How amplifying student voices led to Rutgers’ largest endowment in a decade
Here’s the secret to creating good content:
There is no secret.
When it comes to making good content – the kind of content that transcends race, class, and gender to resonate with the human in all of us – it’s simple: talk to people like they are people.
“Looking good has never been good enough.”
When Rutgers’ Foundation reached out to us they had three goals: build donor gratitude, educate donors about the purpose of a university’s endowment, and inspire new giving. With only three weeks from concept to deadline, we created three short films – everything from concepts and scripts to pre-pro, interviews, and filming.
Rather than just telling potential donors about the impact a donation to the university endowment would have, we were able to literally put a face to it. We amplified their voices. Their stories. In doing so, we created a dialogue between students and alumni, inspired them, and began securing donations.
When we take on a project, we will often take a dive into the archives. Occasionally, you find something special. In Rutgers’ case, we found a commencement address by Toni Morrison in 2011. In it, she implored students to “not settle for happiness”, warning that a life of happiness, devoid of meaningfulness, is “looking good instead of doing good.” At Rutgers, “looking good” has never been good enough. What better way to inspire giving than through a shared moral imperative to unify Scarlet Nation?
When we started this project, Rutgers had the smallest endowment of any university in the Big 10. By the time we finished, they experienced their largest endowment growth in a decade.
Every university cares about their students; it’s why they exist. And while every higher ed institution can say that, the real power comes from showing it. From making students feel it.
Your students know your university better than anyone. If you want your content to make an impact –
Let them do the talking.