CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD
SERVICES
WRITING, EDITING, PROOFREADING
CONTENT STRATEGY AND IDEATION SUPPORT
OVERVIEW & CHALLENGE
The University of Sydney was launching its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date – For good: the Campaign for Sydney.
This major event coincided with the university’s 175th anniversary, creating the ultimate opportunity to speak to a legacy that's shaped generations of leaders, innovators, and changemakers, while addressing the potential to inspire all that comes next.
With the campaign name, purpose, and branding already established, the camapign needed the right words and tone of voice to bring their ambitions to life. This needed to speak to a variety of audiences: Current donors. Future donors. Students. Alumni. Staff. The general public. Each audience with different motivations, connections to the University, and reasons to believe in what comes next.
HIMMEL was engaged to create impactful and engaging words (short and longform) across a number of digital and print touch points – from the campaign website to a suite of user journey eDMs, key stakeholder speeches at the event-launch, the official Case for Support document, campaign ads, event invitations and post-event thank you’s.
OUR APPROACH
We leaned into what the University has always stood for: leadership that serves, advances, and empowers everyone.
All copy deliverables needed to honour their 175 years of legacy while looking forward to the future – embracing gravitas without being overly ceremonial. We worked to ensure the copy felt ambitious but warm, urgent yet without the pressure.
Collaborating closely with the Marketing and Communications team within the Advancement portfolio, we crafted copy that moved between the personal and the universal – individual stories of impact sitting alongside the big-picture vision of what universities can, and should, do in challenging times.
Our goal for the copy was to let the words feel intimate while being able to apply them at scale – creating connection across generations and geographies. From launch event copy assets to campaign website copy, speaking notes and longer-form content creation – every piece was written to inspire action while respecting the agency of the reader.
Through a considered tone of voice, and carefully chosen words, we helped position the campaign across four transformative spaces: health, environment, STEM, and education for all – areas that reflected both the University's 175-year legacy and its commitment to addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges.
We considered the many ways we could play with language to make the content feel unique and powerful, while developing a concise messaging structure across four key segments (STEM, health, environment and education). These came to life across punchy headlines and body copy that spoke directly to the goals of the campaign in a short, sharp, and effective way.
Bold but never brash, hopeful but grounded in reality, the chosen voice reflected all the university stands for while speaking to audiences of all ages, genders, and locations.
This approach made space for diverse stories and voices in their own right – reminding every reader, whether they’re a student, researcher, donor, or simply someone who believes in the transformative power of education, that leadership for good starts with a belief in better for all.
RESULT
Ultimately, the copy throughout the For Good campaign invites us all to think bigger – to pursue solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face - whether in our daily lives or on a larger scale. It also empowers the University to continue delivering transformational change locally and around the world – uniting alumni, students, donors, and industry to amplify collective impact.
Serving as the connective tissue of the campaign – our copy united audiences around a shared purpose, asking them to consider becoming part of a movement that's bigger than a single gift or gesture.
"It's been a true joy to expand our ongoing relationship with the University and to help them bring this next chapter within their story to life. Ever since its inception, The University of Sydney has worked to create real-world change for students, communities, and indeed the world - and the potential for what comes next is mind blowing,” says HIMMEL founder, Alana Wulff.
“We are honoured to have crafted the words for the For Good campaign and hope they inspire a strong belief in leadership for good, no matter who you are or what you do. In these challenging times, universities have the power and responsibility to serve the public and share their knowledge – and if they can do this while empowering individuals and communities to contribute to a better future, we all benefit in the long run.”
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