For 2023, we wanted to look at creative ways that challenges can support Seattle University's giving day. We added two gamification features that met our strategic objectives. The first was “Mystery Challenges,” and the second was an in-person paper airplane competition for students. As our challenges have grown in both number and associated revenue, we noticed that we sometimes had multiple donors to the same gift fund. Instead of grouping those gifts together as a larger challenge, we created Mystery Challenges, which was a two-part challenge. Donors had to unlock one challenge first, and then the Mystery Challenge was revealed, containing another set of challenge parameters. Mystery Challenges were extremely successful in piquing donor interest and excitement. We were able to use Mystery Challenges to affect mood and momentum for the day – they were strategically designed to unlock mid-to-late morning so they could be integrated into our email marketing plan. One of the other priorities we had for Seattle U Gives in 2023 was to increase our student attendance for our day-of celebration and provide an opportunity for donor education. We had a student Paper Airplane Competition Challenge, which awarded $500 to a student who could then designate the money to a fund of their choosing. This allowed students to participate in philanthropy without even having to make a gift themselves.
From the Judges
We thought this entry was extremely creative. We were particularly impressed by the gamification used to control the pace of the day, as well as the Mystery Challenge. The budget was used effectively. Overall, strong results.
