"During this uncertain time, we wanted to create a unique week of giving campaign that brought students, alumni and staff together, but also indicated our need for support."
Products
Key Features
Event page
$22,024
total raised
65
total gifts
$339
average gift size
Each April, Southern Wesleyan University, a private Christian university in South Carolina, holds its Week of Giving. By the spring of 2020, the Southern Wesleyan staff knew they’d have to package their annual giving campaign to provide relief to students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a Christ-centered organization, the school sought a way to help students facing financial and spiritual hardship while also being sensitive to constituents who may not be able to give. The Southern Wesleyan team was challenged to create a Week of Giving campaign that could do both.
Challenge & Solution
Tony Payne, Southern Wesleyan’s Associate Vice President for Development, wanted a centralized online place to host details on the 2020 Week of Giving. He worked with the GiveSmart team to set up an Event Page for the campaign. They worked together to create a campaign web page that respected the constituent’s possible inability to give while also indicating the continued financial need for Southern Wesleyan University community members. The Event Page links to mental health, work and career, and spiritual and community resources. In addition to their email marketing and mobile messaging channels, the Southern Wesleyan team shared their Event Page on social media with #SWUCares.
Results
Despite social distancing restrictions, Southern Wesleyan raised $22,024 for its Week of Giving campaign, almost the same amount they raised in 2019 ($22,306). In addition to the emergency funds raised for students displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Wesleyan provided spiritual, health, career, and media-enrichment resources. With help from GiveSmart, the team quickly pivoted their annual week of giving into a meaningful week of caring.