Don't Make History—Make the Future
Services
- Fundraising Communications
In 2022, MIT engaged Libretto to provide content in support of MIT’s extensive annual giving program—from appeals for giving milestones throughout the year, to targeted programs for landmark events such as the 24-Hour Challenge and Giving Tuesday.
Libretto has a longstanding relationship with MIT that spans dozens of projects, including themes for The Human Factor, a $750 million campaign focused on student life and learning, and Inventional Wisdom, MIT’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
We began our annual giving engagement at the conceptual level. MIT had recently concluded the Better World campaign and needed a new unifying message that would engage and inspire their annual giving audiences. We developed the concept Make the Future, which speaks both to the MIT community’s effectiveness at driving positive change and innovation as well as the role that the individual donor plays in making tomorrow brighter through their generosity.
Make the Future has become a central theme across all of MIT’s annual appeals. Working with the annual giving team, Libretto crafted a full suite of annual giving materials, ranging from printed letters and postcards, to event copy and targeted communications for specific donor segments. By tailoring our messaging to each audience, we ensured that our communications were relevant, impactful, and personalized. Additionally, our work encompassed special events like GivingTuesday and the MIT 24-Hour Challenge, as well as non-fundraising initiatives such as Tech Reunions and the MIT Alumni Forums.
One of the standout examples of our creative collaboration with MIT was the 2023 GivingTuesday campaign, which centered around MIT alumnus Oliver Smoot and the “hack” that made him famous: measuring Harvard Bridge using his body as the unit of measurement. Donors who reached the giving threshold during this campaign had the chance to receive a custom MIT tape measure as a thank-you gift. Of course, the tape measure included inches, centimeters, and smoots. This campaign tapped into the MIT community’s sense of humor and irreverence; it resonated with donors and earned a Gold Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Libretto’s partnership with the MIT annual giving team is ongoing. We are proud of our collaborative efforts to help MIT sustain its commitment to a brighter future.
