From the Nominator

The North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) produced a digital report showing the strong impact that donor support has had on the college’s people, places, and programs. The report—an annual favorite among CALS donors, alumni, and industry stakeholders—is the college advancement office's most successful stewardship communication. The 2023 CALS Impact Report highlighted the opportunities created for the college—not only in academics but also in research, extension, and youth programming throughout the state of North Carolina and beyond. The purpose of the report was to show donors that their gifts carry the maximum impact on their giving area of choice. The report included messages from the college’s newly appointed dean. This year, 2,475 reports were delivered digitally through the ThankView platform and included a stewardship video from the college’s new dean. The email, featuring a 62.6% open rate (41.6% above industry average) and a 10.3% click rate (7.7% above average), was opened in six countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, India, Germany, and the Netherlands. Sixty-six percent of readers are over the age of 65, showing that our older recipients are engaged with our digital communications.

From the Judges

The use of ThankView to deliver the report is engaging and effective. The accompanying written report is easy to read and understand. The simplicity of the design makes it easy to flip through, and the use of print and digital elements is well done. We especially liked how the teaser articles in the report expanded into well-written online articles that demonstrated impact. Overall, a great example of a clear and engaging annual report!