Success Stories
Columbia University
Creating a new paradigm in higher-ed fundraising through a record-breaking Giving Day
$6.8 million
raised in a single day, setting a new world record in fundraising
New records
Set new world records in 2013 ($7.8 million) and 2014 ($11.1 million)
5,000+
Donors, a Columbia record
5 times
the highest 24-hour total raised in Columbia University history
Created a successful template adopted by countless other schools
Redefining Fundraising: Columbia’s Giving Day sparked a movement and set the world record for higher-ed fundraising.
Purdue University
Proving the model by seizing the world record—and then breaking it for 10 straight years.
$110.8 million
raised in 2023 from 28,000 donors, our 12th straight world record for single-day fundraising
$420 million
raised over 12 years of Purdue Day of Giving campaigns
$7.5 million
increase from year one (15x client goal) and 6,000 donors
36,000+
participation in 2025, continued growth from the system we built
Enabled Purdue to freeze tuition 14 straight years
Record-Breaking Campaign: Raising $110M in one day and helping freeze tuition for 14 straight years.
Princeton University
Reinvigorating flagging donor participation at the world’s top-ranked University.
58.4% of alumni
participation among all undergraduate alumni, 66.1% among the youngest five classes, and 91.3% from graduating seniors
10,511 donors
the highest one-month total in Princeton history
$59.3 million
the second highest Annual Giving total in Princeton history
Alumni Ambassadors
Launched month-long June campaign, directing 30+ alumni ambassadors in nostalgia-driven social media competition
Helped eliminate student debt through no-loan financial aid.
Mobilizing Alumni: A campaign that fueled participation, eliminated student debt, and broke records.
Frances Perkins Center
Driving awareness—and funding to purchase and preserve the homestead—of the architect of the New Deal.
$250,000
raised in final “Last Dollar” push to save Frances Perkins Homestead
2020
the Homestead was purchased and preserved for future generations
2024
the Frances Perkins Homestead was named a U.S. National Monument
4000
people visited the Homestead in its inaugural season in the summer of 2025
Preserving the history of the First Lady of Labor and honoring her impact on behalf of all American workers.
The Challenge
Frances Perkins is arguably the most overlooked figure in American history. The first female member of a presidential cabinet, as Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor for 12 years she was the architect of much of the New Deal that pulled America out of the Great Depression. She created sacrosanct programs and concepts like Social Security, the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, and workplace safety standards. Likely no one person has had such a profound impact on working Americans, yet most have never heard her name.
We were approached by the nonprofit Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle, Maine to help them raise awareness regarding Frances Perkins’s life and legacy. This mission was not only important but urgent: The grandson of Frances Perkins was eager to shift ownership of her longtime home to the nonprofit Frances Perkins Center instead of selling to developers. But funds needed to be raised to facilitate the transition and cover restoration and other costs—a difficult ask beyond the locals and scholars who already knew her name—meaning that an outdated website and marketing materials needed to be updated immediately.
The Strategy
We first updated the center’s logo, website and newsletter design and content, then used the new motif to create a “Thank Frances” campaign designed to drive awareness of Perkins’s impact. This series of bite-size content, designed to be easily shared in social media, succinctly expressed her lasting impact through bold, impactful messages such as “Like having your weekends off? Thank Frances Perkins!” This campaign’s social outreach drew higher engagement than anything the Center had done.
The stage was now set for a final fundraising push, with appeals sent through social media, email, and traditional mail to potential donors—securing enough donations to purchase, preserve, and begin restoring the Frances Perkins Homestead. This success led to additional fundraising efforts to help fund restoration and educational programs. As a result, in 2024…
Frances Perkins Homestead was designated a National Monument
WellStone & You Make the Call Night
Turning family, fandom, and storytelling into a movement for mental health
$80,000
raised for mental-health programs in northern Alabama, benefiting WellStone
15
local TV news segments, driving free earned media coverage for the campaign
8000
spectators at the game exposed to mental health awareness messaging
2,210
people, including 410 children, admitted to WellStone in 2025 instead of the ER or jail.
The Challenge
Patrick O’Connor’s life was full of humor, loyalty, and love — but also shaped by the realities of living with severe anxiety and the effects of long-term mental illness. Through every stage, his family and closest friends were with him. When he got excited, Patrick often shouted “Ayuda!” — Spanish for help. After his passing, Team Ayuda was born with a goal of helping others find the care and understanding Patrick so often needed himself.
The Strategy
Patrick’s cousin and lifelong friend, John Mangini, wanted to celebrate his 60th birthday by doing something that mattered. John saw an opportunity to connect his love of baseball with a cause that hit close to home — raising awareness and funds for mental health. Working with the O’Shea Family Foundation, WellStone Behavioral Health, and Team Ayuda, we helped bring that vision to life through “You Make the Call Night” with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in John’s home of Huntsville, Alabama.
To build buzz, we created the 60/80 Pitch Challenge: John’s goal to throw an 80-mph fastball at age 60. The campaign came to life through a series of short, shareable videos and social posts — John training, reaching 78 mph, and finally hitting 80 — connecting two audiences: Patrick’s extended network in New York and New Jersey and the Huntsville baseball community that provided the stage.
Ultimately, mental health awareness was raised among an audience of thousands of people in Northern Alabama, and funds raised allowed a new nurse’s station to be dedicated in honor of Patrick O’Connor.