Why Engaged Families Give More: How Connected Families Drive Philanthropy
Families don’t give because of a perfectly timed email or a single Giving Day. They give because they feel part of their students' journey.
When families understand the value of the student experience, see momentum on campus, and know they’re partners in that progress, philanthropy becomes a natural next step, not an ask that comes out of nowhere.
Miami University and Flagler College put this into practice through early communication, parent councils, tailored content, and personalized engagement journeys to strengthen their giving pipelines. And the results speak for themselves.
Miami University’s #MoveInMiami Giving Day united more than 4,900 donors to raise nearly $6 million, with 535 parent donors (up 25% year over year) and a record 14.21% first-time donor rate.
Flagler College saw families account for 30% of all Giving Day donations during Roar & Raise, contributing to $1.6 million raised and one of the institution’s strongest philanthropic moments to date.
These outcomes were built over time through intentional family engagement. Below are the key takeaways you can apply to turn connection into support — and support into giving or skip ahead and watch the discussion here.
Start early to build affinity (before you ever ask)
Both institutions emphasized that their strongest giving outcomes start with a simple shift: treat family communication as relationship-building, not just information delivery.
Nearly 40% of families want to be more involved with their student’s college, making it essential to harness interest early by offering clear, meaningful ways to engage.
At both Miami and Flagler, family engagement begins as soon as students deposit, setting expectations and building trust well before any giving conversation begins.
Use onboarding as your first donor discovery moment
The earlier you understand what families care about, the easier it is to personalize engagement — especially for lean teams that need to focus on what will move the needle most.
Through the CampusESP onboarding form, families share insights like:
What matters most to them and their family
Which opportunities they hope their student will take advantage of
Whether they’re interested in learning more about supporting the institution
“A lot of teams don’t have the bandwidth — and that’s exactly why the onboarding email being automated helps. CampusESP supports that first line of communication. For a lean team like ours, that kind of support is really valuable.” - Holly Hill, Senior Director of Marketing, Communication & Brand Strategy, Flagler College
These responses reveal priorities, interests, and identities — turning onboarding into a first donor discovery moment.
Miami uses onboarding insights to tailor early outreach and create warmer first-touch messages.
Flagler reviews responses regularly to spot content gaps, identify key segments (like first-gen or military-connected families), and focus effort where engagement is strongest.
Engagement data is one of the strongest predictors of giving
When campuses know which families are most engaged, they can focus their time and energy where it matters most — and the impact is measurable.
At Miami, prioritizing highly engaged families helped increase parent donors by 25% during #MoveInMiami, contributing to nearly $6 million raised in a single day.
Using CampusESP’s Parent Promoter Score™ (PPS), institutions can identify families with both high affinity and high capacity by combining real engagement signals — like portal activity, email interaction, and content engagement — with existing advancement data.
This allows teams to tailor outreach based on what families actually care about: a student’s major, interests, involvement, and how families interact with campus communications. Instead of broad campaigns, outreach becomes more focused, more personal, and more effective.
Parent councils turn engagement into partnership
Parent councils offer a powerful way to move engaged families from supporters to partners.
At their core, parent councils are small, philanthropy-focused groups of highly engaged families who serve as both advisors and advocates. Members give annually, stay closely connected to campus priorities, and share feedback based on their lived experience supporting a current student.
Miami University and Flagler College approach parent councils differently, but the benefits are consistent. These councils:
Create meaningful ways for families to stay involved beyond receiving updates
Build trust by giving families a voice in student-centered priorities
Normalize giving as part of supporting the student experience
Develop informed ambassadors who strengthen outreach and advocacy
At Miami, the Parent Council supports scholarships, research, and study abroad, while a Parent & Family Giving Society creates a clear entry point for broader participation.
“We also regularly ask for their input on university initiatives. During our strategic planning process last spring, we held small-group sessions so parents could share feedback — because they’re seeing their students actively participate in the university, and those perspectives matter.” — Amy Weissel, Senior Director of Development, Miami University
At Flagler, the Family Leadership Council brings together families from across the country to help shape communications and amplify the Flagler experience.
Connection comes first — Giving Follows
When families receive consistent communication, see their priorities reflected in campus stories, and understand the impact of their support, philanthropy becomes a natural extension of engagement.
Best practices to take forward:
Start communication early and keep it predictable
Use onboarding data to understand family priorities
Normalize giving through impact storytelling
Leverage engagement data to identify high-affinity families
Keep giving opportunities visible year-round
One of the most practical insights from Flagler: giving-related messages can outperform general updates when families consistently see how support translates into student experiences.
Flagler weaves philanthropy into everyday storytelling — highlighting scholarships, high-impact programs (like study abroad), and campus investments made possible through donor support. By the time advancement makes an ask, families already understand the “why.”
“Our students are having incredible experiences — and those experiences are happening because of our donors. By consistently telling those stories, families see that people believe in the institution and want to support it. So when advancement goes in for the ask, families already understand the why — and they’re excited to be part of it.” — Carol Branson, Vice President for Marketing & Communications, Flagler College
Miami echoed a similar reality: families often feel strong affinity to their student’s experience — sometimes even more than to their own alma mater. When giving opportunities align with what families care about most (academics, athletics, student support, outcomes), participation rises.