In 2018, with a clear institutional vision and a refreshed brand, the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) embarked on its most ambitious fundraising effort yet: a comprehensive, multi-year campaign to raise $250 million. Bold by any measure, this goal was especially groundbreaking for a public institution with a still-developing culture of philanthropy.
To deliver on its promise, this campaign needed more than just dollars. It needed to rally the UNI community around the institution’s vision, build engagement with philanthropy among alumni of all generations, and bring in first gifts as well as next-level gifts to support UNI students.
UNI entered the campaign with committed leadership, an expert Foundation staff and tremendous goodwill—but it needed to find its campaign story. This is where Campbell & Company jumped in as partner.
What We Heard
We began with deep listening: engaging students and faculty, leadership and staff, volunteers and donors in rich conversations about what UNI meant to them and what the UNI community could achieve with greater support.
In these sessions, we felt the heartbeat of an institution that puts its students first and always asks itself what Iowa needs from it next. We heard stories of lives changed, deep relationships built, and promising careers launched. We saw a clear path forward for a campaign that honored the best in UNI while capturing its tremendous momentum in this moment.
Our Impact
With UNI voices echoing in our minds, we began the campaign story with the question at the heart of every era in UNI’s history: What does the world need from us tomorrow?
We established a campaign name — Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI — that expressed shared ownership and forward momentum using confident, plain-spoken messaging, and we grounded the campaign’s visual identity in the institution’s new visual branding system.
For each of the campaign’s four funding pillars, we found a direct quote from a UNI stakeholder that could serve as the rallying cry— e.g. “I see more in you” for the campaign’s student access & success priorities, and “Don’t just learn—do.” for its engaged learning initiatives.
Finally, we built out a comprehensive set of pitch decks, print materials, and messaging resources for the campaign as a whole and for each college and program area within it, equipping front-line fundraisers with useful tools to support major gift cultivation.
As UNI approached its public launch in 2022, the Foundation staff and brand marketing team took the campaign message and ran with it—rallying its community with campus wide events, digital and video communications, alumni and community outreach, and full integration across University communications channels.
To be successful, we needed a unifying story that could connect every donor to the transformational power of their gift to UNI. Campbell & Company helped us articulate that vision with clarity and purpose. Our Tomorrow not only inspires generosity, but also reinforces our identity, our values, and our future. It’s messaging that moves people—and moves the institution forward. The campaign’s messaging and resources have served us extremely well and have undoubtedly contributed to our fundraising success.
— Jim Jermier, Vice President for University Advancement, University of Northern Iowa
Results
Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI reshaped the University of Northern Iowa’s culture of philanthropy and broke through to a new level of fundraising success. Donors, alumni, and stakeholders saw themselves in the story, embraced the vision and stepped up to be part of it. In just two years after its public launch, Our Tomorrow surpassed its $250 million goal, pushing the target to $300 million by 2026. The campaign also inspired a record-breaking $25 million gift from alum David Wilson, ’70—the largest individual gift in university history.
Transformational change starts with a conversation.
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