Outbound Email Marketing

Almabase Case Study

Almabase achieved an 8%+ email response rate and 19,000+ emails delivered, tripling the industry average for outbound campaigns with CIENCE.

Updated Apr 1, 2026 By Daniel Conn

Key takeaways

Almabase partnered with CIENCE to run orchestrated outbound email campaigns targeting U.S. educational institutions with small advancement teams. CIENCE delivered over 19,000 emails and achieved an 8%+ response rate: more than triple the 1-3% industry average. The campaign generated qualified meetings that converted to closed deals for Almabase's alumni management software.

Cream line-engraving portrait of Kalyan Varma, Co-Founder & CEO at Almabase.
Client spotlight
"They have produced consistent results for us over the last few months. I would recommend it to any company trying to do outreach at a reasonably high volume to at least 100 people per week."
Kalyan Varma Co-Founder & CEO

How CIENCE Conducts Orchestrated Outbound Campaigns For Almabase

About Almabase

Almabase is an all-in-one alumni management software for schools.

It helps build an online community for alumni to increase engagement and drive more donations. Instead of having separate tools for email marketing, event registrations, alumni directory, and an alumni website, Almabase is a one-stop, alumni management software.

With smooth integrations to most alumni databases, Almabase is easy to add to systems without disturbing current processes. Hundreds of advancement teams are using Almabase's alumni management software to improve engagement and drive more donations.

Almabase creates an exclusive space for alumni to find, connect, and network with each other for professional and social reasons. Imagine the good old directory being supercharged with real-time information of alumni from Facebook and LinkedIn. Almabase lets alumni management easily create events of any type in no time to reunions, homecomings, or chapter meet-ups.

Challenges & Scope

ICP: U.S. educational institutions with advancement teams of fewer than 10 people

Product: One software to manage an entire alumni program

CIENCE Technologies coordinates the outbound marketing efforts for Almabase, conducting cold-email campaigns.

The target list
U.S. educational institutions Filter: advancement team under 10 Advancement team Fewer than 10 people
The ICP was narrow: U.S. educational institutions whose advancement teams ran fewer than 10 people. CIENCE built the outbound around that constraint, reaching small teams a broad blast would miss.

Why CIENCE

Almabase initially chose to work with CIENCE because they offered a competitive price for outbound sales efforts.CIENCE conducted orchestrated outbound campaigns linked to HubSpot, Almabase's marketing automation platform, so qualified prospects could schedule meetings directly with their sales team.

"They provided the service we needed at a price that we were comfortable paying," says Kalyan Varma. "Our account manager and SDR do a weekly review with stats from the last week, some sample conversations, etc. This is extremely helpful to stay on top of what's happening."
Priced to fit
1x 2x 3x CIENCE, priced to fit Typical U.S. SDR agency 3x at least Qualified reply Books a meeting in HubSpot
Most U.S.-based SDR agencies quoted at least 3x the cost. CIENCE fit Almabase's budget and wired the campaign into HubSpot, so qualified prospects booked meetings directly.

Results

Almabase and CIENCE first partnered in October 2018. Almabase was looking for supplemental sales development assistance at the right price. "Most US-based SDR agencies are at least 3x the cost," says Varma.

CIENCE delivered over 19,000 emails and received a response rate of over 8%, well over the industry average of 1-3%. Almabase saw an increase in meetings with qualified leads that ultimately resulted in closed deals.

Varma declares, "They have produced consistent results for us over the last few months. I would recommend it to any company trying to do outreach at a reasonably high volume to at least 100 people per week."

8%+ vs 1-3%
1% 3% 8% Industry range, 1 to 3% 8%+ Almabase response rate 19,000+ emails delivered More than triple the ceiling
The standard cold-email response rate runs 1 to 3 percent. Across 19,000+ emails delivered, CIENCE returned over 8 percent for Almabase, more than triple the top of the usual range.

Frequently Asked Questions

What results did Almabase achieve with CIENCE's outbound email campaigns?

CIENCE delivered over 19,000 emails on behalf of Almabase and achieved a response rate of over 8%, compared to the industry average of 1-3%. The campaign generated an increase in meetings with qualified leads that ultimately resulted in closed deals for Almabase's alumni management software platform.

Why did Almabase choose CIENCE for outbound sales development?

Almabase selected CIENCE primarily because of its competitive pricing relative to other U.S.-based SDR agencies, which Almabase's Co-Founder Kalyan Varma noted were typically at least three times the cost. CIENCE also offered HubSpot integration, allowing qualified prospects to schedule meetings directly with the Almabase sales team.

What was the scope of CIENCE's work for Almabase?

CIENCE conducted orchestrated outbound cold-email campaigns targeting U.S. educational institutions with advancement teams of fewer than 10 people. The engagement included weekly reviews with the account manager and SDR covering performance stats and sample conversations, providing Almabase with ongoing visibility into campaign activity.

How does CIENCE's outbound email service compare to industry benchmarks for campaigns like Almabase's?

The standard industry response rate for cold outbound email is 1-3%. CIENCE's campaign for Almabase exceeded 8%, delivering more than double the upper end of the typical benchmark. This performance level supported Almabase's goal of reaching at least 100 new prospects per week through a cost-effective outbound model.

The weekly loop
Every week Send outreach 100+ new prospects a week Review the stats AM + SDR, last week's numbers Read the replies Sample conversations Tune the next send Feed what worked back
The model ran at least 100 new prospects a week on a standing rhythm: the account manager and SDR reviewed the last week's stats and sample conversations, then fed what worked back into the next send.