Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, Office of the President

Title of entry: UC Advocacy Network 6 Words of Wisdom Campaign

About this entry: A student’s first days at college can be both thrilling and intimidating. The most recent class of University of California (UC) students has had an even more challenging transition given that they spent their first year and half learning remotely and were returning to in-person instruction during fall 2021. To show these students that they’ve joined a community that will help them succeed, we reached out to subscribers and followers of the UC Advocacy Network and asked them what six words of wisdom they would offer a new college student. To spice things up, advocates could also vote for their favorite submissions. UC advocates were asked to submit advice and then vote for their favorites on Instagram stories. Three winners received a $50 gift card.

In the span of two weeks, more than 500 advocates shared guidance on how to transition into college and make their first year at UC a truly special time. Our team then selected four finalists for each of three categories: funniest, most heartfelt, and best academic advice. The four finalists from each category then faced-off in an Instagram Stories poll, advancing to the next round to be crowned the winner of that category.

With no ad-spend, the two-week campaign generated more than 200 new advocates,10k impressions and had an Instagram engagement rate of 3.2%. Unlike other UCAN campaigns, this effort was not focused on a state or federal legislative goal. Instead, it gave our advocates a meaningful and creative way to help new students succeed.