From the Nominator

"To increase the number of Hawkeyes (the University of Iowa alumni, fans, and friends) engaged with the university’s annual 24-hour giving day, "One Day for Iowa," we had two Facebook prompts posted on two of the largest university Facebook pages, the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. Together, they reached nearly 50,000 Hawkeyes and garnered over 300 comments. 

Post 1: “The University of Iowa has helped change the world over the past 175 years. Tell us what you are most proud of.”   

Post 2: “No matter where you are, you’re always a Hawkeye. Share where you are now in the comments.”

Both prompts were crafted with engagement as the goal, rather than asking for donations, and resulted in two of the most successful social media posts for our giving day since our first one in 2016. The posts described one of the many challenges available during the 24-hour giving day and provided opportunities for Hawkeyes to win money for the University of Iowa area of their choice. A random comment from each post won $500 for the area of that commenter’s choice.  

This simple concept sparked an engagement bonanza. Not only were there over 300 comments, but we were able to invite many of these individuals to follow the Facebook pages they commented on, feed their engagement into our database using the EverTrue engagement platform, expand our custom audience targeting within Facebook ads, and introduce our giving day to more Hawkeyes all at the same time."

From the Judges

What impressed the panel with the University of Iowa's entry was just how simple it was and the results that it produced. Sometimes the most meaningful engagement opportunities can be small hidden gems. Combined with the fact this was an easy-to-replicate idea and cost virtually nothing, we were very impressed with the high level of engagement the initiative received via Facebook.