Aspire Award Winners 2025
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 2025 Summit Conference in Reno, NV, on September 10, 2025.
Categories & Award Winners
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONProgram or project must demonstrate an innovative solution utilizing today's technology to answer the profession's most complex problems.
Sapphire Award:California Institute of Technology - How the Eaton Fire Sparked Innovation During the Altadena fires, a surge in donations overwhelmed the manual gift documentation process, creating a backlog. To ensure timely processing, gifts were entered without attachments. Recognizing the need for automation, the team developed a system to retrieve, merge, and upload transactional emails in bulk—eliminating manual steps while preserving accuracy and integrity. This streamlined approach ensures efficiency even during peak donation periods. Learn More
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTProgram 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:Environmental Defense Fund – Financial Management Improvement Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched the Financial Management Improvement Project to transform how we manage fundraising revenue, expenses, and budgets. Using a project management framework, we mapped CRM and financial system integrations, tested recommendations, and created comprehensive reports to align fundraising data, expenses, and forecasts. This cohesive approach improves decision-making, strengthens stewardship of unrestricted funds, and ensures resources are deployed with greater accuracy and efficiency. Learn More
Metropolitan State University of Denver – Streamlining and Elevating Foundation Post-Award The Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) Manager at MSU Denver transformed post-award procedures, driving growth in CFR philanthropy. By enhancing communication, documentation, reporting, staff training, and conducting regular audits, the Manager ensured grant compliance and streamlined reporting for private foundations. These improvements deepened campus partnerships, built trust, and boosted philanthropic support—advancing the long-term sustainability of MSU Denver’s mission. Learn More
Diamond Award:NC State University – Strategic Learning Ecosystem with Advancement Academy In 2023, NC State Advancement Services launched Ascend—our new Salesforce CRM—in a decentralized environment. Knowing technology alone wouldn't ensure success, we prioritized user adoption and staff empowerment. We built a comprehensive training ecosystem with tailored learning paths, a robust resource library, and flexible delivery methods. This transformed how staff learned and ensured widespread, confident adoption of the new system. Learn MorePROSPECT DEVELOPMENTProgram or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge.
Sapphire Award:Occidental College – A Model for 100% Gift Stewardship Confronting the Challenges of Third Party Giving Occidental College built a real-time stewardship system in Salesforce to better identify and engage the true donor behind third-party gifts. By linking soft credits with automated tasks at gift entry, the model eliminates manual tracking, ensures timely follow-up, and supports compliance. It saves staff time, improves accuracy, and strengthens donor relationships—all through a scalable, collaborative, data-driven solution. Learn More
Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge.
Sapphire Awards:California Institute of Technology – Stewarding Pledges for Success The Caltech Pledge Management Dashboard was developed to give development officers real-time, centralized oversight of donor pledges. This interactive, data-driven tool streamlines tracking, flags pledges needing attention, and supports financial accuracy. By enabling timely follow-ups and proactive management, it enhances stewardship, strengthens donor relationships, and advances Caltech’s fundraising goals with greater transparency and efficiency. Learn More
Trust for Public Land – Streamlining the Complex Processing of Benevity's Monthly Distributions Each month, gift processors nationwide brace themselves for Benevity’s monthly lump-sum distributions, often representing hundreds—if not thousands—of individual and matched gifts to process. At Trust for Public Land, Gift Administration and Advancement Information Systems joined forces to streamline an otherwise complex process, leveraging technology to bolster accuracy and efficiency that can be scaled to meet the needs of virtually every nonprofit organization. Learn More DONOR RELATIONS & STEWARDSHIP
Program or project conceived of and implemented for a specific need, problem or challenge. Sapphire Award:University of Alabama – Unspent Funds Review The Donor Relations team launched a quarterly Unspent Funds Review to help fund managers reduce balances, encourage spending, and improve planning. Partnering with IT and Finance, they developed automated email alerts to track fund status—strengthening communication and transparency across our decentralized campus. Early results show better collaboration, more proactive fund management, fewer unawarded endowments, and stronger stewardship. Data collection continues, but positive impacts are already clear. Learn MoreAbout Aspire AwardsAward DeterminationDetermination 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. |
