Donor reporting season. For many fundraising teams, those three words spark memories of stress, spreadsheets, and late nights spent collating stacks of paper. At California State University, Chico, the donor relations team knew this pain all too well.
Before implementing Impact by EverTrue, reporting meant what Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship Jessica Booth calls “mail merge nightmare.” The process was tedious, time-consuming, and anything but inspiring for donors.
Here’s how Chico State made the shift—and how their team and donors are reaping the rewards.
The Challenge: Four Weeks of Collating Chaos
For Chico State, the toughest part wasn’t getting data from finance. It was turning that data into personalized reports for each donor:
- Donors often supported multiple funds across programs.
- Each report required a complex four-way match of cover letters, fund pages, scholarship details, and student thank-you notes.
- The entire building turned into a “collation factory” for weeks, with every available staff member pitching in.
The result? Reports took a month or more to finalize, looked like formatted spreadsheets, and left donors with little sense of connection or story.
“We never felt comfortable promising donors when their reports would arrive,” Jessica explained. “And when they did, it was more numbers than narrative.”
The Pivot: A Firsthand Realization
The turning point came when a supervisor, filling in during a vacancy, had to oversee reporting firsthand. Experiencing the grueling process convinced leadership it was time for a better solution.
Enter Impact—EverTrue’s donor reporting platform, seamlessly integrated with Balance (for endowment accounting).
By the time Jessica stepped into her role, the decision had been made. She was tasked with implementation. “Talk about a home run,” she said. “I got to come in and look like a total rockstar leading this transformation.”
The Transformation: From Static Spreadsheets to Storytelling
The difference was immediate. Instead of black-and-white documents with little visual appeal, Impact enabled Chico State to deliver reports that looked and felt completely different:
- Branded cover pages featuring campus photography
- Compelling storytelling alongside fund performance data
- Visualized statistics that donors could easily digest
- Recipient highlights showing the real-world impact of scholarships
And with Impact’s templates, customization became simple. Pages could be toggled on or off, reports tailored by donor type, and test runs previewed instantly.
Donors noticed. Instead of confusion and calls for clarification, Jessica’s phone started ringing with compliments.
“The faith in the information, just based on the way it’s presented, is immediately higher,” Jessica shared. “It feels professional, clear, and personal.”
The Results: Time Saved, Donors Engaged
- 50% faster: Reports now take about two weeks to produce, down from four.
- Fewer errors: Direct integration with Balance ensures accuracy and eliminates the back-and-forth bottleneck of gathering fund performance and data.
- Better stewardship: With reporting less burdensome, the team has more time for donor conversations, events, and relationship building.
- Increased giving: Student thank-you letters, now sent separately with reply envelopes, are generating additional donations.
And perhaps most importantly, donor trust has grown. “We used to get donors sharing examples of beautiful reports they’d received from other institutions,” Jessica said. “Now, I think our reports are the ones being shared.”
Looking Ahead: Even More Personalization
Chico State isn’t stopping here. The team is planning to segment reports by college—so athletic donors, for example, will see photography, stats, and stories specific to athletics.
This ability to customize messaging ensures every donor sees the outcomes that matter most to them, reinforcing the value of their generosity.
Key Takeaways for Your Team
- Simplify the process – Cut down the manual work with automation and templates.
- Tell a story – Donors want more than numbers; they want context, emotion, and impact.
- Use time saved wisely – Redirect energy into relationship-building and personalized stewardship.
- Start simple – Even a two-page branded report is more powerful than a spreadsheet. You can build sophistication over time.
Key Takeaways for Your Team
For CSU Chico, Impact turned donor reporting from a dreaded annual project into an opportunity for storytelling, trust-building, and stewardship.
As Jessica summed it up:
“Instead of feeling like a chore, reporting now feels like harvest. We spend all year tending to these funds, and with Impact, we get to share the results in a way that makes us proud.”