From the Nominator

"On Dec. 1, 2020, the UVic Annual Giving team led the university’s fifth Giving Tuesday campaign to new heights, in a collaborative, primarily online effort that exceeded all goals and expectations. At UVic, we believe that every positive choice is the chance to influence the future, which is why – for us – Giving Tuesday is all about participation. This year’s creative and inclusive campaign challenged UVic alumni, donors, employees, and students to demonstrate their support for the university by giving back and paying it forward in Project Add Sprinkles. 

The campaign focused on a central message that all acts of philanthropy, big or small, add up to make a big difference to our campus, students, and community–much like sprinkles being added to a cookie or a cupcake. In just 24 hours, 4,085 UVic community members answered the call to get involved. From small gifts through on-campus coffee sales, online donations, or playing games and using social media to unlocking funds, they found meaningful ways to participate

Generosity and engagement sprinkled impact across campus, as the worldwide UVic community worked together to raise $148,260 to support more than 20 critically important programs and initiatives ranging from student support, mental health and wellness programs, COVID-19 research and community outreach. 

Like so many other institutions, charities, and events, UVic’s Giving Tuesday was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges associated with transitioning the event online, the committee once again brought the spirit of philanthropy to the UVic community."

From the Judges

The University of Victoria created a unique, fun campaign in “Project Add Sprinkles” that was an impressive pivot from their usual giving day. The project involved a wide range of stakeholders, included a gamified element to connect with students, and encouraged people to donate to double their donation via match funding. The pivot brought something different to their giving day that made UVic stand out from the crowd, and we particularly enjoyed the way that they were able to engage with students, bringing giving to the forefront of their minds via gamification. Their approach included exciting and innovative video and communications content that would entertain, whilst enforcing the message that every donation counts and creates something amazing. As well as producing great content, this project focused on a range of funds, working with cross-university colleagues to ascertain where funds were most needed, and a VIP period of giving for a set group of donors. The project was delivered on a modest budget by a small core team. We were impressed with the breadth of the campaign, but most excited by the creativity brought to this initiative.