University Development Program launches new donor database
Lynx has a mapping tool that helps development officers select meeting locations based on the location of participants.
In partnership with the University, the University of Arizona Foundation has launched a new tool for managing donor and alumni connections and recording charitable gifts.
The tool, called Lynx, replaces Blackbaud Raiser's Edge as the as the University Development Program's specialized constituent relationship management system.
Twelve design teams and 130 University Development Program and campus partner testers contributed to the project, which included the conversion of 65 million lines of data.
"A project this big involves incredible leadership and teamwork," said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the Foundation.
Launched in February, Lynx is designed to improve the University's ability to engage, solicit and steward alumni and donors. For example, the cloud-based system is now available for fundraisers to use while they're on the road – or working remotely – and new functionality includes improved tracking of donor communication preferences.
As a fundraising and engagement application, Lynx is role-specific with a strong emphasis on data quality.
"The University Development Program has invested in central services like gift processing, managing constituent data, research and reporting so that experts in these areas can support campus," said Jenny Flynn, the Foundation's senior vice president for development services. "Members of the Lynx user community go through extensive training, including data quality practices we now have in place."
Access to Lynx is available to University Development Program staff and designated University partners whose jobs involve development work.
The Lynx rollout is expected to continue through the end of 2020.
With the launch of Lynx, online giving forms also have been transformed so that gifts are tracked and acknowledged automatically.
Online giving forms are more standardized now and are designed to match websites built with UA Quickstart, a customized version of the Drupal content management system. This helps ensure that donors have a consistent experience when they make a gift online, whether they start at giving.arizona.edu or on a college's website. Other improvements include a better search function, a more mobile-friendly interface and upgraded design and branding elements.
To learn more about online giving forms and strategy, contact the UDP Marketing & Communications team at lynx@uafoundation.org.