Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: California State University, Long Beach

Title of entry: Planting Legacy Seeds at First Hello

About this entry: What if the first conversation you had with a university wasn’t about giving, but about care, protection, and peace of mind? In summer 2025, as families arrived at orientation focused on schedules and logistics, the Planned Giving (PG) Office at California State University, Long Beach chose that moment to present itself differently.

For the first time, the office intentionally engaged parents and supporters of incoming students, an audience rarely included in planned giving outreach, during a routine logistics event. Instead of presenting philanthropy, the team introduced a welcoming video that spoke parent to parent, acknowledging the emotion of the milestone while offering practical guidance and no-cost estate planning tools. The goal was simple and strategic: build trust first, serve families meaningfully, and establish the university as a lifelong resource.

Developed in partnership with Parent and Family Orientation (PFO) and produced in-house with Strategic Communications, the video was shown in 33 sessions and reinforced with print materials, reaching more than 2,300 attendees. The response demonstrated measurable impact. During orientation, 190 new accounts were activated, including 46 by individuals under age 30 completing essential documents. More than 1,100 participants rated the video 4.75 out of 5, signaling strong relevance and trust.

By meeting families at the beginning of their university journey with empathy, usefulness, and authenticity, the initiative transformed a standard orientation touchpoint into a scalable model for meaningful constituent engagement.