DASH - Donor and Alum Services Hub
As part of the broader technology modernization across the College, the Alum Association and College Relations are updating many of the foundational systems that currently support alum and volunteer engagement, including the Volunteer Hub, the Alum Directory and other tools. Enter DASH, our new Donor and Alum Services Hub!
DASH will consist of an ecosystem of tools to support College Relations and Alum Association staff and volunteers to better serve the Mount Holyoke community.
Project timeline
The target go live for DASH is spring 2026. During this time, Mount Holyoke staff members will be managing this transformative transition, so we appreciate your grace and support for them.
Goals
Strengthen constituent engagement and connection
Deliver a modern, personalized digital experience that makes it easier for alums, donors and other stakeholders to connect with the College, access services and stay engaged over time.
Improve operational efficiency and effectiveness
Equip staff and volunteers with intuitive role-based tools that provide real-time information access, streamline tasks and reduce time spent on manual data handling — freeing up more time for strategic work.
Enable smarter, data-driven communication and decision-making
Leverage integrated communication tools, robust dashboards and incisive reporting to inform timely, targeted outreach and guide strategic planning across teams.
DASH success elements:
- Easy access to the information that users (staff, volunteers and alums) need.
- User self-sufficiency and high rate of new-technology adoption.
- Overall reduction in report requests, ensuring staff can focus on high-impact activities.
Getting ready
This breakdown is designed to provide clear, accessible answers to common inquiries and help everyone feel informed and confident throughout the transition.
Our goal is to make this process as smooth and welcoming as possible.
1. What is DASH?
DASH (which stands for “Donor and Alum Services Hub”) is our new, modern technology ecosystem that will replace legacy systems, including Colleague, iModules and the Volunteer Hub, for managing constituent information, giving and alum engagement. DASH offers centralized communications, built-in reporting and a comprehensive view of each constituent.
2. What is the goal of this implementation?
DASH will provide best-in-class tools for Mount Holyoke staff members and volunteers to improve information access, constituent insights and engagement activities’ effectiveness. This will help us better engage, track and steward our alums, donors and volunteers.
3. What are the benefits of using DASH?
- Constituent engagement: A modern, state-of-the-art online portal experience includes self-service functionality and dynamic content to enhance constituent engagement and connection with the College.
- Easier end-user functionality: A single login experience allows users to continuously access and manage contact information and giving history, sign up for volunteer opportunities and events, view the Alum Directory and access other alum platforms, such as The Gates.
4. How is data security being handled?
The DASH program is focused on ensuring that Mount Holyoke is following higher education best practices for data security and privacy. We are working closely with the project team to ensure all community data is protected and the right people are able to see the right data at the right time, which might look different in DASH than it did in previous systems. That is to ensure that we are meeting the new standards set by the College.
5. When will DASH go live?
MHC Staff will go live with DASH in April 2026. The DASH Portal for updating contact information, viewing giving information, and the alum directory, as well as the DASH Volunteer Hub and new events platform will also go live in April 2026. We appreciate your patience when working with MHC staff members during this time as they are undergoing a major transition as well!
6. Will I need to be trained on DASH?
- Training for volunteers for new volunteer management platforms will happen depending on their volunteer role. Volunteers can expect to learn more about training expectations from their Mount Holyoke staff counterparts in spring 2026.
- We will provide asynchronous training resources (such as job aids and video walk-throughs) as well.
All alums will receive communications requesting them to sign into the DASH portal in spring 2026.
Please be on the lookout for additional communications in the Laurel Chain about DASH’s rollout and how it will impact you.
This glossary includes terminology related to DASH. Some terms may be familiar, but defining them explicitly is a helpful practice when implementing a new system.
Donor and Alum Services Hub (DASH): DASH will be comprised of an ecosystem of tools to support College Relations and Alum Association staff and volunteers to better serve the Mount Holyoke alum, donor and friend community. DASH supports the day-to-day activities of College Relations and Alum Association staff.
DASH portal: This is a single location for Mount Holyoke alum and volunteers to maintain their contact information, see their giving history, view the alum directory, register for events and access other engagement applications, such as DASH Volunteer Hub for development and alum volunteers, the Slate portal for admission volunteers, The Gates and Handshake.
DASH Volunteer Hub: This software platform is designed to support the work of development and Alum Association volunteers. Admission volunteers will use a separate portal in Slate for their work.
Change champions: These volunteer representatives across the College serve as point-of-contact personnel for sharing project information with peers, answering questions or directing colleagues to resources and sharing feedback with the Mount Holyoke team.
Configuration: These adjustments to software settings, features and workflows meet Mount Holyoke’s business needs.
Customization: Customization often requires hiring additional resources to create new functionality when configuration options cannot meet end users’ requirements.
Go live: The go live phase marks the official transition from current tools to DASH.
Slate admission portal: This software platform is designed to support the work of volunteers in the Office of Admission.
Subject matter expert (SME): SMEs are stakeholders with specific or targeted expertise. SMEs may participate in various aspects of the project by lending their experience or knowledge to the decision-making process.
To be published in winter 2026.