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Versions of this end-of-year infographic were sent to donors of all levels and shared with our campus community.
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Our 2019–20 Annual Report reflects on how we rose to "Meet the Moment" amid such uncertainty to carry the University's fundraising and student success goals forward.
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Our 2020–21 Annual Report, aptly named Tomorrow Transformed to reflect the campaign's success, outlines in explicit detail the final stages and remarkable outcome.
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This spread in our University magazine outlines some of the ways the campaign is already transforming lives and acknowledges the benefactors who made it all possible amid such challenging circumstances.
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This is the case statement that was used to pitch to donors. It evolved several times during the duration of the campaign to reflect evolving priorities and opportunities for support.
Transform Tomorrow | The Campaign for Chico State
Category
Fundraising > Multi-Year Campaigns (More Than 25 Staff)
Description
Best of CASE District VII Award
Institution: California State University, Chico
Title of entry: Transform Tomorrow | The Campaign for Chico State
About this entry: When COVID-19 turned the world upside down and plunged higher education into virtual operations in March 2020, 15 months remained in Chico State’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, Transform Tomorrow. As of March 31, 2020, $88,118,420 had been raised toward the $100 million goal. With the shutdown came new ways of working and significant uncertainty about the way forward for advancement professionals. We were, of course, most concerned about our donors’ health and well-being, even if we could no longer meet with them in person. Our culture of care and compassion for our community has always been our most cherished value, and they had led us through numerous other fundraising challenges—including the now-infamous Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history that took place 12 miles from our campus five months before our campaign’s public launch. Our ever-growing culture of philanthropy propelled us forward, as our generous benefactors believed in our ability to change lives and uplift communities. Rather than cease fundraising due to the pandemic, we chose to thrive amidst the uncertainty. We pivoted to video conferencing and engaged the development team in multiple ways to keep morale high, and respectfully and thoughtfully kept conversations about supporting the University front of mind. In continuing the strategic fundraising, thoughtful donor relations, and innovative programming that carried Transform Tomorrow through its early years, we not only reached our target six months early but raised an additional $6.6 million with a momentum that continues to propel our fundraising forward.