Highlights from GCPC 2024: Advancing Together

This summer, we hosted our 8th annual GiveCampus Partners Conference (GCPC), with 300+ fundraisers joining us in person in Washington D.C. and 1,300 tuning in via live stream. 

Over the years, GCPC has made a name for itself as one of the most impactful conferences for advancement professionals by providing a space for peers to connect, collaborate, and learn about the latest trends in educational philanthropy. This year was no exception.

Over the course of two jam-packed days, attendees could choose from more than 30 sessions exploring a wide range of topics. From high-level discussions on leveraging nostalgia at events to hands-on sessions focused on mastering the GiveCampus platform, there was something for everyone.

This year’s theme, “Advancing Together,” celebrated the power of collaboration and creating a future where our collective strength deepens our impact. The day one keynote session, “The Donor Journey—Elevating the Moments that Matter,” focused on reimagining the donor experience and set the tone by exploring how we can make every interaction with supporters more personal, meaningful, and potentially transformative.

GiveCampus Co-Founder and CEO Kestrel Linder took the stage alongside other members of the GiveCampus team to share our company’s vision for the future and how we’re working to help facilitate philanthropic experiences that meet donors where they are. 

“GiveCampus turns ten years old this year,” said Linder. “Over the last decade, we’ve been hard at work, with your help, designing technology in support of those goals.” 

GiveCampus has helped more than 1,300 schools raise $6 billion since 2015, and is on track to facilitate an additional $1 billion in giving in 2024.

While these achievements are truly something to celebrate, the world of educational philanthropy is facing unprecedented challenges in recent years. From doubts around the value of education to declining donor rates, advancement professionals have many hurdles overcome. 

GiveCampus believes that creating impactful donor journeys is key to building a sustainable future for educational fundraising.

Linder went on to announce that over the next several years, GiveCampus will be investing $100 million dollars to expand and enhance the GiveCampus platform to better enable fundraisers at schools to create meaningful donor experiences. 

Head of Product Jennn Schilling took the stage to walk attendees through what some of those investments look like—from Smart Segments, a new predictive modeling service that helps advancement teams take the guesswork out of targeted appeals, to GC Gift Officer, a solution that helps frontline fundraisers build more pipeline, book more visits, and close more gifts.

The highlight of the keynote was the introduction of GC Outreach, a solution born out of direct feedback from our Partner community. GC Outreach integrates segmentation and email capabilities directly into the GiveCampus platform, enabling schools to deliver more relevant and personalized donor engagement, without having to toggle between tools.

“The release of GC Outreach is a significant milestone in our quest to make GiveCampus a comprehensive platform that serves the most important and mission-critical needs of fundraisers at educational institutions of every shape and size,” said Linder.

GC Outreach is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to GiveCampus’s vision for the future. Along with developing more solutions that empower advancement teams to streamline workflows and delight donors, we’re also committed to fostering continued collaboration and innovation among the philanthropic community. 

Our annual GiveCampus Partners Conference helps achieve this goal by promoting the exchange of best practices and insights among fundraisers and their peers. And while this year’s conference has come and gone, we’re excited for what the future holds. 

To learn more about GC Outreach and how GiveCampus is reimagining the donor experience  watch the full plenary session on-demand.