Nine years of learning has gone into the platform. You would start with all of it.
That learning is more than experience. It is a record: what a reporting cycle actually costs, which changes made a difference, and what happened after the reports went out.
Donors respond, gifts close, and your team gets its time back.
$15MMajor gift closed
A major gift closed after the analytics showed that the donor opened his report and watched the videos, and read none of the written sections. The team stopped writing and rebuilt his next proposal as video only.
Additional gifts that followed one distribution of fifteen hundred digital stewardship reports.
A large research university, on one cycle of fifteen hundred reports.
$900KNew gifts after impact reports
New gifts following a distribution of impact reports, with a further seven hundred thousand following the financial reports sent in the same program.
A large private research university, reported with us at an ADRP webinar.
25%Increased open rate per follow-up
Each reminder lifts the open rate again, and the same analytics that show the rate rising also show exactly who has not opened yet. That is what makes retargeting here cheap: it goes only to the donors who still need it.
A large private research university.
3×More donors, the same resources
Two to three times the donors an office can reach on the same resources, with the personalization each one receives intact. This is the stewardship ceiling moving, and it is the argument for the whole exercise.
A print process runs 1,430 staff hours for a cycle of one thousand high-touch reports. The same cycle on Ovrture runs 888 hours. What comes out is collation, proofing, hand assembly, and the calls that open by asking whether the report arrived.
What does it cost to send 1,000 impact reports: print vs. Ovrture.
Almost no institution knows what its stewardship reporting actually costs. So we priced one ordinary cycle end to end, twice over: 1,000 high-touch impact reports for major donors, produced and distributed the way most advancement offices do it today, then the same 1,000 on Ovrture. Every phase, every role, every hour.
The two workflows we compared
Every cost figure in this section rests on these two workflows. The rates behind each line are in the full analysis.
The print-driven cycleSix to nine months, start to delivery.
An outside writer, a design firm, a printer, a courier, and five review groups in sequence. What most advancement offices run today.
01Planning begins six to nine months before anything reaches a donor.
02A database manager pulls a preliminary list. Gift officers review it by hand, adding and removing names from what they know.
03The stewardship team requests fund figures from the finance office, then formats them.
04Program staff and officers interview beneficiaries, secure release forms, and schedule photography.
05A writer drafts. Five groups review in sequence: program, finance, communications, the gift officers, and executive leadership.
06A design firm builds a bespoke layout. A printer runs it on premium stock.
07Junior or temporary staff collate every package by hand, pairing each report with the right personalized insert and signed letter.
08A trackable carrier ships them.
09The gift officer calls, and opens by asking whether it arrived.
The digital cycle, on OvrtureOne batch, start to delivery.
Your CRM data, templates you already approved, your own email tool, and one review flow. Same donors, same standard of report.
01Fund data arrives from your CRM or as a structured file, and links to each record, so a donor sees the funds they established or supported.
02Communications builds a library of content panels once, inside the templates your institution already approved.
03You set the default stack in the builder table, choose the group of donors, and click build.
04Every report in the batch renders at once, two hundred and fifty at a time, each populated with that donor’s funds and the stories linked to them.
05Gift officers open individual reports in a visual editor and personalize them, adding, removing or reordering panels and writing the greeting.
06Leadership and record owners review in the platform, and nothing goes out until the person with the authority approves it.
07The links go out through your own email tool. Preparing a thousand of them takes under two hours.
08Analytics come back as donors read: who opened it, how long they stayed, which section held them.
09The gift officer calls already knowing how they engaged.
What it costs, per report
Fully loaded, which is the number almost no institution has: staff time at blended salary rates, materials, production and distribution, for the same thousand reports.
Print$141.52per report, all in
Human capital
$89.52
Materials and production
$32.00
Shipping and distribution
$20.00
A thousand reports
$141,520
Ovrture$79.56per report, all in
Human capital
$46.13
Platform license
$33.43
Shipping and distribution
$0.00
A thousand reports
$79,560
Why that number is the whole argument
At $141.52 a report, a premier stewardship experience is rational for your top donors and irrational for anyone below them. The cost per unit is a ceiling. It decides how far down your pyramid personal attention can reach. Halving it moves the ceiling, and the donors who arrive underneath it are the mid-level and emerging major donors who have to be cultivated now to be principal donors later.
Cost is one of four things that change.
Money, staff time, the number of groups that have to sign off, and how many donors you can reach at all. Print sets a limit on every one of them.
43.8%lower cost per report, or $61,960 back on a cycle of a thousand
542 hoursof staff time saved, 1,430 down to 888
5→1sequential review groups become one review flow
3×the donors reached on the same resources
Take the analysis with you
The reporting analysis, in full, with the arithmetic in it.
Send it to a CFO, a vice president, or a board finance committee, and let them check our work.
The Stewardship Reporting ROI Analysis
Every phase of a 1,000-report cycle costed in both directions, with the blended salary rates, the per-report arithmetic and the retention model set out in full.
What does it cost to produce one major gift proposal: print vs. Ovrture.
Cultivation runs on different arithmetic from reporting. Reporting is a volume problem, a thousand units at a cost each. Cultivation is a threshold problem: one proposal costs what it costs, and the only question that matters is how much it has to raise to be worth building. Both answers changed.
What one personalized proposal costs to produce
Ranges rather than a single figure, because a proposal for a seven-figure ask is not the same piece of work as one for a six-figure ask. The hours are the reason for the spread.
Print$268–551per proposal, all in
Human capital, 5.25 to 11 hours
$220–471
Print materials
$2.50–5.00
Premium overnight courier
$45–75
Mid-range
$410
Ovrture$83–183per proposal, all in
Human capital, 0.5 to 3.5 hours
$20–120
Platform license, amortized
$63
Delivery and materials
$0.00
Typical mix
$123
Per proposal, and across a year.
The first two figures are what one proposal costs and takes. The second two are what a year of them comes to, and how much less you have to raise for the program to pay for itself.
67%lower cost per proposal, on average
70%fewer staff hours on each one
$473Kraised for a ten-to-one return, against $2.1M in print
$100Kback on an annual program of 350 proposals
Speculative return, and attributable return
This is the part of cultivation the cost model cannot reach, and it is the reason the two analyses are separate documents rather than one.
Any return you calculate on a print proposal is a measure of the whole solicitation effort. A seven-figure gift arrives after the proposal was couriered, and nothing in the file can say whether the proposal moved the donor, or the site visit did, or the president’s call. Print gives you a number you cannot attribute. That is speculative return, and every institution has been living with it.
A digital proposal closes that gap. You can see which sections a donor opened, in what order, how long each one held them, and how many times they came back before they said yes. The line between the artifact and the decision becomes visible. That is attributable return, and it is what the next story is about.
Case in point: the donor who only watched the videos
A gift officer at a large children’s hospital sent a prospect a cultivation website and waited, which is the part of the job that used to end there.
It did not end there. The analytics showed the donor coming back to the site, and they showed what they did: that they watched the videos, all of them, more than once, and did not read the written sections at all.
So the team stopped writing. Their next proposal was built as a video experience with almost no prose in it, because that is what the evidence said they wanted. The gift was fifteen million dollars.
The print version of that program is a bound proposal, delivered by courier, and no way of knowing which page they turned to.
The best part was finding out.
The team wrote in prose because that is how a case has always been written. We had built something that quietly recorded what they did with it instead. We did not go looking for that lesson, and it is waiting on every site you send: a donor will show you how they want to be talked to, without anyone asking what they prefer.
What they opened, and what they did not.
The engagement trail for one donor: which sections they opened, in what order, over which visits.
The cultivation analysis, in full, with the arithmetic in it.
Send it to a CFO, a vice president, or a board finance committee, and let them check our work.
The Cultivation ROI Analysis
What a printed cultivation package costs per piece against a digital one, the hours behind each, and the revenue a program has to raise before either pays for itself.
Nobody can speak to what this platform is worth better than the people using it, so we would rather you heard it from them. Ask at any point in a conversation and we will put you in touch with a client running the kind of program you are planning, and you can ask them whatever you like.
What follows is the appetizer. Choose what you are trying to settle, and the list narrows to the clients who have spoken to it.
“Ovrture has transformed the way I create stewardship reports, saving valuable time while elevating both quality and accuracy. Where I once had to build reports by hand, limiting the number of donors I could reach and increasing the risk of errors, I can now produce polished, personalized, and error-free reports efficiently and at scale. Most importantly, Ovrture enables us to demonstrate the impact of our donors' generosity in a clear and compelling way, deepening their connection to our mission. Ovrture has delivered a clear return on investment. It has saved us time, helped us deepen our relationships with donors, and contributed to an increase in giving.”
Ellen W.UVA LawClient testimonial
“Ovrture makes it easy to communicate with hundreds of donors at once through beautifully designed, school-branded impact reports tailored to each individual. The platform is user-friendly once you’re familiar with it, and the Ovrture team is incredibly responsive and accessible whenever we have a question. Most importantly, our donors enjoy receiving them. As one donor shared, “This report is so informative, and truly impressive in all that it covers. Thank you!”
Dina S.Peddie SchoolClient testimonial
“Thank you for building such an amazing platform for us to learn more on donor engagement level. We're looking forward to looking into the Ovrture analytics more every year.”
“Ovrture analytics are giving us more insights on engagement and better customized follow-up strategy. Gift officers now are more engaged to know if the donor has reviewed and viewed the reports, so they can time their asks—the solicitation ask—well after reading the report.”
“One donor really liked the format—they felt it was interactive, user friendly. After reading the impact of how the endowment was used, they sent in a gift, which was amazing given that they never engaged with us before after setting up the endowment. Despite sending reports annually, there was never feedback, but this time they sent a gift.”
“The analytics helped us so much to know if they were reading our reports—not only if they opened the report but they spent some time, some even printed these reports. Before that we sent PDF or mail and we have absolutely no idea.”
“Ovrture has done so much for us. Changed us to a digital system and our donors love it.”
Leanne B.University of British ColumbiaClient testimonial
“The product’s ability to be personalized is what makes it so dynamic and perfect for our needs. Even as a small operation, we’ve had the best customer service imaginable, with unmatched responsiveness and a genuine willingness to provide technical support.”
Amy K.The Branson SchoolClient testimonial
“The obvious perk about Ovrture is that it is a modern, attractive, user-friendly way to engage with donors. But what I personally like most about the software is that it allows my small team to build and deliver these engagement opportunities far more efficiently and timely than in the past, causing less headaches internally and stronger donor satisfaction externally.”
“For us the concept of individualized web pages was and is indeed novel. … It was key to keeping relationships warm thanks to the platform’s ability to engender pro-giving emotions through multimedia communication.”
“Our staff members, gift officers, and university leadership value the ability to track who is opening their reports and how they are engaging with them. As we move into our second year using Ovrture, we are using this information to take everything to the next level.”
“They held our hand every step of the way during our implementation and created a BC-branded product of which we are incredibly proud. All questions are answered with unbelievable speed. And as we learn about the product and discover things we may not have known we originally needed, they work with us to find quick and creative solutions.”
“Ovrture allows our institution to deliver high-quality stewardship touchpoints to key donors. It’s an intuitive platform. Our reports look terrific and garner great feedback from their intended audience.”
“What used to take a team of people to do and months of work, can now be done by one person. The system is very easy to use and navigate. Just upload all of your data, create your templates, and click 'Build Reports'. It has been a game changer in getting endowment reports out to donors in a timely manner.”
“Ovrture makes it easy for our fundraisers to get beautifully designed, custom sites in front of their donors. A great resource.”
Alex K.Healthcare clientClient testimonial
“Before adopting Ovrture, our donor reporting process was entirely paper-based. While this approach was traditional, it limited our ability to know whether donors were engaging with the reports or finding the information valuable. Transitioning to a digital platform through Ovrture has been transformative. It has allowed us to meet donors where they are, share impact in a more dynamic and accessible way, and move forward in our commitment to innovation and sustainability. Ovrture has proven to be an excellent partner in helping us deliver reports that reflect the quality, creativity, and care we strive to provide to our donors. It has truly enhanced how we communicate the impact of their generosity.”
Flora F.University of MiamiClient testimonial
“We have had a great customer experience with Ovrture and their support team over the last few years. The platform has allowed us to seamlessly share online or hardcopy reports with our donors each year in an appealing and easy-to-access way, and the hands-on assistance we have received from their support team whenever we have a question or issue is always personally managed right away to solve our problem. Ovrture is a great platform for multi-use efforts and allows us to send high-quality reports without the stress!”
“The Ovrture team has come through time and time again, delivering on deadlines and providing exceptional support. Recently, Gideon and Remy dropped everything to walk us through last-minute questions so we could flawlessly release a new proposal site. At the same time, they were successfully managing the transition of our printed endowment report to a polished digital format, proving they can handle complex, multi-channel projects without missing a beat. We are grateful to have them as partners.”
Janet N.Lehigh UniversityClient testimonial
“Having used Ovrture for our endowment reporting for several years, we can confidently say that it is an extremely useful platform and effective tool for donor stewardship. The system is easy to use and has unique functionalities that improve our team’s efficiency in digital reporting. Additionally, the Ovrture representatives are very helpful and responsive when we need them.”
“NC State University has partnered with Ovrture for more than six years and has been one of the early institutions to use the platform to produce a large volume of annual endowment reports. We were looking for a solution that would reduce customization, create greater consistency across the institution, and provide a better experience for our donors. Over the past six years, Ovrture has been an outstanding partner. Their team has consistently been responsive, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement. Whenever we have suggested enhancements or shared ideas based on our stewardship program, they have genuinely listened and worked to incorporate those improvements into the platform whenever possible. The Ovrture platform has transformed our endowment reporting process from a traditional paper-based approach into a polished, engaging digital experience for our donors. It has significantly improved the efficiency of our reporting process while enhancing the quality and consistency of our donor communications. More importantly, Ovrture has become a true partner rather than simply a software vendor. Their responsiveness, willingness to innovate, and commitment to customer success have made them an integral part of our stewardship efforts at NC State. I would confidently recommend Ovrture to any institution looking to modernize its endowment reporting and strengthen its donor stewardship program.”
Sarah T.North Carolina State UniversityClient testimonial
“My overall experience with Ovrture has been fantastic and with the work the team is doing to update the program, it's just going to get better.”
“Our team is VERY HAPPY with Ovrture and our donors' experience as a result--we get many compliments from donors each time we report. Each reporting cycle gets easier, giving our team more capacity to take on additional projects with the time we used to spend collating several thousands of merged pages. In addition, we know so much more about who is opening their reports and how/whether they interact with its components. We hope to expand into using the sites in the future as an additional value, now that we are well established with our reports.”
“We started with Ovrture at the beginning of the pandemic. This started on a much needed path of digital reporting. Ovrture has been a great partner - listening to our needs, responding to our wish lists, and working with us to overcome barriers. We now work each year to improve our processes to keep up with donor demand, IT changes, and overall changes in reporting requirements - and Ovrture is a great partner with us.”
“I like that I am able to visually tell impactful stories using this program for our donors. They get the best of both worlds with financial analytics, as well as background information on where their finances are being utilized. The presentation is beautiful, and it's great to be able to provide our donors with a digital fund report that is not only user-friendly, but visually appealing with the use of photos, videos, and PDF download capabilities. One of the best parts of using this software is the team behind it. They are quick to answer any questions we may have, and their response time is unmatched.”
“Ovrture is a great product and has helped us interact one-on-one in a digital format with our donor prospects. This is new territory for us and them and has been a smooth process so far. The Ovrture staff have been extremely supportive.”
“Ovrture provides an approach that promotes our school's mindset of innovation. We are an organization that focuses on sustainability and efficiency, which aligns with the foundation on which Ovrture prides itself on.”
