Case Study
How Cape Breton University Cut Through Email Complexity to Reconnect 45,000 Alumni Worldwide
Background
With email addresses for approximately 25,000 contacts (18,000 alumni plus donors), the team needed more than just a way to send messages. They needed a platform that understood the realities of working within a larger institution: compliance requirements, sophisticated targeting, and the ability to make quick decisions without technical roadblocks.
Their previous experience with MailChimp left them frustrated. “It was overwhelming,” Mark recalls. “We didn’t need all those bells and whistles—we just needed something that worked for how we actually communicate.”
What They Needed
CBU’s requirements were clear:
- Institutional compliance that doesn’t compromise – Canadian data storage wasn’t just a preference—it was a requirement. The university’s policies demanded data sovereignty, and the team needed confidence that their platform wouldn’t create compliance headaches down the line.
- Targeting that respects context – University communications require nuance. Sometimes you need flexible segmentation that doesn’t require is simple to execute.
- Engagement insights that actually inform strategy – Beyond basic open rates, CBU needed to understand individual alumni behavior. Who’s consistently engaging? What content resonates with different segments? These insights drive better fundraising outcomes and stronger alumni connections.
- A tool their team could actually use – With a small staff handling both alumni engagement and fundraising, there wasn’t bandwidth for extensive training or technical troubleshooting. The platform needed to feel intuitive from day one.
The Envoke Approach
Four years ago, CBU chose Envoke—and the decision came down to alignment rather than features.
- Canadian data hosting that meets institutional standards – Envoke’s Canadian data storage immediately addressed their compliance requirements. No workarounds, no exceptions, no concerns. The data stays in Canada, full stop.
- An interface that feels intuitive, not intimidating – The platform felt familiar from day one. List uploads worked the way you’d expect. Creating segments was straightforward. And when the team needed to manually exclude specific individuals from a campaign? They could do it without opening a support ticket.
- Individual engagement tracking that tells the complete story – The team gained something they’d been missing: the ability to pull up any alumni profile and see their complete communication history. Which campaigns did they receive? What did they open? Where did they click? These insights transformed how they approach both engagement and fundraising conversations.
- Support from real people, not ticket systems – When questions come up, real people provide real answers—no chatbots, no ticket systems that disappear into the void.
The Impact
CBU now operates with confidence in their alumni communications:
- Engagement they can measure and act on – Detailed visibility into open rates, click-through patterns, and individual behavior helps the team refine their approach continuously. They’re not guessing what works—they know.
- Targeting that matches their sophistication – Creating sophisticated segments while excluding specific contacts is now part of their regular workflow, not a technical obstacle.
- Compliance they can count on – The team never worries whether their platform aligns with university policies. Canadian data storage is guaranteed, not a feature they had to negotiate.
- Efficiency that scales with a small team – Streamlined workflows mean the team spends time crafting compelling communications, not wrestling with their platform.
In Their Words
"Envoke is the Canadian MailChimp without all the bells and whistles that you don't need. The Canadian data storage was huge for us—it's very important to our institution and I don't think people always know that many organizations purchase tools that are actually contrary to their internal policies."
Development Officer
Cape Breton University
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