Best of CASE District I Award
 

Institution: Boston University

Title of entry: Leading the Change: BU Wheelock College Case Statement

About this entry: To support major fundraising efforts for Boston University's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, we consulted with the college's dean, principal fundraisers, and communications staff to develop a case statement that would highlight the college's evolving identity, from a school of education that primarily focused on teacher training and research on learning, to an institution that develops leaders and policymakers in the field of education. Because the audience included supporters of both BU's School of Education and Wheelock College, which merged in 2018, we had to balance a respect for these two traditions with the need to portray the college's shift in focus—all while maintaining a forward-thinking, donor-centric approach that reflects the college's mix of bold new ideas and warm human connection.

Drawing from the dean's strategic plan and messaging, which emphasized "transforming human potential," we developed a theme of "leading the change" to emphasize the change in the school's identity, its new focus on leadership and policy, and its overarching mission to transform education. We then crafted variations on this theme to highlight each of the dean's strategic priorities, such as policy development, special education, and Deaf Studies, for which BU has always been nationally known. The structure of the piece has made it easy for fundraisers to emphasize specific areas that may interest a given donor, while still providing a broader overview to put the donor's potential gift in context. And the welcoming tone, from the opening words to the dean's final message, invites the reader to engage.