Miami University earned eight honors in the CASE 2025 Circle of Excellence Awards, including four Gold designations.

Major Insight, a podcast about successfully exploring and navigating college, received Gold in the Communications – Podcasts (Frequent) category. Miami’s University Advancement division also earned Gold recognition for three entries: #MoveInMiami 2024: “The Future is in Your Hands” for Fundraising – Annual/Regular Giving Campaigns (More Than 25 Staff); Welcome to the Endowment Booklet in Advancement Services – Advancement Services Initiatives (More Than 25 Staff); and Certified Advancement Partner Program in Advancement Services – Advancement Services Initiatives (More Than 25 Staff).

The Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, fundraising, and marketing. The awards are open to CASE member colleges, universities, independent schools, and their affiliated nonprofits from around the world. 

There were 4,460 global entries for the 2025 Circle of Excellence Awards, with 477 winners selected by a panel of 525 volunteer judges.

CASE 2025 Circle of Excellence Awards

Gold: Fundraising – Annual/Regular Giving Campaigns (More Than 25 Staff)

• The project: #MoveInMiami 2024: “The Future is in Your Hands”
• From the judges: “This giving day campaign was creative, inspiring, and fun from start to finish. It was well-planned and executed and provided incredible results for the university! Congratulations!”

Gold: Communications – Podcasts (Frequent)

• The project: Major Insight: Find Your Place and Purpose On Campus
• From the judges: “This podcast stands out with its creative, authentic approach to engaging both prospective and current students through short, well-produced episodes focused on maximizing the college experience. By featuring students interviewing students, it offers practical, relevant topics that resonate beyond the campus, making it an innovative and effective tool for recruitment and connection. A truly deserving gold winner for its thoughtful strategy, consistent execution, and meaningful impact.”

Gold: Advancement Services – Advancement Services Initiatives (More Than 25 Staff)

• The project: Welcome to the Endowment Booklet
• From the judges: “Love this. Easy for others to copy. Meets the needs so many organizations have. Low cost, easy return on investment.”

Gold: Advancement Services – Advancement Services Initiatives (More Than 25 Staff)

• The project: Certified Advancement Partner Program
• From the judges: “Very well done! Creative and effective approach to educate campus partners and, more importantly, engage them in the work of advancement. High quality program with clear outcomes. We hope you will sustain this program for years to come.”

Silver: Video – Videos on a Shoestring (Student Audience)

• The project: ’Twas the Night Before Decision Release
• From the judges: “This production thoughtfully addresses the emotions of prospective students awaiting application decisions. By showing the care behind each review and pairing it with a heartfelt poem and visuals, it humanizes the process and presents the brand in a personal, memorable way. It allows the applicants to see real faces and the thought put into the curated poem and graphics showcases the brand in a personable, one-of-a-kind way.”

Silver: Video – Fundraising and Stewardship (Short)

• The project: Your Giving Matters: Miami University Women’s Rowing Team Video
• From the judges: “We agreed, a really well done video and great impact story. It's a solid example of stewardship for high utility-dollar donors, who can be difficult to steward given the nature of their donation.”

Silver: Special Events – Online Fundraisers

• The project: #MoveInMiami 2024: “The Future is in Your Hands”
• From the judges: “We were impressed by the results of this growing tradition, praising the creativity, attention to detail, and strong donor engagement through unique elements like the mailed fortune teller and personalized thank-you videos. We noted the campaign’s clean, consistent branding and thoughtful execution, including creative use of QR codes and social media.”

Bronze: Fundraising – Flash Campaigns/Giving Day Campaigns

• The project: #MoveInMiami 2024: “The Future is in Your Hands”
• From the judges: “Miami University's giving day stood out with its creative, future-focused theme tied to student move-in day and the innovative "fortune teller" mailer, encouraging donors “the future is in your hands.” The campaign featured over 200 customized project pages and a "Why I Gave" spotlight that inspired donor engagement. Highlights included a 14% first-time donor rate, 85.5% retention, and more than 3,000 personalized thank you videos — an impressive combination of strategic outreach and personalized stewardship.”