Ep. 38: Get More Donors by Naming Squirrels on Giving Day

If you could officially name a squirrel at your alma mater (or turtle, or goose, or whatever critters roamed your campus when you did), would you? The only correct answer is yes. And that’s that Caty Allgood and Brooke Preston were counting on when they implemented a Squirrel Naming campaign for Ohio University’s Giving Day. After hearing about this idea from colleagues at Ole Miss, they figured out how to implement it themselves without any extra technology or investment. And the results were incredible: In their first year with the Squirrel Campaign, they raised almost half a million dollars more than the previous year and had an increase of over 750 donors. They beat their own records again in year two. Plus, the campaign encouraged participation from current students, Ohio friends, and so many wholesome comments to keep it going for years to come. At the end of the episode, Caty and Brooke surprise your host Day with her very own squirrel certificate! What an honor.