Giving Story Spotlight: McGill University
Even when packed with impact stories, main giving pages tend to be pretty static. Consider how adding an element of fast-paced Giving Day updates could keep the content fresh and inspire donors.
Visitors to McGill University’s Giving page (found via a discrete “Give Back” link at the bottom of the institution’s homepage, under Alumni & Friends), can take in lots of stories as well as scroll down to view the latest donations. Below the header “Thank you to our supporters!” are the four most recent donations, with the giver’s name—or donor, if they choose anonymity—where the support was directed, and a pithy message of gratitude.
Who else is feeling like a McGillian these days? The “Our Latest Donors” link takes friends to a full list of donors from the past few weeks, searchable alphabetically (A to Z, or Z to A) or by newest or oldest. Designed in a collection of colorful blocks, the gratitude messages continue and include:
· Thanks for being #McGillProud.
· Thanks for creating opportunities.
· New Discoveries. Made By You.
· Student success. Made by you.
· Thanks! From: Future McGillians.
· You help McGillians thrive.
The main Giving page also organizes its stories in colorful blocks. Six blocks—currently sharing about the winner of a $25,000 School of Music prize, a profile of a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program recipient, a summary of a panel discussion about Canada’s borders, a short “why I give” profile, a Black student mental health support piece, and the recent day of giving summary—adorn the main page.
Visitors clicking on “Load More News and Stories” get to a page with a seemingly infinite number of story blocks, where they can browse by topics, split into two sections: Big Ideas and Explore (Made by McGill).
The message “Make your mark” appears frequently throughout McGill’s giving pages, designed for the Made By McGill campaign, now in its second phase, which would take the campaign to $3 billion raised. “Make your mark is a rallying cry to all those who want to be part of a new era of impact at McGill,” shares the campaign homepage, found when clicking on “Learn More” from the main giving page. “And it is a powerful reminder that, when we work together, each one of us is capable of making a difference in the world.”
The campaign homepage features five gift-inspiring mini content blocks, which explain the need for more funding, how the campaign is going, what other donors have invested in, emerging areas of focus (sustainability and climate, AI and society a healthier future, innovation and entrepreneurship, student wellness, and indigenous initiatives), plus the campaign’s vision. That vision includes:
· Opportunities to open doors.
· Research that changes lives.
· Innovation that drives progress.
· Education that shapes future-ready students.
STORIES THEY’RE TELLING: The All Stories page offers the chance to learn about “the people behind a vibrant university community made by McGill” and about “how your support helps students reach their full potential, funds vital research, and more.”
Each of the “big ideas” topics take donors to a page with a giving form at the top, a description of the fund, and then stories about it. While call-to-action messaging is absent from many of the giving stories, several were written to promote the recent annual giving day (March 12) and include a link to the day’s homepage.
These stories have a templated title: “The next decade of [community, achievement, opportunity, etc.] begins with you.”
In “The next decade of gratitude begins with you” campaign ambassador Chafik Hamad, a 2015 MBA alum, opens with, “I’m not the same person as I was when I started giving back.” Hamad set up a fund in his mother’s memory to help students facing systemic barriers to post-secondary education, including refugees, women, and displaced people. “For me, giving back is about sharing time, financial and non-financial resources, and kindness to make a positive impact, as a way of showing gratitude for what I’ve received in my own life,” he writes.
Another “next decade” story focuses on lifelong learning, with campaign ambassador Nicole Wilson, a 2009 and 2013 alum, who shares that this year marks her 10th gift. “Giving back allows me to contribute to a community that has given me so much—my passion for sustainability issues, deep friendships, and a lifelong appreciation of learning,” she writes, adding that she met her husband at McGill so she can thank the university for her family as well.
Scholarship program stories, common on higher ed giving pages featuring impact content, are a prominent category for McGill. One comprehensive feature, about how a former Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Dorcus Nakachwa, has gone from being a mentee to a mentor in the STEM field, ends with a call to action about an upcoming reception and the launch of the McGill Alumni Africa Network. Nakachwa started a social enterprise to mentor girls in her native Uganda while earning her master’s in aerospace engineering.
Q&As with and first-personal testimonials from members of the McGill community are another go-to giving story type. One Q&A features how a registered dietician on campus supports students, including through individual nutrition counseling, social media reels with cooking tips, and awareness efforts related to topics like stress eating, eating disorders, and food insecurity. One testimonial, from Vera Romano, director of McGill’s Student Wellness Hub, focuses on supports that students need, her role in helping them, and how McGill was able to expand and transform its approach to student wellness in 2019 because of donors’ generosity. “The Student Wellness Hub now offers a full range of physical and mental health services, programs, and self-help options with a focus on awareness, prevention, and early intervention,” she writes. “Collaboration is central to what we do, which is why we work across faculties, units, and campus groups, as well as with external partners. Our new model for student wellness is influencing how institutions of higher learning approach this issue across our country.” The article ends with a CTA for leaving a legacy gift to support McGill students.
STORYTELLING TAKEAWAYS: Several ideas can be swiped from McGill’s approach to giving page storytelling.
· Add a feature providing updates throughout the day of gifts made.
· Include a short note of gratitude along with the news of each new gift.
· Organize story collections into colorful blocks to set them apart from other content on the page.
· Rather than linking friends to a generic giving form, customize pages on particular giving areas with a donor form, a fund description, and stories about that fund.
· Use a standard title, or title style, to indicate the common story type, such as the testimonial.
· Mix up your CTA messages, with not just calls to give but also to attend a related event.
Contact me if your giving site could benefit from impact stories but you don’t know where to start—or if you are time crunched and need some help.