"Harnessing a decades-long Alma College tradition of gifting evergreen trees to incoming students, alumni were given the opportunity to sponsor these trees and provide messages of welcome and encouragement as new Scots began their educational journey at Alma.
With an increased institutional focus on belonging as an important retention tool, incoming students were welcomed by warm messages from the alumni community attached to their personal evergreen tree at the annual Traditions Dinner.
Alma College Advancement staff had dwindled during the pandemic, and alumni engagement and giving experienced a sharp decline in the absence of enough staff to create and execute an annual strategy.
This project signified a new year, new opportunities, and new ways of thinking about fundraising.
We knew we had to win back nearly 40 percent of alumni donors who had left us during the pandemic. They needed new reasons to give and a renewed connection to their alma mater.
This project allowed us to focus positive appeals on new students, on traditions, and on ways that grateful alumni could express their gratitude for their undergraduate experience. It fostered meaningful connection from a distance with a specific, targeted appeal to sponsor trees for incoming students and provide a warm welcome to them."
From the Judges
Alma College brought together a decades-old tradition with the opportunity for giving. This is a great example of creating opportunities for philanthropy.
