From the Nominator

"Scholarship donors often express a desire to be more involved in the scholarship process. Although there are some legal and practical limitations that exclude donors from certain phases of the scholarship process, the COVID-19 pandemic only added to the disconnect some donors felt, which was exacerbated by having no in-person events or opportunities to meet with recipients. 

In response, we created a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Virtual Surprise video, which captured the reactions of students when they first learned they had received much-needed scholarships. We believed our donors would resonate with seeing the impact of their philanthropy and help them feel closer and more connected to students. We enlisted our college leadership to host virtual meetings with students under the pretense of being interviewed as part of their scholarship application process and then surprised them with their scholarship awards.  

This video project served as an additional touchpoint to our overall annual scholarship campaign. It was also the first “in-house” video coordinated, scripted, and produced entirely by our advancement team, with the help of a student employee who edited the video into its final form. 

We sent the video on July 28, 2021, to 3,460 scholarship donors, alumni, and faculty and staff via an email with the subject line “Watch Dreams Come True.” It received a 29% open rate and 395 views. Best of all, we can do it again next year because seeing the profound gratitude on the faces of students is always uplifting."

From the Judges

Novel idea with strong emotional appeal. This video has stewardship potential for non-donors as well as donors and also captured a memorable moment for the student participants to remember. Effective use of budget to make donors feel more "involved" in the award process.