From the Nominator

At the University of Notre Dame, mothers and mother figures hold a special place in the hearts of students, alumni, parents, and friends. It’s only natural on a campus dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, and that celebrates “Notre Dame, Our Mother, tender, strong, and true.” Lesser known is the university’s connection to the founding of Mother’s Day, an idea that took hold in 1904, when alumnus and administrator Frank Hering observed a class of students sending penny postcards to their mothers and became inspired to advocate for a day of recognition for mothers. A decade later, in 1914, Mother’s Day became a national holiday. Since 2015, the Notre Dame Alumni Association has celebrated this connection with a variety of virtual and on-campus engagements. For the 2023 campaign, ND ♥️ Mom, a central component was the providing and mailing of free postcards for students to send their mothers or mother figures. The campaign also included with a weeklong video series, a collection of alumni stories of motherhood, and a novena (a nine-day series of prayers) from the association’s FaithND program. In total, the Alumni Association sent 5,432 postcards—an 18.65% increase from 2022—to recipients in all 50 states and in 71 countries (up from 60 countries in 2022). The video series, which featured man-on-the-street-style interviews with students and skits depicting the unique—and humorous—dynamic between mothers and their college students, received more than 112,000 views across social media platforms.

From the Judges

It was a pleasure learning more about the history of Mother's Day and its connection to Notre Dame. This campaign effectively leveraged something authentically important to the school and its mission and created a meaningful way to engage students and provide something of value to their families. The outstanding participation results are a clear demonstration of success.