In 2015, the University of Manitoba launched its Front and Centre Campaign, with a goal of raising $500 million, making it the largest philanthropic campaign in Manitoba’s history. During the five years that followed, this campaign touched nearly every corner of our campuses, rallied community leaders, and engaged thousands. To celebrate its successful conclusion, we knew we wanted to reach each of the 62,075 donors who have taken their place to transform UM and magnify its impact in our province and communities around the world. We also wanted to celebrate and share these campaign impact stories with our broader local community, those who will benefit for years to come. To do so, we worked in partnership with our province’s flagship newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press, to produce a 4-page wrap around the Saturday, April 4, 2020, edition, published two days after our virtual wrap event. What began as a complementary tactic to support a larger wrap event turned into a primary communication tool in light of the global events that occurred during its creation.
From the Judges
We loved the innovative partnership with a local newspaper to include the entire community in their message and success. The piece itself is short and digestible, which is perfect for the audience. It is also well-written to show strong impact, and the graphic representation grabs the reader's attention. This was a truly unique way to handle closing a campaign during a pandemic, but could be an effective approach even after the pandemic.
