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Customer Stories:

How Chicago Theological Seminary Grew Annual Fund Engagement Through Mission Driven Direct Mail

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WHO:

At Chicago Theological Seminary, fundraising is inseparable from identity. The institution is rooted in commitments to racial justice, LGBTQ and gender equity, and interreligious collaboration — and its donor community reflects that. They’re highly engaged, intellectually curious, and motivated by something deeper than a transaction.

As the team looked to grow its annual fund, they saw an opportunity to rethink how direct mail could do more than drive giving. It could also educate, connect, and reflect the very mission donors were showing up to support

THE CHALLENGE:

Like many annual fund programs, the team was relying on traditional best practices: short emails, frequent touchpoints, and clear, direct asks concentrated around year end.

But performance wasn’t meeting expectations. Donors weren’t consistently responding to shorter, transactional messaging. At the same time, feedback from supporters made something clear. They wanted more substance, more context, and a deeper connection to the mission.

The challenge wasn’t just growing the annual fund. It was rethinking what donor communication could be, and finding a way to evolve direct mail that put engagement before the ask.

WHY EVERTRUE:

Pledgemine by EverTrue helped the fundraising team bring structure and intentionality to their direct mail program.

By supporting more thematic, content rich mailings tied to mission priorities, Pledgemine enabled a shift away from volume-based outreach and toward more meaningful engagement touchpoints.

The result was a direct mail strategy that felt less like a campaign and more like an extension of the seminary itself.

The Results:

As the team shifted from short-form messaging and toward longer-form, mission-driven storytelling, they used Pledgemine by EverTrue to execute their direct mail strategy, resulting in strong engagement signals and measurable fundraising impact.

Early outcomes included:

-A 12% response rate from direct mail outreach

-Clear spikes in online giving following direct mail drops, even without corresponding email sends

-Donors responding directly with feedback, appreciation, and reflections on content

-Increased engagement with longer-form communications that prioritized learning and mission context over brevity

-Strong qualitative feedback showing donors engaging with the experience of the communication itself, not just the ask

Beyond the metrics, something more meaningful was happening. Donors weren’t just giving in response to appeals. They were initiating conversations about what they read.

The Full Story:

The fundraising team at Chicago Theological Seminary began by rethinking a foundational question: what do our donors actually want from us?


The answer wasn’t more frequent, shorter messages. It was depth, learning, and connection to mission.


In response, the team restructured their annual fund communications, reducing volume and increasing substance. Direct mail and email pieces became longer form, more reflective, and more closely tied to institutional commitments. Rather than separating fundraising from engagement, communications were designed as an extension of the seminary’s mission.


Using Pledgemine to execute their direct mail strategy, the team was able to execute this shift with greater consistency and intentionality


Over time, engagement signals became clear. Donors responded not only through giving, but also through direct feedback, often referencing specific content and expressing appreciation for the more substantive approach.Online giving also increased following direct mail drops, reinforcing the effectiveness of the strategy, even when no email accompanied it.


What emerged was a stronger understanding that donors were not simply responding to asks. They were responding to being included in the intellectual and mission driven life of the seminary.


Today, Chicago Theological Seminary’s annual fund reflects what happens when storytelling, mission alignment, and donor engagement work together. Longer-form communication didn’t slow the program down. It made donors feel known — and that changed everything.

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