From the Nominator

Daring and Driven: The Campaign for Palmer College is the first and largest campaign undertaken by any chiropractic college in the world. We shattered records and energized our 31,000 alumni against seemingly insurmountable odds. In late 2016, the college had no professional fundraising staff and no structured alumni program, so a vice chancellor was hired and charged with building an advancement program (alumni and fundraising) almost from the ground up. The faculty, staff, and alumni were unfamiliar with the role of advancement and the importance of philanthropy to the college. We had an outdated and inaccurate database and an alumni participation rate of .08%. A consultant suggested a $36M goal was feasible, only assuming we overcame all hurdles. When a local foundation committed $5M to the college in July 2017, we knew that this gift could inspire others and we could use a campaign to build the infrastructure for a sustainable advancement program. Our board reset the goal to a more reasonable $16M, and we began hiring staff, educating internal constituencies, and revamping the college magazine and other communications to carry our messages. This campaign would be about far more than dollars raised--it would educate, inspire,  amplify pride, and deepen alumni connections with the college. We finished the campaign with $30.2M raised, including eight gifts of $1M+; 58% faculty/staff participation; nearly 1,200 new donors; cross-college collaborations of advancement, marketing and admissions; and records for enrollment. This is just the beginning!

From the Judges

What a success story for Palmer College, which, before the campaign, had .08% alumni participation, a deficient database, and no fundraising staff. How can we not all be reminded of what can be accomplished through a systematic approach, strategic advanced planning, sheer optimism, and unrelenting effort?