Aspire Award Winners 2023

Aspire Awards recognize and acknowledge the contributions to and achievements of advancement services professionals, and teams who are trailblazing in search of solutions that will resolve some of the most complex challenges facing the advancement services industry.

Winners were announced and recognized at the 2023 Summit Conference in Chicago, IL, on September 28, 2023.

Categories & Award Winners

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Program or project must demonstrate an innovative solution utilizing today's technology to answer the profession's most complex problems.

Sapphire Awards:

University of California-Davis – Aggie Accord: Building a Gift Agreement App at UC Davis
Submitted by Kelly Best

North Carolina State University – Selecting NC State's Next CRM
Submitted by Jeff Baynham

Southern Methodist University – Development and Application of Constituent Affinity Score
Submitted by Charles Gunderson

Diamond Award:

University of California-Berkeley – UC Berkeley Data Exchange Project
Submitted by Robyn Doughty

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge, and/or initiated to help meet institutional fundraising or campaign goals.

Sapphire Awards:

University of Virginia – UVA Advancement: Creating a high-performing hybrid/remote work culture
Submitted by Laura Phillips

University of California-Davis – System of Record Upgrade at UC Davis: Our Go-Live Playbook Approach
Submitted by Kelly Best

California Institute of Technology – Caltech Executive Summary Dashboards Project
Submitted by Mark Longo

PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT

Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge.

Sapphire Awards:

University of British Columbia – Prospecting Dashboard Tools
Submitted by Mai Bui

North Carolina State University – Revamping the Parent Discovery Process
Submitted by Sharon Poulson

Temple University – Portfolios from the Perspective of Maturity
Submitted by Sarah Cadbury

Diamond Award:

California Institute of Technology – Prospect Pipeline Conversions
Submitted by Mark Longo

GIFT ADMINISTRATION & DATA SERVICES

Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge.

Sapphire Awards:

Rhode Island School of Design – Developing a Comprehensive Gift Recording Program: How Advancement Services Became a Valued Partner for the Major Gifts Team
Submitted by Serena Livingston

North Carolina State University – Streamlining Gift Agreement Clause Language
Submitted by Sarah Thomas

DONOR RELATIONS & STEWARDSHIP

Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge.

Sapphire Award:

Michigan Medicine Office of Development – High-Volume Impact Reporting at Michigan Medicine
Submitted by Sara Seyfarth

The University of Alabama – Enhanced Endowment Reports
Submitted by Jennifer Crumpton

Aspire Award Winners 2022

Determination for the Sapphire Award is made based on Jury selection using criteria evaluating achievement and/or excellence to the program/project submitted as well as contributions to the profession.

Determination for the Diamond Award is made based on Jury selection using criteria evaluating the program or project submitted that exhibited the highest level of excellence.