When you have the right tools, it is easier to reach your goals. Chapman University now has a new user-friendly and automated tool to help you meet your fundraising goals: Affinaquest. Launching on June 15, Affinaquest is an automated, one-stop platform that offers streamlined and comprehensive solutions to fundraising needs.

Over the past three years, Chapman’s Advancement (UA) team has partnered with IS&T and Financial Services to retire the current customer relationship management (CRM) system, Agilon, and bring on Affinaquest.

“First and foremost, I want to thank and congratulate the team responsible for the Affinaquest implementation. This has been a monumental undertaking, made all the more challenging by the pandemic. It cannot be overstated to say how important and valued their efforts have been in bringing this across the finish line. Moreover, the adoption of this new system represents a significant milestone for the university. It will dramatically improve the way we build and steward lifelong relationships with the Chapman Family, especially our alumni. Truly, we believe this will have a transformational effect on how we operate.” – Dr. Sheryl Bourgeois (Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer)

“The Affinaquest implementation has been a long and multifaceted project, further complicated by the pandemic.   However, even in the most demanding times, I have been impressed by the camaraderie and collaboration evidenced by the multi-departmental team working on it.  I look forward to the transformational nature of the new system, especially as we move into a comprehensive campaign!”  – Helen Norris (Vice President and IS&T Chief Information Officer)

Affinaquest is built on the Salesforce platform that tracks constituent relationships including alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, families, volunteers and friends to Chapman. UA, along with the development coordinators in the various schools, colleges and campus departments, will use this as their system of record for appeals and fundraising campaign management, gift recording, pledge activity, prospect and volunteer management and reporting.

Implementing Affinaquest has been a complex journey. Although UA launched the formal Affinaquest implementation project back in March 2019, the Request for Proposal (RFP) process actually began back in March 2018.

Since the beginning of the project, IS&T has served as the Project Manager for the implementation. Other key project team members include colleagues from the Office of the Registrar, Human Resources, and Financial Services.  Key technical integrations for Affinaquest include PeopleSoft Finance and Campus Solutions. UA hopes to also integrate Audience View (university event ticketing) and other campus systems as applicable.