From Call Center Fundraiser to Account Executive | Meet Gravyty's Sylvia Vandever

Sylvia Vandever started fundraising in high school, making calls for hospitals, colleges, and public broadcasting from a regional call center. Now, she's an Account Executive at Gravyty, helping colleges and universities answer student questions faster, boost alumni engagement, and grow their donor pipeline. In this Meet the Team conversation, Sylvia shares: • Her path from account management to customer success to sales • Why higher ed shares ideas instead of gatekeeping them • Why leading with curiosity beats leading with the product • Why alumni now expect the same personalization they get from Netflix and Amazon • How her student success and fundraising experience came together at Gravyty • Book club, hot yoga, and a 60-year-old desert tortoise named Dandelion CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:15 Meet Sylvia Vandever, Account Executive 1:38 From account manager to customer success to sales 2:55 Why higher ed shares instead of gatekeeping 3:43 The best part: creative customers 5:49 Leading with curiosity 7:47 From call center fundraiser to EdTech 9:25 Why alumni expect to be known 11:26 Bridging student success and fundraising 12:02 Barely 5 feet tall, with tall-person energy 12:55 Book club, hot yoga, and family life 14:25 Meet the menagerie Hosted by Tuesday Stanley   / tuesdaystanley   Gravyty powers student, alumni, and donor engagement for higher education with AI. Learn more: https://gravyty.com #MeetTheTeam #HigherEd #AlumniEngagement