Bringing Giving Centre Stage: A Northumbria University Causes Story
Northumbria University leveraged Hubbub's Causes platform to transform regular giving practices, raising over £2.3M for its Higher Education Without Barriers Campaign through telethons, direct mail, and digital appeals.
“Working with Hubbub has transformed regular giving at Northumbria University. Their fantastic team and user-friendly Causes platform have given us the tools we need to make regular giving appealing and accessible to our large and highly diverse alumni community.”
Why was Hubbub’s Causes right for Northumbria University?
Following the launch of the Higher Education Without Barriers Campaign in January 2022, Northumbria University needed a user-friendly interface to process large numbers of online donations from regular giving activities including telethons, direct mail pieces and Giving Tuesday appeals. After comprehensive sector research, the institution selected Hubbub’s online Causes platform to expand its regular donor pool.
The campaign has raised over £2.3M to support those most in need across the Northumbria University community, with many gifts generated through the Causes platform, demonstrating how significantly Hubbub has transformed regular giving practices at the institution.
Can you tell us a bit about the impact the platform has made?
Hubbub’s Causes platform has had a transformational impact on regular giving activities, enabling a range of approaches that appeal to the university’s diverse alumni community. Over 18 months, the platform served as the centerpiece of successful telethon campaigns, direct mailings, and played a pivotal role in the university’s most successful Giving Tuesday appeal at the end of 2022.
Beyond generating support, the platform has streamlined donation tracking, supporter stewardship, and reporting capabilities. It enables the university to monitor appeal and project progress against targets and relay key information to senior leadership efficiently.
Are there features of the platform that you particularly like?
The ability to fundraise for multiple projects simultaneously was essential given the multi-faceted nature of the Higher Education Without Barriers Campaign. Hubbub’s platform enabled creation of separate donation pages for all six campaign areas, which link seamlessly to the redesigned giving website, enhancing user journey and supporter engagement.
The hidden campaigns feature is particularly valued, as it generates bespoke donation links for different audience segments. This proves especially valuable for large-scale campaigns like telethons targeting current donors, lapsed donors, and non-donors. The feature allows messaging customization for each group, acknowledging their position in the donor pipeline and yielding better results through personalization.
What was your experience of working with the Hubbub Team?
The Hubbub Team provided knowledge and expertise that enabled exploration of new fundraising approaches, transforming the regular giving offering and contributing to the campaign’s overall success. The team demonstrates strong approachability and consistently goes beyond expectations to provide timely support and strategic guidance.
Quarterly catch-up sessions with the team offer valuable performance assessment opportunities presented in clear, concise formats. The team delivers comprehensive technical and strategic support, positioning a promising long-term partnership for continued regular giving success.
“Working with Hubbub has transformed regular giving at Northumbria University. Their fantastic team and user-friendly Causes platform have given us the tools we need to make regular giving appealing and accessible to our large and highly diverse alumni community.”
Emma Wotton, Fundraising Programme Manager
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