Lights, camera, action: Gratavid Awards 2025
Our 2025 Gratavid Awards were all about celebrating creativity, heart, and the incredible ways organizations are using video to connect with their communities. Just as importantly, it was an opportunity to share real examples that others can learn from and adapt for their own outreach.
Hundreds of thousands of videos were sent by our partners in 2025, each representing a moment of gratitude, storytelling, and human connection. Submissions poured in from higher education, K-12 schools, and nonprofits around the world. What stood out wasn’t just volume, it was intention. Choosing winners wasn’t easy, and every submission reflected meaningful impact.
Below are just a few highlights from this year’s honorees.
Honorable mentions that made us smile (and cry)
Happy birthday messages
Alfred University: A celebratory birthday video with an 84.4% watch rate that re-engaged previously inactive alumni and even led to new donors without an ask.
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Northern Michigan University Foundation: Deeply personalized birthday videos featuring students and the mascot became their most opened and most played video in the program.
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Oklahoma City University: Student-led birthday videos sent to about 50 donors per month, pairing personal messages with campus footage to strengthen donor connection.
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Southern Adventist University: A president-led birthday video sent to alumni and donors achieved an 85.74% open rate and 63% watch rate, with recipients personally thanking leadership for it.
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General engagement
Royal Grammar School, Guildford (UK): A raw, unscripted holiday video showcasing everyday school life achieved a 93% open rate and a 64% click-through rate, the highest engagement in their email program.
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Giving Day
CASA of Lexington: A playful, gingerbread-themed Giving Day video fueled donor excitement and pushed CASA past its $20,000 Bluegrass Gives goal.
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Stewardship or “Thank You”
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation: Leveraged Gratavid in a unique way to gather heartfelt messages into a moving compilation video that received a standing ovation and strong social engagement.
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Park Nicollet Foundation: A creative year-end appeal starring “Phil Anthropy,” a simulation mannequin made possible by donor gifts, clearly brought impact to life while supporting calendar-year giving.
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2025 Gratavid Award Winners
🏆 Best Engagement Video
St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School: A humorous, high-energy video replaced the need to call over 100 families by turning a routine verification request into an engaging message.
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🏆 Best Giving Day Video
Vanguard University: A Giving Day campaign featuring 37 student-recorded videos tied to specific initiatives brought donors directly into the impact of their gifts.
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🏆 Best Stewardship / Thank You Video (Co-Winners)
Maryvale: A moving, two-part impact story following a mother’s journey showed real transformation and powerfully illustrated donor impact.
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Chico State University: A Giving Tuesday stewardship video supporting the Cultural Resource Center helped raise over $1,200 in a single day while clearly showing impact.
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🏆 Best Year-End Video
Northern Michigan University: A festive, student-led holiday video sent to alumni and donors with no ask became one of NMU’s most opened and watched videos each year.
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Thank you for an incredible year
The Gratavid Awards aren’t about winning, they’re about celebrating the creativity, care, and connection behind every video. Each example shared is also a reminder that powerful engagement doesn’t require perfection, just authenticity and intention.
We hope these stories spark new ideas you can take back to your own campaigns, whether that’s a Giving Day, stewardship touchpoint, year-end appeal, or everyday moment of gratitude. Thank you to everyone who submitted, attended, and continues to use video to build more human relationships. We can’t wait to see what you create in 2026!
