CUI held an innovative, one-day giving campaign that combined social media, campus events and “ambassadors” inviting donations for their favorite campus causes and needs.

“We were asking everyone here to spread the word by Facebook, Twitter, email and Instagram so our impact would increase,” says Wendy Leivan, director of advancement services and director of the annual fund.

The result was a flurry of posts by students, staff and faculty asking for donations for new musical instruments, science equipment, support for semester-abroad programs and much more.

It was like Go Fund Me on steroids,” says Leivan. “People were sending out messages about what they are passionate about and asking people to help.

“It was like Go Fund Me on steroids,” says Leivan. “People were sending out messages about what they are passionate about and asking people to help.”

Organizers hoped the one-day campaign, dubbed CU Give Back, would raise $25,000. Donations flew past that and topped $144,000, which included a number of matching grants. For example, one donor pledged $1,000 if ten people donated to a particular sports program. Alerts were sent out letting people know how close they were to hitting those targets. “It was so intense,” says Leivan. “It was a huge group effort.”

More than one hundred people signed up to be “ambassadors” for a particular project or program. A CU Give Back website offered all the information, including videos about projects. A second CU Give Back day will be held next November.

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About Ann Ashmon

Ann Ashmon is the Director of Communications at Concordia University Irvine.

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