Supporting Student Success Through Memorial Giving
French Camp Academy is a religious school and home in Mississippi serving day and boarding students in grades K–12. In addition to a full academic curriculum, the Academy offers programs in equestrian training, music, athletics, and Christian discipleship to help students grow in character, responsibility, and faith.
Challenge
Managing a complex memorial gift program while supporting capital campaign goals and donor engagement efforts
French Camp Academy launched a $24 million capital campaign to renovate student homes and campus buildings, enhance program offerings, and expand facilities for its equestrian program. While the school had been using DonorPerfect successfully, the team briefly switched to a different fundraising platform.
That switch quickly revealed critical gaps.
We thought all fundraising software was the same, but it just couldn’t do what we needed. It wasn’t flexible, it couldn’t manage our memorial gift process, and the reporting wasn’t robust enough.
Switching from DonorPerfect made us realize how good it was, and we’re really glad to be back!
– Lance R., VP of Development
Solution
DonorPerfect fundraising software with accounting integration
French Camp Academy returned to DonorPerfect using the Sage accounting system integration, restoring the flexibility and reporting they needed without compromising on functionality.
French Camp Academy exceeded its initial capital campaign goal, securing $4.2 million in pledges toward a $3.5 million target, and continues to make steady progress toward its broader fundraising objectives.
Key Results
Efficient memorial gift processing
French Camp Academy processes more than 6,000 memorial gifts each year, often requiring multiple next-of-kin notifications per gift. DonorPerfect makes this process simple and reliable, allowing the team to enter gifts quickly and automatically generate the necessary acknowledgments, something the other platform lacked.
Smarter donor engagement
With over 29,000 donor records, the team relies on DonorPerfect to analyze giving patterns, track donor history, and segment communication. These insights directly inform capital campaign strategies, helping determine appropriate ask amounts based on donor capacity and past giving, leading to stronger results and more confident outreach.
Seamless direct mail
The Academy runs a multi-part direct mail campaign each year, including appeals, newsletters, and personalized thank-you gifts. DonorPerfect enables them to pull segmented lists, export seamlessly, and track special touches like sending homemade loaves of bread to key supporters.
Responsive support and product improvements
The team values DonorPerfect’s customer support and frequent updates. Their experience with an alternative platform underscored the importance of dependable support and a product that evolves with the needs of fundraisers.
I have found that our success with a software program is based on their support staff being responsive and helpful, and DonorPerfect’s is fantastic on both counts. I also like the frequent updates to the software, which shows that DonorPerfect listens to its [customers] and works the feedback into the software.
– Lance R., VP of Development
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Related resources
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