From the Nominator

In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic developed, Ulster University identified that it could play a key role in joining the nation-wide effort to increase coronavirus testing capacities. The unique location of its world-class research facility (NI Centre for Stratified Medicine) at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry meant it could work directly with the local health trust to increase capacity for testing. 

The university’s researchers were acutely aware that swift and accurate testing would not only help to curb the spread of the virus, but that it would also help to protect thousands of NHS staff members and other care staff serving on the front lines. 

The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) worked with a professor of Biomedical Sciences, who had identified and secured an essential piece of equipment and accompanying supplies that would increase coronavirus testing abilities tenfold, to develop a fundraising appeal to raise the £100,000 required. 

Feeling that our alumni and the local community would be receptive to such an ask, DARO committed to the project, but we knew we’d have to move quickly. Just days after learning of our researcher’s needs, DARO launched its fundraising appeal on the university’s crowdfunding platform. 48 hours later (59 hours before deadline), the Ulster University community had contributed well over the amount needed, raising £112,000 (plus £8,600 gift aid) from 1125 donors. This was supported by a robust communications plan that included social media channels, paid social media, and direct e-communications.

From the Judges

Ulster University took the opportunity to not only fundraise a substantial amount of money but channelled their efforts to support their community in Northern Ireland. We were pleased to see a pivot that would be a rare occurrence in university fundraising, with the chance for a team to focus on increasing testing capacity for COVID-19. We were impressed with the quick turnaround of the appeal, with crowdfunding launching within days, and the target being exceeded within a 48-hour window. The speed and efficiency of this campaign is an absolute stand out. The appeal was run on a modest budget, with a heavy focus on paid social advertising. The social media stats show that this was good value for money. The team presented with a strong collaborative effort, showed that they were able to pivot to focus solely on online fundraising for a selfless cause to help the community, and covered all bases in terms of data and analytics—something that will be useful in future campaigns.