Stanford University's Momentum website went live in February 2024, in the wake of some turbulent leadership transitions at Stanford. While the plan had been to launch a robust campaign website, the reality of a paused public campaign meant we had to pivot. Rather than let the hard-earned progress of the quiet phase go to waste, we wanted to keep the momentum going. We leaned into a new strategy to build a different kind of site, one that would use storytelling to keep our audience engaged and feeling confident about the university’s path forward. Momentum is not your ordinary higher education philanthropy website. We built the site to support bold design, engaging narrative, and immersive interactions that we had never tried before. The result is a destination publication for a wide array of readers. Its corresponding email newsletter, The Moment, highlights new stories every two months and sends our core audience to the site. This has helped (re)engage our strongest allies while the university has extended the quiet phase of its fundraising campaign and continues to prepare for a public launch. At that time, this site will be expanded to become the full campaign website, as originally intended.
From the Judges
This site impressed with its editorial storytelling, polished design, and premium user experience. We appreciated its high production value. Calls to action were strong. It is a bold creative benchmark.
