From the Nominator

In 2025, the University of North Texas reimagined its traditional fall and year-end giving strategy, transforming it into a coordinated, multi-touch campaign designed to build momentum across the entire giving season. The Annual Giving and Advancement Communications teams partnered to develop a campaign targeting 16,000 key alumni and donor households. The effort began with a direct mail piece aligned with UNT’s Better Look North student success campaign, introducing a message centered on determination, opportunity, and the transformative impact of donor support. This initial outreach established the campaign narrative and generated an early response rate of 1.8 percent. The strategy then expanded across digital channels. A social-media–focused Giving Tuesday effort reinforced the campaign message and invited the broader UNT community to participate in the global day of generosity. The campaign then transitioned into a year-end digital storytelling series featuring short-form videos, email outreach, and social media highlighting the voices of UNT students and the impact of philanthropy on their journeys. Each phase was intentionally designed to build on the previous touchpoint—moving audiences from awareness to engagement and ultimately to giving. By integrating direct mail, social media, and video-driven outreach, the campaign created a cohesive donor experience while maintaining visual and narrative alignment with UNT’s Better Look North student success initiative. Within 90 days, the campaign achieved a 6.1 percent response rate from targeted households and helped generate more than $2 million in philanthropic support.

From the Judges

This campaign presents a compelling evolution of traditional annual giving by consolidating separate appeals into a sophisticated, multi-channel approach over a three-month period. The data-driven framework and real-time analysis demonstrate a highly effective and modern approach to prospecting and stewardship. By combining strategic touchpoints with engaging student storytelling, the initiative serves as a strong industry example of how to build and execute a cohesive digital plan. Ultimately, this well-layered effort offers a repeatable model for annual giving shops looking to modernize their regular giving through a more integrated and interactive strategy.