What’s at Stake
The ASME Foundation funds scholarships, mentorships, and initiatives that create the life-changing engineering workforce of the future. Its programs support learners from early education through the start of their careers, inspiring tomorrow’s innovators to bring new ideas to life. Recognizing the need for a donor outreach strategy during the traditional giving offseason, the Foundation turned to us to build a cohesive fundraising ecosystem and reestablish year-round donor engagement.
Just the Project Facts
High-Impact Storytelling framed the engineer’s journey as a continuous arc, beginning with childhood inspiration and culminating in world-changing technologies. The campaign invited donors into that story, showing how their gifts empower young students, future innovators, and rising engineers. Serving as the campaign’s visual centerpiece, the mission film and corresponding donation landing page added emotional depth through authentic student experiences. Together, they formed a unified narrative that made the real impact of donor generosity tangible.
Real stories leave the strongest impressions. Authentic elements, like this third grader’s “résumé” to ComEd, were used to ground the campaign in the human proof of donor impact.
Audience Segmentation and Narrative Design shaped how each message connected with its audience, ensuring every donor group recognized their role in advancing the Foundation’s mission. Past donors received stories of progression, showing how their earlier gifts continue to power the paths of emerging engineers. ASME members were engaged through leadership testimonials that reaffirmed the shared purpose of their professional community. New and recurring donors were drawn into the mission through student stories that made the impact of the scholarship program personal. High-net-worth individuals were approached with the language of legacy, positioning philanthropy as an extension of their life’s work.
Email Marketing emphasized the real needs of the engineering workforce. The campaign highlighted scholarship stories, peer testimonials, and moments like International Women in Engineering Day to inspire generosity. A post-donation welcome sequence cultivated that relationship, keeping first-time supporters engaged with the Foundation’s mission long after their first gift.
Campaign Impact
203%
YoY increase in
total annual donations
244%
YoY increase in average donation amount
201%
YoY increase in
Q4 donor count
Donor Insight
71%
of total donations tracked to campaign email recipients
67%
of all email recipient donors were first-time contributors
