#MUThankU is an event coordinated by the scholarship and stewardship committee from the Miami University Student Foundation to thank donors and volunteers, and educate students on the importance of donor and volunteer support. This past year, MUSF held this event during National Volunteer Week, targeting the “thank yous” to those who donate their time to Miami University. The event, which took place in April, was at two locations on campus and, at each location, there were a handful of iPads ready for students to film thank you videos to send to the donors.
From the Judges
The #MUThankU event is a shining example of students teaching peers about lifelong engagement with the university. This submission stood out to the judges because not only are students expressing gratitude to university donors, but to volunteers too—and volunteers are a pillar of a strong alumni community worth recognizing as part of lifelong engagement. The modern twist of using ThankView on a mass scale, and encouraging the average student to take part, is a way of bringing education about alumni life to the student body. This is one of the rare examples students were asked to participate without the promise of a huge prize for doing so, which means strong messaging is leading the conversation. This program helps students envision themselves as alumni volunteers and the videos were well-received by recipients, which shows the program’s positive impact.
