Sharing Messaging

The voice of the WWU Give Day campaign is led by optimism, community and the unique power of higher education to learn and grow. WWU Give Day is a celebration of Western’s values and our students’ potential. Through WWU Give Day, we recognize Western’s commitment to inclusivity and innovation.

We also lead with gratitude. Gratitude for Western’s place in our state and the alumni who have come before today’s students. Gratitude for the generous legacy of our alumni, parents and community who make significant gifts to Western to minimize the burden of student debt, ensure a whole-student academic experience and push forward essential research. We want to showcase our students and programs daring to take on big challenges in every area of study that change lives for the better. The tone of our communications is confident but humble, crafted, ambitious, and always welcoming.

Make a Gift on Give Day
As a member of WWU’s community, we ask you to join our commitment to making higher education an accessible reality to every student who has a dream of attending Western. WWU Give Day is an annual celebration of our campus culture. It’s also an endorsement of the power and potential of our students and their future contributions to our communities. Give Day is a recognition that no matter where you give – to a building, scholarship, project, or program – you are pushing Western’s values forward and giving students an immersive education.

While we thank donors for their generosity today, we are thankful for the impact they have on our students every day of the year.

This year, WWU’s Give Day campaign is focused on highlighting some scholarships. We encourage you to pick the scholarships and students that best match your story and weave them into your emails and posts.

BIG IDEAS: 

• Committed to Access and Affordability
  As a public university, Western is committed to being accessible and affordable to any student who wants to pursue higher education. We believe deeply that our students’ unique experiences and backgrounds are their greatest strengths—it’s what makes our community of inclusive teaching and learning thrive. We share a collective responsibility to make sure that every student has a clear pathway toward a meaningful career. We want our students to be wholeheartedly focused on their learning, not worrying about how they’ll pay for college or whether they’ll be faced with the burden of academic debt.

Supporting messages:

• Bridging Innovation and Compassion 
  For decades, students have been choosing to come to Western because it is one of the rare universities where a future-driven education is supported by a strong liberal arts philosophy. No matter what college or school a Western student chooses, the tangible skills they build are elevated by our thoughtfulness and ability to consider the social, cultural and environmental impacts of the actions we take. With every generation of students, we deepen our perspectives on what it means to be boldly innovative and compassionate because furthering equity, justice, inclusion and diversity will be our greatest legacy.
   
• More Than a Classroom Education
  Students come to Western for more than the experiences and lessons that they learn in the classroom. Like you, they came to Western to foster their curiosity and leadership. Today’s Western students host more than 200 clubs, from the A Capella Club and the Society of Professional Journalists to the Black Student Coalition and the Fencing Club.
  
  On the field and the court, our student-athletes are collaborators and innovators within their sport. At Western, we encourage our athletes to use sport as a steppingstone to their careers and goals.
   
• At Western—The Future Is Now
  We’re actively contributing to change and growth right now. At any given moment, Western students and faculty are leading research projects that help us better understand neurological diseases and identify ways to improve early childhood reading and comprehension. In the field, undergraduates and graduate students are supporting faculty partnerships with our state to predict disease susceptibility of our native trees and growing civic engagement.

Choose one story – What do we mean by one story?
Stories are about one person or problem and characters. Because of the College of the Environments’ Paid Research Internship, I didn’t have to get a summer job in food service. Instead, I spent 8 weeks participating in Puget Sound restoration research projects. Looking ahead to graduation, I know I’ll have real-world experience to build a professional resume.

A few tips: 

• Write like you’re talking to a friend.
• Use simple, inspiring language.
• Keep sentences short.
• Avoid writing about topics (e.g., “A lack of green space in urban areas has negative effects. Please help us plant some trees”). Instead, write about people impacted by those topics (e.g., “I grew up in a low-income urban area with little green space. Research shows that leads to disproportionately higher temperature and worse air quality. That means poorer health outcomes for my family and I, and we are struggling now. Please help us fix this for future generations”).

Subject Line: MAKE WAVES for Western today

Hi, [First Name].

This is a BIG day. The one day each year when we channel our collective generosity to celebrate and support the countless ways Western students dream, strive, and achieve remarkable things, in and out of the classroom.

[Now personalize your message with a few sentences about you and your connection to Western.]

• If you’re a student 
  I’m one of those students! [Why did you choose Western? What are you studying? What’s something you’ve learned about your future career, or the person you’re becoming because of your WWU education?]  
   
• If you’re a faculty member
  I teach those students every day! Students who thrive when challenged to explore widely, think critically, and creatively connect ideas to address the most challenging issues of our time. [Write about how one of the classes you’re teaching now and how your students have amazed you above and beyond your expectations.]
   
• If you’re a parent
  I’m the proud parent of one of those students! [Write about your son/daughter/child’s Western experience, what they’re studying, how grateful you are for all the ways Western is contributing to the curious, compassionate, confident problem-solver they’re becoming.]  

I’m giving today [or asking you to give] because ___________ is really important to me, and I know that my [or your] gift will [describe the impact you want to make with your gift; be specific (e.g., give more students like me scholarships … open doors for more students to get internships like I did … give our club opportunities to travel and compete at a higher level …]

I’m writing to encourage you to MAKE WAVES for Western today! 

Here’s the link where you can donate to WWU Give Day →  https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu

Spread the word to your friends and family, neighbors and coworkers. Every gift makes a difference!

Thank you!

• Morning — [Name]! It’s WWU Give Day, the one day each year when Western comes together as a community to support students, research, programs, athletics, and clubs across campus. Will you join me in making a gift? https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu
   
• Midday — There are so many ways you can MAKE WAVES for Western today! I’m showing my WWU Give Day support with a gift to _______. What about you?! https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu
   
• Evening — There’s still time (but not much!) to make your WWU Give Day gift. Don’t miss this opportunity to MAKE WAVES for Western! https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu
   
• Night — What a day! Check out how much we’ve raised far: https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu And make your gift before WWU Give Day ends at midnight!

• Instagram — [WWU Give Day 2024 Instagram graphic] It’s WWU Give Day! Time to MAKE WAVES for Western! I’m giving to @[tag team, club, program, etc]. What about you?! (Give Day link in bio)
   
• TikTok — [Record a WWU Give Day video. Have fun with it! Challenge any followers with Western connections to join you in making a gift!]
   
• Twitter — [WWU Give Day 2024 Twitter graphic] It’s #WWUGiveDay! I’m supporting @[tag team, club, program, etc] How will you MAKE WAVES for Western?
   
• Facebook — [Sefie with some WWU flair or WWU Give Day 2023 Facebook graphic]  It’s WWU Give Day, the one day each year when Western comes together as a community to support students, research, programs, athletics, and clubs across campus. I’m supporting @[tag team, club, program, etc.] What about you?! https://wwugiveday.wwu.edu
   
  • Tip: Canva has lots of free, customizable templates for creating eye-popping posts on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.
     
  • Tip: Stop by the party in Red Square on Give Day and get some WWU swag! Take a photo with it to show your spirit and use that as your social post!
     

Use this table to help you focus your campaign. It might take a few drafts before you land on exactly what you want to say. 

Successful email campaigns appeal to human connection and clearly showcase a need.

Successful email campaigns appeal to human connection and clearly showcase a need.

Visit our Visual Assets Page to download banners, social media assets, and more!

Saying Thank you is Essential
After you’ve celebrated all of your community’s support for your fund, it’s time to say thank you! Just like the ask for support, your thank you email should highlight how the funds you raised will help you achieve your goals. 

Celebrate your total – Thank you to our incredible supporters who helped us raise $4,872 for WWU Give Day! 

Celebrate the impact of giving – Because of our generous community, we will be able to cover the cost of 14 students participating in this summer’s Marine Coastal Science program. We’re off to a great start and we will hope to raise even more money so that we can achieve our goal of ensuring that every student accepted to the MACS program can attend, no matter their financial situation.  

Celebrate what you’re going to do: For the 2024 summer project, we’re going to study the tide flats of the Nisqually River Delta at the Billy Frank Jr. Wildlife Refuge in Dupont, WA. Our goal is to document the health of the delta by looking at oxygen levels in the water, counting the number of bird species and taking samples of the tidal grass and mud to further study in our lab. 

Tip: Share links to your project, program, or team’s website. 

Sample Thank You Messages
For use in emails, text messages, social media —

Thank you so much for your generosity on WWU Give Day! In all, we raised more than $ [see wwugiveday.wwu.edu for total or reach out to the Annual Giving team at giving@wwu.edu]. It’s amazing what we can accomplish as a community!

For the ninth year in a row, Western’s community came together for a common cause: to support students, research, programs, athletics, and clubs across campus. 

The funds raised on WWU Give Day will have a positive impact on Western students in countless ways: from scholarships and clubs, to teams and projects.

I’m grateful to be part of a community that shows up like we did on WWU Give Day 2024. We made some serious waves together!

Thank you again for your generosity and support.

[your name]