From the Nominator

In August 2019, the vice chancellor for student affairs asked University Advancement if we could identify donors willing to aid students facing food insecurity. The advancement team decided to introduce the concept of problem-solving fundraising on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3. Next we engaged student government, whose president announced during his State of the Students Address a campus-wide challenge to raise enough money to support the Wolverine Food Den for the next three years, and committed that 100 percent of student government’s membership would give to the Wolverine Food Den on Giving Tuesday. An air of esprit de corps engulfed the room. It wasn’t long before staff council accepted student government's challenge. The result? December 3 was a record breaking day: most money ever raised, highest number of donors ever recorded, and highest number of gifts to a single fund on Giving Tuesday—the Wolverine Food Den! As impressive as it is to set records, advancement staff are most grateful for having empowered student government to lead this effort. Students now have an appreciation for what happens in Advancement, they witnessed the power of philanthropy firsthand, and their newfound enthusiasm for what motivates our donors has inspired everyone.

From the Judges

Student-driven, grassroots, peer-driven This campaign offered a compelling way to engage students in fundraising while also connecting them with broader alumni philanthropy. Often the two are done independently and the overlap is what made this campaign so unique. The food pantry is a relevant and strategic campaign initiative to involve students, as food insecurity directly touches many of their peers. The judges felt this campaign offered an adaptable model for other institutions that was also meaningful and relatable particularly to students. The urgency of the campaign—in this case of not losing funding for the food pantry—was an important element that should not be overlooked when adapting to another campaign.