What happens when a fundraiser decides to end one of higher ed’s most sacred traditions—the senior giving campaign? In this episode, Safaniya sits down with Alex Rodríguez from UC Berkeley, who made the bold move to shut it down and rebuild student giving from the ground up. From pandemic pivots to Mario-inspired metaphors, Alex shares how he turned a once-obligatory tradition into a culture of authentic student philanthropy. Tune in to hear how rethinking generosity, meeting students where they are, and redefining “giving” beyond dollars changed the game entirely.

Guest Name: Alex Rodríguez, Assistant Director, Digital Campaigns, University of California, Berkeley

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/

Guest Bio: Alex Rodríguez engages all generations of the Cal community through digital marketing and social media for crowdfunding and giving days as UC Berkeley’s Assistant Director, Digital Campaigns. After overhauling student philanthropy through social content creation and digital giving, Alex now oversees the Crowdfunding program, launching and marketing ~80 projects and raising over $1 million annually. Throughout his different roles at Berkeley, Alex helped pioneer social media strategy in fundraising at his alma mater - he created the school’s first Instagram Reel! Alex uses his passion for social media (and chronically online experience) to put the “fun” back in fundraising at Berkeley.

Outside of his professional life, Alex loves to express himself creatively through thrifted fashion, dance, and TikTok, and can likely be found listening to K-Pop at any given moment. Alex lives in SoCal with his very photogenic cat, Chromeo Kiwi Lunario (@chromeo.kiwi)!

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! 

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