Boston University’s Annual Giving, in collaboration with its Development Communications team, set out to create an impactful stewardship campaign that would show gratitude and inspire and motivate our donors. We landed on the theme “Donors Open Doors” to use in stewardship communications, as well as appeals to inspire them to renew their gifts. The video we created was used in an appeal, shown at a presidential reception, and sent out in stewardship social media and ThankView campaigns and was also posted on our website (https://www.bu.edu/alumni/2022/06/15/open-doors-video/).

The Annual Giving and Development Communications team wrote the script and developed a list of possible locations on campus, then worked with the vendor 5 tools production to create the concept and film in multiple areas across campus to illustrate all the different doors that donors open.

The Stewardship Appeal was sent out to more than 30,000 constituents and inspired individuals to raise more than $216,000 from more than 1,000 gifts. The email appeal component featuring the video received a 60% open rate. Our Thankview stewardship campaign was sent out to our young alumni and had a 75% open rate. Additionally, it was posted to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter with the following results. Facebook organic reached 114,000 people with 36,000 views and 46 reactions, comments, and shares. Twitter organic saw 8 engagements & 326 impressions. Additionally, we purchased a Facebook ad and saw 1,091 clicks to the GT website, 111,489 reach, and 420,712 impressions.