Ohio University earns two CASE awards

Ohio University’s fundraising and marketing efforts have been recognized as among the best in higher education. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded Ohio University two 2022 Circle of Excellence Awards, including one “Grand Gold” global honor.

The Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing.

The “Grand Gold” award was given in the category of Fundraising, Annual/Regular Giving Campaigns (More Than 25 Staff) for the “Give Like Gary” campaign, which launched in fall 2021. The campaign featured Gary Clark, OHIO’s longest-running annual donor, who has made a gift to the University for 60 years in a row. The “Give Like Gary” campaign was a comprehensive effort designed to capture attention from lapsed donors and to increase contributions to The Fund for Ohio, which supports the University’s area of greatest need.

The multi-channel campaign culminated in a single mailed appeal that netted more than $202,000 from 1,099 donors, nearly one-third of whom were renewed from a lapsed status.

“We are so pleased with the results of this campaign,” said Caty Allgood, senior director of annual giving at Ohio University. “And of course, our continuing gratitude is owed to Gary Clark, for not only his longtime commitment to OHIO, but also for allowing us to share his remarkable story with our alumni and friends.”

The multi-channel campaign was described as “exceptional” by CASE judges, who noted that it can serve as a model for other institutions.

The second award was given for the “Forever OHIO Graffiti Wall Takeover” in the category of Design, Environmental Graphics, which earned a global “Bronze.” The “Forever OHIO Takeover” was a one-day painting event open to the community and held in January 2021. The resulting environmental graphics and complementary sticker insert into the “Ohio Today” alumni magazine introduced the Ohio University community to the launch of the “Forever OHIO” brand platform.

This project created a community art experience that resulted in not only temporary environmental graphics on the iconic Athens campus landmark, but also served as a welcome to students as they returned to campus, many for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“We are honored to receive this Bronze award from CASE,” said Ohio University Advancement Art Director Sarah McDowell. “We were proud to be able to demonstrate the power of collaboration, community, and creativity in such a unique way.”

CASE is a global nonprofit association of educational institutions, fundraising professionals, and communications and marketing professionals.