A single day doesn't seem very long. But at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), one day can make all the difference. Within 24 hours, countless stories play out across OHSU’s clinics, research labs, hospital rooms, hallways and classrooms. Stories of knowledge learned, patients treated and scientific breakthroughs discovered. One day can be the difference between life-threatening symptoms and the path to recovery. One day can be the line between an idea and action — in pursuit of better treatments, greater access and a more equitable future of health care.
With the theme of “One Day” for the OHSU Foundation’s third-annual Give Day, the Foundation Communications team invited six OHSU members and alumni to share their very personal take on “one day” through user-generated content. This approach yielded a series of impactful, real and authentic self-recorded vlog-style videos that formed the core of the Give Day campaign and inspired the OHSU community — donors, members and other supporters — to give philanthropically.
Ignited by these first-person stories, the Foundation team created a comprehensive campaign with over 90 unique assets, shared across video, social media, email and print avenues. Through these assets and stories, the Foundation team exemplified to long-time, new and potential donors alike the power of one day and how one day can create thousands of healthier tomorrows, fueled by their support.
Over the course of the pandemic, filming or taking photos on campus at OHSU proved to be an ongoing challenge as OHSU navigated several waves of the virus, as well as masking, safety and privacy requirements related to the health care setting. In order to capture stories and video for the 2023 OHSU Give Day, the communications team proposed a user-generated approach to the campaign, which allowed participants to film themselves in their own environment. This strategy solved for the issue of adhering to safety and privacy standards made more challenging due to COVID-19.
User-generated content marketing is an incredibly powerful tool that allows organizations to tap into first-person storytelling to show impact. It’s an effective strategy because it’s authentic, relatable, trusted and enables diversity.
While the concept behind the videos was "A Day in the Life," we didn’t expect our participants to film their entire day. We provided guidance to film at four different times during their day, and shared prompts to accompany when they planned on recording.
The Communications team provided detailed instructions, regular check-ins and guidance along the way, including:
This innovative approach helped:
From these user-generated videos, the Foundation team crafted print and digital storytelling pieces that resulted in a cross-platform campaign to inspire giving across a large audience — from organic social and targeted digital ads to tailored email appeals and creative save-the-date postcards. Final assets included:
Utilizing these deliverables, the Foundation team created excitement around Give Day with both external and internal audiences — and giving wasn’t the only call to action. Through our Give Day Ambassador program, 75 people committed to sharing the word with their network and increasing awareness for OHSU.
Along with a nimble video approach, the Foundation team concepted an adaptable logo mark for the day. Seen below in the cover image, the logo mark’s first form was representative of a clock, signifying the 24 hours / one day theme, and how much change can happen in that seemingly short amount of time. Additionally, as you’ll see from videos, the logo leaned itself easily to animation and then later, in static pieces, to place a subject’s photo within the circle mark. This logo created a stable through-line throughout all pieces of collateral associated with this campaign, giving audiences an anchor and constant reminder that “one day can make all the difference”.
Our third OHSU Give Day on May 23, 2023, was the most successful to date, resulting in an inspiring day of impact for OHSU and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. A success on all fronts, Give Day brought the OHSU community together to celebrate and experience the power of ONE day through giving, engagement and outreach. Give Day fundraising totals exceeded $500,000 raised with nearly 870 gifts, which was a record.
The results of our UGC video storytelling were equally powerful, driving:
Organic social results:
OHSU Social Channels Paid
Email results:
Video results:
*Dr. Muralidaran's video
