fix their cars, find a safe place to live, have enough food, and graduate, gifts that “saved the day.”

· An American Indian Student Scholarship recipient a speech about how the generous gift means someone believes in him.

A “share your story” link encourages students, alumni, employees, or donors to briefly highlight their own impact of giving experience.

STORYTELLING TAKEAWAYS: Minnesota State University, Mankato’s giving page demonstrates several ideas to consider modeling.

1. Lead with a slideshow showing both campus scenes and student activity.

2. Offer multiple “make a gift” buttons on the main page.

3. Create a page with messaging tiers, the simplest at the top, sections with a bit more detail in the middle, and then links to additional information (including impact stories) at the bottom.

4. Produce videos featuring scholarship recipients in the moments before and after hearing about their gifts.

5. Showcase real students who have needed emergency funds offering a collective message that protects their privacy.

6. Capture new graduates at commencement and graduates from decades ago taking a trip down memory lane.

7. In gratitude-focused videos, include communication directed at donors.

8. Ask students, alumni, employees, and donors to contribute their own impact stories.

Know of an advancement site with a focus on impact storytelling? Please share!