From the Nominator

"Elizabethtown College strives to engage students in finding and pursuing their life’s calling, life’s work, and most fulfilling future. That promise begins to take shape long before that first semester class. In fact, Etown’s committed engagement with students is established at the first inquiry and grows stronger with time. 

During the height of the pandemic, the office of marketing and communications and the office of admissions teamed up to plan and execute an effective student yield campaign, with goals of establishing connections, generating excitement, and converting accepted students to deposited students. With a strict budget and limited staffing resources at the forefront of planning, our in-house team began brainstorming unique ideas that would provide the greatest impact on prospective students. 

A layered, personalized yield gift mailer series was conceptualized, built, and delivered to roughly 1,800 accepted students over the course of seven months. Between Nov. 2020-May 2021, four branded gifts were designed, printed, kitted, and mailed in a layered timeline, entirely dependent on when a prospective student entered the admitted student cycle. Much more than a school-spirited gift, our strategic communication was designed to celebrate admission, engage with families, and creatively invite students to one of our spring accepted student day events.  

How successful were our efforts? Reactions were overwhelmingly positive, ranging from excitement and pride to emotional connections and most importantly, swift admission deposits, signaling our call-to-actions worked. Ultimately, the campaign proved to be a vital part of the Elizabethtown College 2020-21 enrollment growth."

From the Judges

This was a creative and strategic entry with good execution and delivery.