ATLANTA — Georgia State University has received two Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
In the category of Communications Initiatives, Georgia State took a bronze award for its work to brand and promote engagement with the GSU Blue Line, while the university received a gold Annual/Regular Giving Campaigns award for its latest fall direct mail solicitation.
The GSU Blue Line is a 3.7-mile marked pedestrian pathway through the Atlanta Campus linking important learning, research and residential spaces. Featuring QR-coded trail markers for wayfinding, historical insights and emergency resources, along with security measures including cameras and enhanced lighting, the GSU Blue Line is a defining campus feature and GSU took a phased approach to its rollout. The campaign, including a dedicated digital hub, securing high-profile media coverage, social media activations and public art installations, ensured sustained engagement and visibility.
The launch of the GSU Blue Line resulted in 250,000 social impressions, a 30 percent increase in applications for fall 2025 and a record-breaking $80 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the largest single donation in University System of Georgia history.
“The GSU Blue Line was a top entry for several of us,” CASE judges wrote in the award letter. “It was grounded in both the campus physical environment and mission. The donation results were very good, and the project serves as an inspiration to many.”
Georgia State’s FY ’25 fall direct mail fundraising solicitation, the gold Circle of Excellence winner, was the most successful in terms of total dollars raised of any GSU direct-mail campaign of the past five years. Building on the story begun with the spring 2024 mailer, the award-winning fall 2024 mailer communicated the need for and impact of giving through a 5- by 5-inch illustrated storybook with a six-panel accordion fold and fewer than 90 words.
It focused on reversing donor erosion, targeting those who hadn’t donated in the last one to five years, increasing total dollars raised by 17 percent from fiscal year 2024 and more than doubling the number of reactivated donors from the previous year.
“This entry stands out for its bold, creative departure from traditional direct mail, using a beautifully illustrated, storybook-style format to effectively re-engage lapsed donors,” CASE judges wrote.
The CASE Circle of Excellence awards each year highlight exceptional achievement in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing. In 2025 more than 640 institutions in 33 countries submitted 4,460 nominations.
More than 500 volunteer judges review, score and comment on entries submitted in nearly 100 Circle of Excellence categories.