How the University of Notre Dame is building a thriving alumni community

University of Notre Dame Modernizes Alumni Engagement with Hivebrite

For more than a decade, the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association relied on a legacy alumni engagement platform to support its global network of alumni, volunteers, clubs, and affinity groups. As the community continued to grow, the platform’s limitations increasingly hindered engagement, operational efficiency, and scalability. Seeking a modern, flexible solution capable of supporting hundreds of sub-communities and hundreds of thousands of constituents, Notre Dame selected Hivebrite to power its next generation alumni experience.

The Hivebrite Solution

Hivebrite provided a comprehensive community platform that enabled Notre Dame to consolidate alumni engagement, communications, fundraising, events, memberships, and volunteer management into a single ecosystem.

Working closely with Hivebrite’s implementation team, the university completed a phased migration that included nearly 400 clubs, classes, and groups, more than 70,000 alumni accounts, and extensive historical content. Dedicated spaces were created for each sub-community, allowing volunteer administrators to manage local engagement while maintaining alignment with the broader alumni network.

The platform also transformed key operational workflows. Notre Dame now manages all events through Hivebrite, including complex multi-day and multi-track programs, virtual events, and hybrid experiences. Membership management was streamlined through automated renewals, recurring payments, tiered access controls, and integrated payment processing. Fundraising teams gained the ability to quickly launch branded donation campaigns, while communications teams leveraged powerful segmentation and email capabilities to deliver targeted outreach to hundreds of thousands of alumni.

Additionally, Hivebrite’s news, content management, and data integration capabilities enabled the association to centralize information, improve discoverability, and create a more engaging digital experience across the entire alumni community.

The Outcome

The migration was completed within eight months, resulting in more than 70,000 activated accounts and the successful transition of nearly 400 sub-communities. Login-related support issues, which previously represented approximately 50% of support tickets, were reduced to nearly zero.

Volunteer leaders now independently manage more than 400 community spaces, increasing engagement while reducing administrative burden on central staff. Previously dormant groups became active again, with members sharing content, participating in discussions, and strengthening alumni connections.

The platform also delivered measurable business impact. The number of clubs offering memberships more than doubled, contributing to a 36% increase in club revenue within the first year through memberships and events. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame launched a fundraising campaign in less than 30 minutes using Hivebrite’s Donation Module, raising $8.7 million for its Student Emergency Relief Fund while reaching more than 100,000 potential donors worldwide.

Today, Hivebrite serves as the foundation of Notre Dame’s alumni engagement strategy, enabling staff and volunteers to spend less time on administration and more time building meaningful relationships across one of the world’s largest and most active alumni communities.