Southern Mississippi Foundation Case Study

As a private sector, the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation is a non-profit organization that serves the University community by overseeing fundraising efforts to raise private support for scholarships and other academic needs. The USM Foundation is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors, who are dedicated to building successful relationships with the University and its supporters. The Foundation in return provides services to its donors, Southern Miss, and the local community by encouraging commitment and investment in the future of the University.

In the previous fiscal year, the Foundation provided $9 million to support the University, which included $3.4 million awarded scholarships to students, $3.1 million aided with campus construction projects, and $780,000 benefitting faculty and staff in other aspects.

Situation The USM Foundation currently has 2,563 Facebook fans and 450 followers on Twitter. However, it does not receive a large amount of feedback through these platforms. Feedback includes likes, comments, shares, and retweets. As a catalyst for raising support for Southern Miss, these outlets are vital in connecting with current and potential donors, as well as maintaining an overall presence among alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

Using James

Although there is a social media strategy in place with weekly series, by promoting the Gold Rush and The Campaign for Southern Miss throughout the year and not just during the campaign time, the Foundation will have opportunity to share the impact and remind supporters of the importance of their gifts in hopes they will give again during the campaign time. One way in which this can be done is through posting promotional materials for the campaigns, such as donor story cards of employees who give to The Campaign for Southern