Incorporating an annual giving campaign into the academic curriculum: A guide to getting started

Abstract

Utilising social media platforms in annual giving campaigns are effective because the campaign reaches potential donors on their preferred social media channel and offers them a level of engagement with their alma mater through visual content and hashtags. Student participation in annual giving campaigns is often an overlooked opportunity at many universities. At a small liberal arts university, student participation became an essential component to an annual giving campaign when the participation was integrated with learning outcomes for a social media course. As a result of this integration, the annual giving campaign benefitted from student-generated content, interconnectivity with student social media networks and elevated traffic on university social media networks. Total campaign donations between annual giving years of 2018 and 2019 increased by 63 per cent and the total number of donors by 34 per cent. This case study offers a guide to implementing a course in social media and fundraising designed to provide students with real-time campaign experience during an annual giving campaign. Posting content on social media platforms is second nature for most students as these platforms serve as the primary tool for their interaction with family, friends, organisations and favoured brands. The successful integration of learning outcomes with an annual giving campaign expands the literature surrounding media multiplexity and social media capital. This case study lends itself to literature focusing on enhancing the relationship between students and the university experience for future increased alumni participation.