From the Nominator

"Fordham Prep’s annual Igniting Our Mission gala is the school’s most lucrative fundraising event, bringing in an average of $400,000 each year. Canceling it due to the COVID pandemic was not an option. However, “Zoom fatigue” was setting in, so we knew that a virtual event needed to be engaging. The result was a program that incorporated live segments, some heavily scripted, and many off-the-cuff, pre-recorded lead-ins and interviews, and four video packages celebrating our honorees, current and former faculty members.    

The program was designed to be fluid and engaging rather than the static virtual programs that had become the norm during the pandemic. Because of this, we were able to maintain our audience throughout the program. At the start of the event, we had 200 viewing families. This number eventually increased to 225 viewing families and never dipped below our initial threshold of 200.    

Each of our two previous in-person events averaged 500 guests. Therefore, considering that we captured 200 families from their homes, which we estimated represented 400 viewers, we considered the event to be very successful. Additionally, the coordination and personal delivery of gift bags by parent and alumni volunteers the day before the event provided a unique engagement opportunity and a much-appreciated way for the community to connect with one another during the pandemic.   

The event exceeded our fundraising goal with a net total of $420,000 raised."

From the Judges

Pivoting to an online gala created several challenges for organizations around the world. Fordham Preparatory School recognized the challenges of creating connections and successfully engaged its audience by using alumni volunteers to deliver gala-themed goods to donors and other attendees.