Raise support for a program at Western
Thank you for stepping up to rally support for Western Washington University! Together, we celebrate the values, people, and opportunities that define Western and help make a difference in the world. When we come together for a common cause, a little from each person does a lot! The most effective thing you can do is spread the word about your program of choice, so that interested people can find it and share their support.
You are critical to Western's success!
Fundraising is most effective when passionate students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends share why they care about Western. Your voice and your story can inspire others to give, and help raise support for the areas of Western that matter most to you.
By fundraising for a specific program, club, team, department, scholarship or initiative, you help connect donors with causes they care about. When you share your story and invite others to support your efforts, you expand your impact and help create life-changing opportunities for students for years to come.
Let's build support for Western together.
Use this toolkit to share your passion for WWU, reach your network, and inspire others to make a difference. Every share and every gift, no matter the size, helps make a lasting impact.
Who do you know
Start with who you know: friends, family, mentors, neighbors, colleagues, people who are invested in your success. We recommend building a spreadsheet of names, email addresses, and cell phone numbers.
WWU Employee Ambassadors
If you are WWU faculty or staff, you can request a data list. You can use the list we send you to reach out to past donors and ask for their continued support! Coordinate that outreach amongst club, team, or department members if possible.
Lists from University Advancement Data will include donors from the past 5 years and any alumni from your area who are contactable by email. Your list will be similar to this:
| Name | Cell phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Aname Surname | aname.surname@wwu.edu | (360) 555-5555 |
| Nametwo Lastname | nametwo.lastname@wwu.edu | (360) 555-5556 |
We Love WWU Day
If you are WWU faculty or staff and you signed up to be an Ambassador for We Love WWU Day, we will make the data list request for you!
Where to share
Send people to the website
If the area you're supporting has a website with a way to make a donation, share the link to that page in all of your outreach.
If there isn't a website with a way to donate, email forwestern@wwu.edu to ask for a donation link. Share that everywhere!
Share on social media
Use your networks.
Ask your networks to share with their networks too!
Use hashtags to make your post findable for WWU and any other Ambassador for your program too.
Example: #WeLoveWWUDay
When someone puts this in the search on their social platform, they'll see all the posts that include that hastag.
Share in email
Email is a great place to share a longer story. People are busy, so keep it light and friendly, with no attachments. Write about your program and share the link where they can donate. Ask them to forward the message to people they know who might care.
Pro tip:
Write all your emails in advance. If the email platform you're using has it, use the Schedule Send feature so they'll all go out on time automatically.
Text people you know
Send texts to people who may not be looking at social media or email.
Keep it short. Make sure they know who you are, and why you're sending this to them. Don't forget to share the link!
Talk about it
The most effective marketing is word-of-mouth. Wherever you talk to people, if you can think of a way to bring it up, tell them about your program. If it is a part of We Love WWU Day, tell them about that too.
The most important thing you can do is share what your program means to you. People who want to support your program will want to know that!
Share handouts
If you have a card, flyer, or any physical item that provides information about your program and a link, handing this out to people in-person can help them remember what you told them.
We don't recommend putting up posters. Besides that it requires permission to post one, the average person gives a poster only a glance of 3 seconds or less.
When to share: Make a schedule
You're excited, and you probably want to share right away. Planning an outreach schedule will help you keep your messaging consistent. It will also provide a nice rhythm so that people don't get overwhelmed by your outreach, and also don't forget between your outreach efforts.
Most fundraising efforts work best on a short timeline of about 30-45 days (4-6 weeks). That gives enough time for word to spread, and the limited timeline motivates people to pay more attention. If you go beyond 45 days, give your audience a break first of about 30 days or so. You don't want them to get tired of your messages!
Below is a general cadence you can follow to make your outreach plan. This strategy ramps up enthusiasm to a target date. Keep in mind any holidays and events you want to work around.
Pick a date, and a goal amount
What is the date you want to have all your funds raised by? This gives everyone, including you, a target to aim for. Make the amount realistic - something that you're sure you and your closest network can pull off. If you pass your goal amount by the date, challenge your audience to a bigger goal amount!
Save The Date
4-6 weeks before your target date
Your first communication should be an introduction. This can be a simple announcement about your fundraising goal for your program. All you're asking at this point is for people to look forward to your upcoming messages. Provide a link for them to learn more about the program you're supporting. Give them a way to donate if they feel inclined to already, without pressure.
Launch Invitation
3-5 weeks before your target date
Now it's time to communicate your goals. Tell your audience about the program you're supporting, and what makes it so important to you. Tell them your goals of how much you want to raise, and when you want to raise it by. Answer what that money is for, and why that date is significant. Don't forget to share the link!
Tell your story
3 weeks before, and 2 weeks before, your target date
You've introduced people to your program and your goals. You told them what makes it so important. Now share a story that demonstrates that. It can be your personal story, or a story about someone else. This story should describe how powerfully the person was affected in a positive way by this program. A story like this helps people get more familiar with the program and understand your fundraising goals on a personal level. It's a big motivator for gathering support.
Countdown
1 week before your target date
In this communication, remind your audience of your target date. This generates a sense of urgency to reach your goal. After hearing your stories, some people just need a reminder, and a little cheering on, that you're calling for their support.
The day before
In case anyone got busy and forgot, this is just a simple reminder that your target date is coming up.
Feel free to share another short story to get people excited to support your program.
Feel free to share any fundraising progress so far. Give thanks to anyone who has already donated.
The target date
Today is the day!
Alert your audience that today is the last day you're raising funds to reach your goal. Ask for their help reaching your goal. Remind them why this day and this goal is significant for your program.
Thank You
After the target date
This is the most important communication of all! As soon as you can, share your gratitude for all the donors who helped you support your program. Whether you reached your goal or not, make sure they know they made an important difference.
We recommend sending a thank-you immediately after the target date has passed. As soon as you have the final results of your fundraising efforts, share that with your audience and give them thanks again.
Some employers will double - or even triple - a gift to Western through their gift matching program. Anyone can use our Matching Gifts portal to see if their company will match their gift, and initiate that match through that portal.
Anyone can fundraise for WWU by sharing the link or information to donate to the program of their choice. On We Love WWU Day, we encourage anyone with a passion for an area of learning, scholarships, clubs or sports to be a We Love WWU Day Ambassador. Students, staff, faculty and alumni can collaborate on projects and challenge their peers to meet fundraising goals, with healthy competition across campus programs. The We Love WWU Day site has a sign-up on it for people who want to get involved as a We Love WWU Day Ambassador.
Yes! We’ll count all gifts we receive that note the program on them. Gifts that note "We Love WWU Day" or "Give Day" still count for the next few weeks. Just let us know it’s coming and we’ll include you.
Spread the word! We Love WWU Day is designed to get people involved in WWU at all gift levels. It's a powerful fundraising day with extra generous gift matching. Sign up to be an ambassador and we’ll share with you digital assets, sample emails, texts, etc. Or just have conversations with your friends and family. Tell them it’s We Love WWU Day and they can make a gift to support the areas on campus they’re passionate about! You can also spread the word about your favorite program any time of the year. WWU thanks you!
If you made gifts of $1,200 or more in a year, you qualify for membership in the President’s Circle, regardless of where they’re given or when they’re made.