In 2013, The University of Toledo Foundation received more than $13.4 million from donors for students, programs and services.
This year, the UT Foundation is making things easier for donors with improvements to its website. After a year of working on the site, it’s now not only more visually appealing, but more organized and easier for alumni and donors to navigate.
“We wanted to create a new site for several reasons,” said Patty Gelb, development writer for the UT Foundation. “We were looking to create a more unified front for the Foundation and the Alumni Association as well as tie in our own internal databases for content and information.”
When visitors see the site, they are greeted by pictures of Main Campus and Health Science Campus, as well as current UT news items. Across the top, visitors can find the separate areas for donors, alumni and staff.
“Our new website best represents the merger of Institutional Advancement and the UT Foundation,” said Vern Snyder, UT vice president for institutional advancement. “Together we can better serve our alumni and better steward our donors while providing an information portal to The University of Toledo.”
But the biggest improvement to the site is not its appearance; connecting the site to databases already in place allows for a more seamless experience. Donors now can see which University and college funds need the most support, saving their information and preferences for future donations.
“The beauty of this new site is it will be 100 percent database-driven, which ensures the integrity of the data presented,” said Eric Glesser, director of information systems and services for the UT Foundation. “I always say ‘nothing fits like custom,’ and nowhere is that more true than in software development. This website was designed and developed with the specific needs of our donors, alumni and UT staff in mind.”
To see these improvements, visit utfoundation.org.
