“The overall impact that [Virtuous] Momentum has had on my job has been…just astronomical…truly job changing.”
— Mercedes Loescher, Digital Experience Coordinator, Radford University
Top Challenges Before Virtuous
→ Managing an 800+ young alumni portfolio without losing personal connection
→ Tracking key moments with Excel and Outlook
→ Spending 12 hours just sending Giving Day emails
→ Unable to personalize at scale
→ Missed or delayed follow-ups during peak moments
What They Accomplished (With Help From Virtuous)
→ Delivered personal outreach at scale to 800+ young alumni
→ Automated birthdays, first gifts, and milestones
→ Cut Giving Day outreach from 12 hours to 2 while sending 2,700 emails
→ Scaled true personalization, driving 2,700 actions and 24 gifts
→ Ensured timely follow-up that unlocked first-time donors and life updates
Managing 800+ Young Alumni With Consistent, Personal Outreach
Mercedes stepped into a brand-new role, managing 800+ young alumni. Her job demanded personal outreach, but her portfolio size consistently held her back.
Using Virtuous Momentum’s AI email drafts (never sent without human approval), Mercedes now personally reaches out to all 800+ of her constituents for every:
→ Birthday
→ First gift
→ Anniversary
→ Event attendance
Plus, she manages personalized:
→ Monthly donor stewardship follow-ups
→ Update requests and thank-yous
“There was just no realistic way I could keep track of everyone’s birthday, giving anniversary, and key moments using Excel and Outlook.”
— Mercedes Loescher, Digital Experience Coordinator, Radford University
Highlander Giving Day Success: Sending 2,700 Emails in 2 Hours
Highlander Giving Day is Radford University’s annual, 33-hour fundraising campaign. Before Virtuous Momentum, Giving Day required weeks of preparation and over a full day of manual sending.
Time Radford University Won Back (With the Help of Virtuous Momentum):
→ Previous process: 12 hours (full day plus additional time)
→ With Virtuous Momentum: 2 hours total (to send 2,700 emails)
→ Reduced full Giving Day workload from 30–40 hours to 10 hours
“[Virtuous Momentum] has made it possible for me to treat people like people instead of just names on lists.”
— Mercedes Loescher, Digital Experience Coordinator, Radford University
With their Giving Day powered by Virtuous Momentum, Mercedes:
→ Sent emails to 800+ young alumni
→ Completed 2,700 total actions
→ Raised $1,000+ (even with it being her first time asking her portfolio to give directly)
→ Generated 24 gifts from 15 donors, up from 4 donors the year prior
→ Included 3 first-time donors
→ Saw an average gift of $42, aligned with benchmarks
→ Recorded 46 link clicks, resulting in 24 gifts
→ Received nearly 500 life updates from alumni
With the “send all” feature, Mercedes was able to personally reach hundreds at once. Plus, the AI safeguards within Virtuous Momentum caught preferred-name and formatting issues before sending.
“I’m no longer spending Giving Day managing logistics. I’m spending it watching the engagement.”
— Mercedes Loescher, Digital Experience Coordinator, Radford University
When Time Is Reclaimed, Relationships Thrive
Radford University set out to build real relationships with young alumni, not just run campaigns more efficiently. In fact, through her regular, personal outreach, Mercedes has established consistent relationships with 10 of their alumni.
“Having a large portfolio doesn’t actually make things less personal. It can make them more personal.”
— Mercedes Loescher, Digital Experience Coordinator, Radford University
With Virtuous Momentum, gift officers can:
→ See exactly who to contact each day, prioritized by urgency and opportunity
→ Surface key moments like birthdays, first gifts, and Giving Day windows automatically
→ Draft outreach in your own voice, faster
→ Send at scale with built-in safeguards that protect trust
→ Turn time saved into stronger engagement and relationship-building
If you’re ready to move faster without losing the human touch, see Virtuous Momentum in action.
