Comments on: Social Media Fundraising Success?

By: A Brief History of Social Media Fundraising | HelpAttack!

A Brief History of Social Media Fundraising | HelpAttack! — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:59:40 +0000

[...] Social Media Fundraising Success? (September) Worries about gimmick vs. values based fundraising. [...]

By: Jason McNeal

Jason McNeal — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:40:32 +0000

Thanks for the points of clarification on the educational component of Operation: Emory. The Chron. piece did not mention the broader educational component of the Blue Pig campaign (other than some faint wording that was visible on one of the flyers). Your post is very helpful.

The core thread of my post is still valuable, I believe. Namely, that we should take great care in measuring “success” with any initiative, program, or practice – even those employing social media vehicles. Just because we increase giving year over year does not mean that we’ve been successful (which is the thrust of the Chron piece on you all). Unfortunately, I find many development professionals taking this very approach. If they are using social media and giving has increased one year over the next, they believe they have done good work. I would respectfully respond by saying, “perhaps, but perhaps not.”

It sounds as if the good work you are doing at Emory is indeed “successful” in the most important senses of the word. Not only did you increase year over year giving from undergraduates, but, more importantly, you are doing the real heavy lifting of development professionals — you are educating and encouraging these young donors to respond to their very best instincts. Kudos and thanks for reading “The Far Edge of Promise.”

By: Emory Annual Fund

Emory Annual Fund — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:09:56 +0000

The goal of “The Blue Pig” campaign is to create a culture of student philanthropy that will continue as undergraduates make the transition from students to alumni. The Blue Pig is a fun and creative way for us to capture the attention of our students as we educate them on the importance of values-based philanthropy directed toward their university community. The Blue Pig campaign includes an educational component we call “Operation: Emory,” which educates students on the importance of their gift to the university, while dispelling the myriad arguments students have against donating money to a school they are already paying tuition to attend. Through Operation: Emory we educate students about the nature of university endowments, the structures and programs that exist because of the financial support of alumni, the actual cost of educating an Emory student versus their tuition costs, the number of students that receive financial aid, the use of alumni giving rates in national higher education ranking systems, and the direct benefits student receive by giving back to the university. By simultaneously engaging and educating our students, we are not only cultivating the next generation of active Emory alumni who are deeply invested in their school, we are also preparing our students for responsible citizenship by encouraging philanthropic endeavors based on their deepest held values. Undoubtedly some students will respond just to the Blue Pig, but the number of students who buy into what the Blue Pig is all about and really get what we are trying to do continues to grow with each successive year of the Blue Pig campaign, and I would call this a success by any measure.

Thanks for your post. You can learn more about Emory’s Blue Pig and Class Gift Campaigns at http://www.emory.edu/bluepig.