Beyond These Towers, The Campaign for Worcester Polytechnic Institute
From the Nominator
"Beyond These Towers: The Campaign for Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is the largest fundraising campaign in WPI’s history. It is also the first to combine philanthropy and sponsored research: $350 million in philanthropy and $150 million in sponsored research, totaling $500 million. The campaign, in its public phase, positions WPI to continue to transform lives, turn knowledge into action to confront global challenges, and revolutionize STEM through its distinctive and inclusive education, projects, and research.
During the leadership phase, an in-house creative and content team collaborated with university advancement to conceptualize a theme that would be distinctive to the WPI and convey the aspirations of the campaign and the university. The creative platform is integrated across a range of mediums--a prospectus package, the campaign and university web sites, videos, event experiences and materials, toolkits, environmental graphics, and social media.
The team was challenged to create an engaging, accessible, and interactive launch event that would be impactful for the campus community, alumni, and prospective donors. “Beyond These Towers: Launching an Expedition to Tomorrow’s University” was the global, virtual launch of the campaign. Pre-recorded videos featuring interviews with faculty, donors, alumni, and students were incorporated with live interactions with community members to demonstrate philanthropic impact. Early bird registrants received a box of refreshments and giveaways to enhance their virtual experience. Gamified participation allowed guests to earn points that could be redeemed for campaign-themed swag. This was WPI’s first time including a link to our online form during an event, resulting in $8,700 in donations."
From the Judges
Noted creative materials in-house. Used limited resources effectively to meet goals.