From the Nominator

"The Give Like Gary campaign highlighted the inspiring story of Ohio University’s longest-running annual donor, 1960 graduate Gary Clark, who at the time had given to OHIO every year for 59 years in a row. Gary’s story and the message it contains served as the basis for Annual Giving efforts throughout Fall 2021. 

The effects of the COVID pandemic, as well as organizational changes, led to low annual giving participation rates in FY21. OHIO needed to reignite their alumni’s interest and passion for giving quickly to avoid the risk of permanently losing the donors who lapsed throughout the pandemic. By leveraging the unique and innately inspiring story of Gary Clark, OHIO was able to turn around its annual giving rate and revenue in just one semester. 

The multi-channel campaign culminated in a single mailed appeal that netted more than $202,000 from 1,094 donors, nearly one-third of whom were renewed from a lapsed status. To date, OHIO has seen a 10.7% increase in cash gifts and a 12.7% increase in donors during FY22 when compared to FY21 thanks to the Give Like Gary campaign."

From the Judges

Give Like Gary was truly an exceptional campaign that can be replicated at other institutions. We all have a "Gary" in some form or fashion, and this entry models how we can harness and magnify the generosity that our "Gary" represents.