From the Nominator

"University of Northern British Columbia is looking to the future and prioritizing the voices of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and communities in guiding the direction of its progress and success as an outstanding, research-intensive, student-focused postsecondary institution. UNBC was created through a grassroots movement demanding better postsecondary options for young northern British Columbians. As such, communities feel a sense of ownership and pride in UNBC. 

Tasked with communicating the launch of UNBC’s 2023 Strategic Plan engagement campaign, the Communications and Marketing Department created the “Your voice. Your UNBC.” campaign, a multi-faceted communications and engagement plan inspired by the institution’s motto, 'En Cha Huná. The motto, gifted to UNBC by the Dakelh (Carrier) elders, is interpreted as respecting all forms of life and serves as a reminder that all people and living things have a voice. Tactics included video, social media, website, email campaigns, and earned media. 

Through key messaging and comprehensive tactics, “Your voice. Your UNBC” unified the UNBC community around a single goal: informing the future of UNBC. The success of this campaign was measured by the participation of UNBC’s current students, alumni, faculty and staff, and the Northern British Columbia community. The results outpaced expectations, with close to double the expected survey responses, excellent in-person attendance at engagement sessions, meeting social media engagement rate targets, and higher-than-anticipated response to the initial “four questions” campaign. The strategic planning committee now has an excellent data source to consider as we move toward UNBC’s next strategic plan."

From the Judges

While we read a number of entries on the strategic planning process and targeting various groups of stakeholders, what we liked most about UNBC's entry was their focus on making the content and process accessible. They engaged their constituents across a variety of platforms. Additionally, we were impressed with how much data they provided on the metrics. It is clear they were intentional with how they wanted to measure success, and that is not always easy with engagement initiatives that aren't directly tied to fundraising dollars and donors.