Marian University, a private Catholic university based in Indianapolis, Indiana—with additional learning sites in Plymouth, Nashville, and an online division—serves more than 5,100 graduate and undergraduate students as well as an ever-growing alumni community. As Marian University expanded its footprint and academic offerings, keeping every audience engaged became more challenging.
That’s where Delivra came in. By leveraging Delivra’s advanced segmentation, automation, and reporting, Marian University delivers timely, relevant messages that build community and drive key outcomes in alumni giving, professional program enrollment, and student retention.
"Our goal is to make sure every student feels connected — not just to campus events, but to the larger Marian community and its mission. Delivra gives us a reliable and flexible way to communicate consistently and meaningfully."
Maggie Kucik, Executive Director of Marketing, Marian University
Overcoming communication challenges to create a stronger community
Like many universities, Marian faces the ongoing challenge of keeping a variety of constituents informed and engaged without overwhelming their inboxes. Delivering the right messages to the right audiences, from academic reminders to ministry reflections, requires both strategy and reliability.
With a wide range of audiences and communication needs, Marian University needed a platform that empowered every campus unit from advancement to alumni relations to communicate strategically, measure impact, and tailor messaging to each audience’s needs. With the right platform, these became growth opportunities…enter Delivra.
Building community across campus and beyond
Marian University has partnered with Delivra for nearly a decade, continually refining how Delivra supports its mission of community-building and engagement.
The university’s communications and alumni teams rely on Delivra to keep students informed and connected through consistent, timely updates about academics, events, and faith. Today, they use Delivra to send:
- Monthly newsletters with university news and updates
- Weekly reflections from the Office of Mission and Ministry
- Event updates and announcements for campus and community activities
- Surveys to collect student feedback
- Safety and parking information for on-campus students
Segmentation is the hero of Marian’s communication strategy. Using segmentation, the team tailors communications by campus location, major, and academic level. This approach ensures every message feels relevant — whether it’s a devotional reflection or an important operational update.
The result? Targeted messaging and remarkable open rates
Focusing on delivering the right message to the right audience has paid off for Marian University, driving stronger engagement and real, measurable results:
- Consistent 37% average open rates across all email campaigns, well above the higher education benchmark (20–30%).
- 50% open rates for targeted commuter student messaging, resulting in improved campus participation and satisfaction.
Marian University is based in a major metropolitan area where a significant portion of its students commute to campus. Delivra’s segmentation capabilities allow the university to communicate directly with this group. Emails tailored to commuter students achieve a remarkable 50% open rate, underscoring the value of targeted, relevant messaging.
With Delivra, Marian University’s communication is more timely, mission-driven, and aligned with the university’s Franciscan values — building a sense of belonging that extends well beyond the classroom.
The growth doesn’t end there
Marian University plans to continue expanding its use of Delivra to support new communication initiatives, including more targeted outreach and automated workflows. By deepening its segmentation strategy, the university hopes to further personalize its student engagement efforts while maintaining efficiency and consistency across departments.
Through its partnership with Delivra, Marian University continues to bring its mission of community, connection, and purpose to life — one email at a time.Want to unify your communications? Schedule a demo with Delivra and see how we can help you connect with your community in a meaningful way.
