Stories worth putting your institution's name on
University communications and advancement teams use Shorthand to publish engaging alumni magazines, donor impact reports, and research showcases — without waiting on developers.
Stories worth putting your institution's name on
University communications and advancement teams use Shorthand to publish engaging alumni magazines, donor impact reports, and research showcases — without waiting on developers.
Trusted by higher education communications teams at
Trusted by higher education communications teams at
How higher education teams like yours use Shorthand
Leading universities use Shorthand to produce visually immersive, mobile-first stories that outperform traditional PDFs and flipbooks on every engagement metric.
How higher education teams like yours use Shorthand
Leading universities use Shorthand to produce visually immersive, mobile-first stories that outperform traditional PDFs and flipbooks on every engagement metric.
Create beautiful, no-code alumni magazines
Replace print editions and expensive PDF flipbooks that kill your engagement with alumni.
Shorthand produces web-native alumni magazines that load fast, look polished on any device, and give your communications team full editorial control — without a developer in the loop.
Perfect for quarterly and annual editions, anniversary issues, and digital supplements that reflect the quality your alumni expect.
Create beautiful, no-code alumni magazines
Replace print editions and expensive PDF flipbooks that kill your engagement with alumni.
Shorthand produces web-native alumni magazines that load fast, look polished on any device, and give your communications team full editorial control — without a developer in the loop.
Perfect for quarterly and annual editions, anniversary issues, and digital supplements that reflect the quality your alumni expect.
Publish donor impact reports and stewardship stories
University advancement and development offices rely on Shorthand to turn fundraising reports into immersive, data-rich stories.
Shorthand makes it easy to embed donation forms and calls to action directly in your reports, so the path from reading to giving happens in a single scroll.
Each story shows donors exactly where their money is spent — and gives mid-tier donors a reason to move toward their next gift.
Publish donor impact reports and stewardship stories
University advancement and development offices rely on Shorthand to turn fundraising reports into immersive, data-rich stories.
Shorthand makes it easy to embed donation forms and calls to action directly in your reports, so the path from reading to giving happens in a single scroll.
Each story shows donors exactly where their money is spent — and gives mid-tier donors a reason to move toward their next gift.
Showcase your research and strategic initiatives
A standard CMS won't produce the kind of story that does justice to an important newsletter, flagship research milestone or a fundraising appeal.
Shorthand gives your team a way to publish something with the visual weight the work deserves — the kind of story donors, alumni, and external partners will read and share.
Showcase your research and strategic initiatives
A standard CMS won't produce the kind of story that does justice to an important newsletter, flagship research milestone or a fundraising appeal.
Shorthand gives your team a way to publish something with the visual weight the work deserves — the kind of story donors, alumni, and external partners will read and share.
Interactive policy reports and research stories made human
Translate dense research, policy papers, and technical reports into accessible, mobile-friendly visual stories that policymakers, supporters, and the press can read end-to-end.
Interactive policy reports and research stories made human
Translate dense research, policy papers, and technical reports into accessible, mobile-friendly visual stories that policymakers, supporters, and the press can read end-to-end.
Want to see your content like this?
We'll talk through your goals and build a free custom mockup of an important content asset that's ready to publish.
- A short, no-pressure walkthrough of Shorthand
- A chat about your content and what you'd like to achieve
- A free custom mockup built for you
Want to see your content like this?
We'll talk through your goals and build a free custom mockup of an important content asset that's ready to publish.
- A short, no-pressure walkthrough of Shorthand
- A chat about your content and what you'd like to achieve
- A free custom mockup built for you
ADA Title II and Section 508 compliant content — without the compromise
Have strict compliance requirements that legacy flipbook platforms can’t meet?
Shorthand is Section 508 compliant and aligned with the latest WCAG standards. Communications teams can publish alumni magazines, impact reports, and research stories without choosing between accessibility and visual quality.
Read our VPAT for full details, or see our accessibility checklist for more information.
ADA Title II and Section 508 compliant content — without the compromise
Have strict compliance requirements that legacy flipbook platforms can’t meet?
Shorthand is Section 508 compliant and aligned with the latest WCAG standards. Communications teams can publish alumni magazines, impact reports, and research stories without choosing between accessibility and visual quality.
Read our VPAT for full details, or see our accessibility checklist for more information.
“Our Shorthand stories are performing on every metric that we've been measuring ourselves on. The targets and stretch targets have been met on all our content.”
Andrew Youngson,
News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London
“Our Shorthand stories are performing on every metric that we've been measuring ourselves on. The targets and stretch targets have been met on all our content.”
Andrew Youngson, News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London
Shorthand For Higher Education FAQs
How do I create an alumni magazine with Shorthand?
You build your magazine in Shorthand's editor and add elements like scroll-based sections, full-screen imagery, embedded video, and text. Once it is ready, you publish to a custom URL — either hosted by Shorthand, using Shorthand for Wordpress, or via your CMS using other integrations like our Drupal plugin.
For Sitecore, Cascade, Sitefinity and other CMSes, stories can be embedded with a single line of code or with custom API integrations. Self-hosting via zip download is available on annual plans, so you retain your stories after your subscription ends.
Check out these university comms templates for some inspiration.
Is Shorthand accessible and ADA-compliant/WCAG accessible?
Public US universities are subject to Title II, which requires WCAG 2.1 AA conformance by April 2027.
Shorthand is committed to WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility and our VPAT is available on request, alongside our security overview and GDPR DPA. We work with universities that have ADA Title II compliance requirements and our team can walk your IT and accessibility reviewers through the platform's current capability and roadmap.
Contact us to request the full documentation pack or see more in our accessibility checklist for content creators.
Can university communications teams use Shorthand without a designer or developer?
Yes. Many Shorthand users are writers and content managers, not designers or developers. The Shorthand editor handles layout, typography, and responsive design automatically. For teams switching from developer-dependent workflows or agency-built publications, Shorthand typically cuts production time and cost significantly.
Book a free mockup session here to see how you could use Shorthand at your institution.
How does Shorthand compare to Issuu and Foleon for university communications?
Issuu and Foleon are web-based tools that replace PDF flipbooks, but built for different jobs. Issuu converts print files into digital flipbooks, while Foleon is designed for B2B marketing collateral. Neither is built for the editorial-quality, scroll-based storytelling that university communications teams need for alumni magazines, impact reports, and research showcases.
Shorthand is a web-native authoring platform, so your team can build stories from scratch in a format that outperforms flipbooks on engagement, accessibility compliance, and mobile reading. Several university communications teams previously spending more than $25,000 per year on these tools have switched to Shorthand for better design flexibility and overall engagement.
Can I keep some Shorthand stories private?
Yes! Shorthand supports password-protected stories and restricted access, which is useful for major-donor briefings, board communications, and internal reports. Shorthand Enterprise plans also include SSO and SAML-based access controls for institutions that need role-based permissions across departments.
How long does it take to build a Shorthand alumni magazine?
Most university communications teams produce their first complete Shorthand edition — including layout, imagery, and publishing — within one to two weeks of onboarding. Returning to Shorthand for each new issue is much quicker once your university’s brand theme and section templates are in place. We typically see teams turn around a quarterly magazine in two days once they are all set up.
Shorthand For Higher Education FAQs
How do I create an alumni magazine with Shorthand?
You build your magazine in Shorthand's editor and add elements like scroll-based sections, full-screen imagery, embedded video, and text. Once it is ready, you publish to a custom URL — either hosted by Shorthand, using Shorthand for Wordpress, or via your CMS using other integrations like our Drupal plugin.
For Sitecore, Cascade, Sitefinity and other CMSes, stories can be embedded with a single line of code or with custom API integrations. Self-hosting via zip download is available on annual plans, so you retain your stories after your subscription ends.
Check out these university comms templates for some inspiration.
Is Shorthand accessible and ADA-compliant/WCAG accessible?
Public US universities are subject to Title II, which requires WCAG 2.1 AA conformance by April 2027.
Shorthand is committed to WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility and our VPAT is available on request, alongside our security overview and GDPR DPA. We work with universities that have ADA Title II compliance requirements and our team can walk your IT and accessibility reviewers through the platform's current capability and roadmap.
Contact us to request the full documentation pack or see more in our accessibility checklist for content creators.
Can university communications teams use Shorthand without a designer or developer?
Yes. Many Shorthand users are writers and content managers, not designers or developers. The Shorthand editor handles layout, typography, and responsive design automatically. For teams switching from developer-dependent workflows or agency-built publications, Shorthand typically cuts production time and cost significantly.
Book a free mockup session here to see how you could use Shorthand at your institution.
How does Shorthand compare to Issuu and Foleon for university communications?
Issuu and Foleon are web-based tools that replace PDF flipbooks, but built for different jobs. Issuu converts print files into digital flipbooks, while Foleon is designed for B2B marketing collateral. Neither is built for the editorial-quality, scroll-based storytelling that university communications teams need for alumni magazines, impact reports, and research showcases.
Shorthand is a web-native authoring platform, so your team can build stories from scratch in a format that outperforms flipbooks on engagement, accessibility compliance, and mobile reading. Several university communications teams previously spending more than $25,000 per year on these tools have switched to Shorthand for better design flexibility and overall engagement.
Can I keep some Shorthand stories private?
Yes! Shorthand supports password-protected stories and restricted access, which is useful for major-donor briefings, board communications, and internal reports. Shorthand Enterprise plans also include SSO and SAML-based access controls for institutions that need role-based permissions across departments.
How long does it take to build a Shorthand alumni magazine?
Most university communications teams produce their first complete Shorthand edition — including layout, imagery, and publishing — within one to two weeks of onboarding. Returning to Shorthand for each new issue is much quicker once your university’s brand theme and section templates are in place. We typically see teams turn around a quarterly magazine in two days once they are all set up.
Join other leading institutions publishing with Shorthand
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