CAMPAIGN CLOSE: The University of North Carolina Wilmington (U.S.) wrapped up its $131 million-plus campaign, Like No Other: The Campaign for UNCW, in 2024. Its April 19, 2024, celebration event included food, a DJ and portrait artist, and multimedia projected onto The Shore, a new campus dining hall. 

Credit: UNCW

Campaign events—from launches to closings and everything in between—can help a campus community coalesce around a campaign’s goals and themes. Here are key tips for planning these major special events.

Kickoff

Kickoff is a public relations focal point because it unveils goals and objectives. Kickoff events usually coincide with a special weekend (like reunions) or day (like a founder’s day) when your audience is gathering. A launch event should:

• Publicly announce goals.
• Explain how the goals were selected.
• Introduce campaign leadership.
• Announce the amount already pledged and acknowledge lead donors.
• Build interest among stakeholders.
• Celebrate your institution’s past and future.

Some launch events are black-tie galas; some are weekend-long community celebrations; some include gatherings in cities around the globe.

Events During the Campaign

These activities—alumni gatherings or celebrations, for instance—raise awareness and build interest in the campaign. They can:

• Call attention to crucial dates.
• Share special announcements.
• Launch regional or local fundraising activities.
• Celebrate milestones, like portions of the campaign that are completed.
• Acknowledge major gifts. 

Close Events

The format of the victory event will be unique to your institution, but it should communicate the campaign theme and be a celebratory affair. It should:

• Thank campaign leaders and volunteers.
• Honor major donors.
• Restate the campaign’s purpose.
• Provide an update on the process of campaign projects, such as building construction.
• Lay the foundation for continued involvement.

For case studies of campaign events, explore these award-winning examples.

• Pre-campaign event: The University of Michigan’s Bold Ideas Summit, held in 2022 two years before the launch of its Look to Michigan campaign, engaged prospective donors and university leadership to co-create fundraising priorities.
• Campaign launch event: Global business school INSEAD launched its Force for Good campaign with a Force for Good Conference, with performances, keynotes, and fireworks.
• During campaign event: Dartmouth University’s Hard Hat Weekend, seven years into The Call to Lead campaign, gave campaign leadership a tour of seven new or renovated buildings and celebrated a fundraising milestone with a gratitude gala.
• Post-campaign event: The University of North Carolina Wilmington closed its “Like No Other: The Campaign for UNCW” with a special event in April 2024. There was an all-campus, outdoor celebration for all donors, with a special VIP reception for donors who gave $25,000 or more. A board of trustee member remarked that it “felt like a family reunion.”