Big Give, UC Berkeley’s annual online fundraising campaign, launched in 2020 just as COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and shelter-in-place orders were being issued throughout the world on March 11 and March 12. We quickly modified our social media messaging efforts to adapt to the changing moment, including acknowledging the pandemic and asking constituents to show their support by making donations and participating in contests to win even more money for their favorite Berkeley program and student organizations during uncertain times.
We set an internal goal of 10,000 donors. At the conclusion of Big Give, we surpassed our expectations: 10,683 donors participated in all, including 1,570 first-time donors and 706 student donors supporting more than 700 funds.
From the Judges
We admired this tremendous undertaking, especially at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They had an ambitious goal when most institutions pulled back on fundraising efforts, yet their strategy paid off strategy paid off with measurable and astounding successes.
