Trine University campaign wins 2026 Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education

A digital marketing campaign developed and executed by a team member in Trine University’s Office of Marketing and Communications has been honored among the recipients of the 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards, announced by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education on July 1.

The “Giving Tuesday campaign: Our Trine. Our Future,” by Leah Reiniche, digital marketing specialist, received a bronze award in the Marketing Initiatives (10-25 Staff) category.

Designed to encourage alumni, donors and community partners to contribute to Trine University, the campaign featured a series of social media posts and emails that were published and sent over the course of two-and-a-half weeks.

Judges stated that, “This campaign delivered impressive fundraising results, achieving a 16% increase in giving without additional costs — a testament to its efficiency and strong planning.”

“It’s exciting to see Leah’s outstanding work for Trine University in email and social media marketing recognized at such a high level,” said James Tew, assistant vice president for content and communications. “I’m also grateful to the members of our design team and the Office of University Advancement who supported her in this effort. At the end of the day, while it’s incredible to receive an honor like this, the most impactful result was contributing to the more than $140,000 raised for Trine University and its students.” 

CASE’s Circle of Excellence Awards are the premier recognition program for educational advancement. These peer-selected and adjudicated awards celebrate colleges, universities and schools worldwide whose talented staff have advanced their institutions with resourcefulness and ingenuity. 

“The Circle of Excellence Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary creativity, passion and innovation demonstrated by advancement professionals at institutions around the world,” said Sue Cunningham, CASE president and CEO. “These awards not only celebrate outstanding achievements but also underscore how essential this work is to strengthen educational communities and positively shape lives and society. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year's recipients for their dedication and remarkable accomplishments.”

This year, teams from 628 institutions in 33 countries submitted 4,185 entries for consideration. The program’s 93 award categories span the full breadth of advancement, including magazines and publications, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, special events, marketing, leadership, video, and more.

Volunteer judges from CASE’s membership selected 493 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold and grand gold recognition. Winning entries were chosen for overall quality, innovation, effective use of resources and measurable impact on their institutions and communities, including alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement — alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and advancement services — and championing education to transform lives and society.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on and therefore must foster the goodwill, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE’s membership includes more than 3,000 colleges, universities and independent elementary and secondary schools in more than 80 countries, making CASE one of the largest nonprofit education associations in the world in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 90,000 advancement professionals at member institutions and has offices in London, UK; Mexico City, Mexico; Singapore; and Washington, D.C., USA. The association produces content, publications, conferences, institutes and workshops that support educational leaders and advancement professionals in their work to advance education through serving their institutions. To learn more about CASE, visit www.case.org.