What is Play Fund Win?

Play Fund Win manages 5 data types including leads. Helps you organize, track, and share your work in 1 place for teams and solo users.

SECTOR — UNIVERSITY ALUMNI

University Alumni Fundraising Ideas — annual giving + 5-year reunions

Development offices and alumni relations teams. Beyond the annual telethon: the digital-first fundraising formats that fit into your alumni-engagement calendar.

Development officesAlumni relationsCollege societiesSport clubsRAG

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5-year reunion cycles

5/10/25/50-year cohort campaigns.

Money-can’t-buy prizes

Dinners, archive access, masterclasses.

£36k–£108k / year

200–600 sustainers from a 10k alumni list.

CRM-ready exports

Raiser’s Edge / Salesforce NPSP feeds.

Top 5 formats

The formats that actually work

Curated from PFW's 27 fundraising formats. Each link goes through to a deep-dive on that format — what it is, how it works, what it raises.

DRAW FORMAT — MEMBERS ONLY

Members-only draws — exclusive prizes for season ticket holders

Alumni-exclusive draws with money-can’t-buy experience prizes (private library access, dinner at high table, masterclass with notable alumni). Builds belonging that converts to annual giving.

Read the full format guide

DRAW FORMAT — ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE

Anniversary raffles — celebrate the milestone, fund the future

5/10/25/50-year reunion year campaigns. Cohort storytelling, heritage prize ladder, drawn at the reunion dinner. The classic alumni-giving moment.

Read the full format guide

DRAW FORMAT — 100 CLUB

The 100 Club — numbered monthly draws, rebuilt

A recurring monthly programme that operates alongside the annual telethon — captures committed alumni who prefer regular smaller gifts over a single annual ask.

Read the full format guide

DRAW FORMAT — CAUSE-SPECIFIC DRIVE

Cause-specific draws — time-limited drive for a concrete goal

Scholarship campaigns, building projects, departmental capital drives. Specific funded outcomes raise faster than general annual fund appeals.

Read the full format guide

DRAW FORMAT — CHARITY GALA

Charity gala raffles — turn black-tie into bigger gives

Reunion dinners, donor recognition evenings, founder galas — premium ticket pricing where alumni are already engaged and generous.

Read the full format guide

University alumni fundraising on Play Fund Win

Featured host

Universities & Colleges

Alumni Members-Only Programme

Development office and student union work with PFW — alumni members-only experience draws, reunion-year campaigns, society-level fundraising.

Verified PFW work

More case studies

On the platform

Running this on PFW

Verified Play Fund Win hosts running fundraising in this sector.

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Universities and colleges work

Development office and alumni relations campaigns — see Universities & Colleges audience hub

Verified

Student union RAG

Charity-week digital draws across multiple causes

Verified

College sport clubs

Boat club, rugby club, hockey club alumni fundraising

Tactical tips

What works for this sector

The specific levers PFW hosts in this sector pull to outperform — drawn from real campaign data.

5-year cohort cycles are your scheduling rhythm

5/10/25/50-year reunion campaigns hit when cohort engagement peaks. Pre-schedule the format for each reunion year, not just the current one.

Members-only prizes outperform cash for alumni

A dinner at high table, a behind-the-scenes archive visit, lunch with the vice-chancellor — money-can’t-buy access lifts entry rates above any equivalent cash prize.

Sport-club alumni networks convert at the highest rates

Old boat club, rugby club, hockey club alumni networks have higher recurring giving rates than general university alumni networks. Build campaigns around individual clubs, not the university as a whole.

Department-level ledgers for restricted gifts

Alumni often want to give to a specific department or college, not the central fund. Robin supports department-level separate ledgers so restricted gifts land correctly.

The annual telethon is a relationship moment, not the only channel

Telethons build relationships; PFW monthly formats monetise them year-round. Run both — the telethon for emotional engagement, PFW for steady predictable income between calls.

FAQ

What this sector asks us most

How does this fit with our existing CRM (Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce NPSP)?

PFW exports transaction data in standard CSV / API formats that feed into Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce NPSP or any major CRM. Many development offices ingest PFW data into their main donor record system weekly or monthly.

How does this work alongside our annual telethon?

PFW formats are typically additive — the telethon stays as your major-gift relationship channel, PFW handles the recurring monthly draws, members-only experiences and reunion-year campaigns. Different supporter motivations, no cannibalisation.

Can we run a campaign for a specific college, department, or society?

Yes — separate ledgers per college / department / society mean restricted gifts land in the correct fund. Useful for alumni who want their giving directed to their old college rather than the university’s central fund.

What about international alumni?

PFW supports international entries from any country where Stripe operates. Currency is GBP at the platform layer, but international donors transact freely. Useful for diaspora-heavy alumni networks.

How do we handle Gift Aid?

Standard charitable-status Gift Aid claims apply. Robin captures Gift Aid declarations at entry. The development office’s existing HMRC claim process picks up the additional income without disruption.

What’s a typical raise for an alumni members-only programme?

Illustrative ranges only — a UK university with a 10,000-alumni database running a £15/month members-only programme captures 200–600 sustainers in year one, generating £36,000–£108,000/year of recurring income.

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