How Would You Like to be Able to Register 100,000 Learners in Less than a Month?

That appears to be what Philanthropy University has done. According to a recent article published in Forbes on September 29, 2015 they surpassed 100,000 students in seven courses. What is amazing is that according to their press release they launched September 1st.

While it is hard to argue with a value proposition that includes free courses from a program, done in collaboration with U.C. Berkeley, they did several other things right to acheive this success.

First of all they launched with a comprehensive set of courses. The courses appear to align with the major functional areas of a non-profit. Any leader or manager in a non-profit was able to find a course that matched their interest. Their assortment of courses certainly helps when a variety of people are likely to respond. It means the respondents were more likely to find something they wanted and to register.

Second, they lined up an impressive array of instructors, advisors and collaborators. Philanthropy Univeristy therefore looks like a very serious endevour with very credible people and organizations involved. In essence it built its brand quickly and solidly on the brand equity of its participants.

Finally, the website seems geared to conversion. It provides just enough information to answer the important questions, but at nearly every turn it asks the the prospective student to pick a course and register. While I can't comment on their media strategy, one could argue from looking at their site, that it suported that media strategy well.

I think this a great example of what is possible in today's education landscape.