CHALLENGE
Recognize the success of UCSF: The Campaign, building donor engagement and architecting a scalable experience that bonds attendees to the university on an emotional level.

STRATEGY
Mark the close of UCSF: The Campaign by highlighting the compelling human stories behind UCSF, illustrating the campaign’s impact to engage and inspire attendees, and celebrate the campaign’s achievements.

This virtual experience went beyond traditional online events to deeply connect attendees to the University and its mission to solve the world’s hardest health problems. Originally planned to be a live in-person celebration, the program had to quickly pivot to the screen due to COVID-19.

I designed a unique virtual event that centered on the storytellers behind UCSF: The Campaign. Content was pre-recorded in a studio with a fabricated set to feature storytellers much like a TV show. Visual enhancements like motion graphic transitions, animations, and multimedia interludes were used to break up the program to ensure attendees stayed engaged. Storytelling Guides were sent to attendees ahead of the event to create surprise-and-delight moments during the show. A prologue was released the week before the event as a teaser, which drove over 100 last-minute RSVPs. An epilogue was sent out the week after the event to serve a dual purpose of providing closure to the program’s narrative and launch the first episode of UCSF’s new podcast: Saturday Night Stories.