A people-first video campaign that reconnected alumni with the programs, stories, and faces that make up Albany State University.
During my time in the Office of University Communications at Albany State, I worked alongside two fellow interns supporting the annual Week of Giving campaign. In the spring of 2016, the focus shifted to a theme called Faces of ASU, built to showcase the programs, sports, arts, research, students, faculty, alumni, and staff that make up the university.
ASU had a history of limited financial support and had struggled to maintain meaningful connections with alumni. There was very little video content addressing either issue directly, which made it hard to reconnect people to the university in a way that actually moved them to give.
We built the Faces of ASU campaign around real people instead of a generic fundraising pitch, using video to spotlight the range of programs and stories across campus. The plan was to release that content strategically during Founders Week, when alumni nostalgia and pride would already be running high.
Connection led the campaign. The fundraising ask followed.
We shot and edited 20+ interviews into shareable segments across different disciplines, then released them across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and the university website timed to Founders Week. Every piece of content was built to foster a sense of connection first, with the fundraising ask woven in rather than leading.
Week of Giving · Albany State University
The campaign generated over $173,000 in online donations and mobilized more than 160 alumni pledges. It also left behind a repository of interviews and videos that could be repurposed for future campaigns, giving the university's social presence a stronger, more consistent foundation going forward.
Faces of ASU showed how far compelling storytelling can carry a fundraising goal when it's built on real people instead of a straightforward ask. Reconnecting alumni to the university's story did more for participation than any appeal alone could have.
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