Westminster College earns three CASE Accolades Awards

Westminster College was awarded two prestigious gold awards—one for fundraising, the other for special events—in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II Accolades Awards. Additionally the College also earned a silver award in another competitive category.

In the Fundraising Improvement category, CASE judges said Westminster’s Clash of the Titans 2020 campaign had a “solid strategy and strong performance metrics, and showed evidence of increased support, growth and broad participation from constituents who were not active previously.”

The one-week Clash of the Titans crowdfunding campaign raised $218,147 to benefit Westminster athletics and the marching band.

CASE judges said Westminster’s first-ever athletic crowdfunding campaign was a “well-planned, strategic effort to fundraise in an intentional, meaningful way” and could easily serve as a model for other schools.

The Clash of the Titans campaign also picked up a silver award in the Annual Giving category and recognized Westminster for capitalizing on its strong alumni connections to their former teams and coaches.  

Judges highlighted Westminster’s successful peer-to-peer outreach to encourage giving, which generated a nearly $200,000 increase in dollars from the previous fiscal year.

In the Events on a Shoestring category, judges praised Westminster’s Professional Networking Symposium—cosponsored by Westminster’s Professional Development Center and the Office of Alumni Engagement—and its commitment to students and alumni.

The annual event, which provides networking opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, alumni and professionals, also features a career fair and dozens of breakout sessions.

“You know an institution is committed when they offer a day off from classes so the entire student body can participate,” CASE judges commented.

“Being recognized in this capacity truly speaks to the dedication of our alumni and friend community,” said Westminster College Senior Director of Alumni Engagement Kara Montgomery. “The hallmark of any crowdfunding campaign success is the efforts by those who promote the project—the advocates.  We have built and leveraged an existing network and community of Titan athletic fans, student-athletes, coaches and friends who are passionate about supporting the programs they love. This dedication coupled with the social features of the giving platform created a winning combination for Westminster.”

Westminster was also selected as a CASE Platinum Award finalist in the Best Practices in Fundraising category for the College’s Bring Back the Titans campaign. Bring Back the Titans, developed to aid students financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, raised $1.8 million. Other finalists include Swarthmore College, Johns Hopkins University, Syracuse University, Drexel University and New York University. The award winner will be announced in June.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global association for professionals working in the advancement field Including those in alumni relations, communications, development and marketing, who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society. District II, the largest of CASE’s eight districts with more than 700 participating institutions, offers awards in approximately 30 categories.

Learn more about CASE’s District II Accolades Awards.

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