ASU Foundation recognized for marketing communications excellence

The ASU Foundation for A New American University has been recognized by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals for excellence and creativity in print and electronic materials in six communications categories. The foundation communications and marketing department earned one platinum and four gold awards, as well as an honorable mention.

The annual MarCom Awards is a creative competition for any individual or company involved in the conception, writing and design of print, visual, audio and web materials and programs. Entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelance professionals across the United States.

“These awards and the national recognition they represent are evidence of the commitment to quality and innovation that are important foundation values,” says R.F. “Rick” Shangraw Jr., foundation CEO. “Each and every member of the foundation team shares in these awards, as they reflect the deep commitment we have to our investors and Arizona State University.”

Receiving the platinum recognition from the AMCP was “From Normal School to New American University: A History of the ASU Foundation, 1885-2012.” The 203-page, full-color coffee table book was originally authored by the late Dean Smith, a one-time university spokesman and noted Arizona historian. Marshall Terrill in ASU’s public affairs office completed the final chapters of the book following Smith’s passing in 2012.

The foundation’s quarterly ASU Connection, a 12-page, full-color publication of the foundation’s community engagement programs (ASU President’s Club, Women & Philanthropy and Presidential Engagement Programs) was awarded a pair of gold statuettes – one in the external newsletter category and another in the newsletter design category.

The annual “ASU Foundation Endowment Report,” a customized accounting of each endowed ASU fund’s performance, as well as the overall performance of the university endowment pool, earned gold recognition for the materials included in the report, the stylized infograph and the logistics involved in customizing more than 1,300 individual reports.

“Mark It Day,” a 37-hour social media fundraising effort that generated more than $170,000 in gifts from 991 donors, including 267 first-time ASU donors, received a pair of awards. The two-day mini campaign that represented a collaboration between the communications and marketing team and the foundation’s office of annual giving, was a gold winner in the social media campaign category and earned honorable mention in the video/film fundraiser category.

“We are extremely proud of the work we do, and this extends beyond the awards and kudos we receive to the everyday efforts of the foundation team to serve, engage and innovate,” says Shangraw. “Our support of ASU and our service to our valued investors is our daily focus; to see this focus recognized nationally through the excellence of our storytelling is very rewarding.”

Steve Des Georges, steve.dg@asu.edu
senior director, editorial services
ASU Foundation
480-727-0757