3,000 Alumni Strong: A multi-media campaign for the Hampden-Sydney Fund

College Communicators Association of Virginia and D.C.April 6, 2013

What we’ll cover• Status of the H-S Fund prior to this campaign• Design & Components of the campaign• Videos—the heart of the campaign• What we learned

Where we were before 3,000 Strong

• College recently finished a capital campaign• High turnover in annual fund staff• New leadership in Institutional Advancement• Slump in alumni giving participation

FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY120

500

1000

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3500

Number of Donors

Alumni

Before 3,000 Strong

• Perceptions of rapid change within institution• New strategic plan with aggressive goals

Time for a game-changer

• “Let’s do a challenge. Make it loud and fast.”• June 30th Deadline• Goal

FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY120

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Number of Donors

Alumni

3,000

Incentive:Anonymous Donors offer $200,000 Challenge Gift

Content & Focus of Campaign

• Focus on familiarity:– Faculty, staff, community personalities

Structure of Campaign

• Launched April 1, 2013• Featured three direct mail pieces• Seven emails with videos• Additional email reminders, updates, etc.• Social media posts from College’s accounts• Peer-to-peer social media posts & messages• Dozens of alumni phonathons

Email Template

Email Template

Email Template

Microsite: 3000strong.hsc.edu

Microsite: 3000strong.hsc.edu

The Video Campaign

• Video campaign was uncharted territory for us• Meet Zach:

First Mailing

Second Mailing

Final Mailing

What we learned

• Alumni liked a challenge• $200,000 challenge gift inspired some but not all• Can be done with existing resources• Email management improved• Collaborative, natural scripting is best• Know what comes next

Make History for H-SC