Before and during the Day of Gracious Giving, you will help encourage your K community to make a gift in support of the Kalamazoo College Fund. We use emails, social media, and videos to get the message out. Advocates create excitement by promoting the day and make a difference by participating in personalized outreach. 

Thank you for helping build Day of Gracious Giving awareness and promoting giving efforts at K!   

On this page you will find: 

• Responsibilities 
• Messaging Timeline
• Instructions for how to get started 
• How to create a gift match or challenge
• Advocacy and social media resources
  • Sample emails 
  • Sample social media posts
  • Graphics for download 

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Advocate Responsibilities

• Use the volunteer management system (VMS), social media, email text and/or phone calls to inform your K community about Day of Gracious Giving. Encourage them to make a gift when the day arrives. 
• Consider using your gift as a match or challenge to motivate others to give. You’ll find instructions below.
• Promote Day of Gracious Giving throughout the day. Your excitement and energy help build momentum. 
• Show appreciation by thanking donors who have responded to your outreach. 

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Communications Timeline

Advocates are encouraged to share an awareness or “save the date” post in advance of the day and then post throughout the Day of Gracious Giving to keep the momentum going. Please share your gratitude with your donors on Thursday, May 7. See the recommended communication timeline below. 

Date	Content
Sometime between April 2 and April 29	Save the Date awareness message
Tuesday, May 5	Reminder: Tomorrow is the Day
Wednesday, May 6 in the morning	Day of Announcement with your personal link to the campaign
Wednesday, May 6 in the afternoon/evening	Why you support K and your personal link, share a campaign update
Thursday, May 6 in the afternoon/evening	Message of gratitude with campaign results

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Advocates: Two Steps to Getting Started

Step 1: Creating a Matching Gift or Challenge

As advocates, you can further inspire your K community by creating a matching gift or challenge. Matches and challenges are similar, but there is a key difference:

• Matching Gifts are made on a per-donor or per-dollar basis:
  • “I will match up to $500 dollar-for-dollar for the next $500 that is donated by the Class of 1990.”
• Challenges are milestone-based:
  • “If 15 people from the Class of 1990 make a gift, I will give $250.”

We recommend you make your match or challenge as simple as possible.

Step 2: Plan Your Outreach

After you have made your match or challenge on the campaign webpage:

• Use the communication timeline to plan your outreach.
• Utilize the volunteer management system (VMS) to email your classmates using the customizable templates (if you have access).
• Use the sample social media posts and/or social media images to include with your messages.
• Don’t forget to use your individual giving link to track your progress on the day!

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Ways to Share and Key Resources

Day of Gracious Giving URL

kzoo.edu/dayofgraciousgiving

This URL/campaign link is the main giving page for the Day of Gracious Giving. A pre-launch campaign page is in place through May 5 to allow for early gifts and matches/challenges to be set up.

Day of Gracious Giving Personalized URL/Link

We recommend sharing your personal URL/link that is uniquely connected to you.  You will be able to view how many times someone clicked on link you shared and also how many people made a gift as a result of your outreach.

Log in to your GiveCampus account

Once logged in, use the buttons under the video on the main page of the campaign to conveniently share your campaign link through a customizable message, on your social media, or via text/email to your K friends. 

GiveCampus is an online platform that makes sending messages to your classmates simple and quick. Let us know if you would like access or to learn more.  

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Sharing the College’s Posts

K’s social media accounts will be used for Day of Gracious Giving awareness and day of posts. You are welcome to share the College’s posts on your own social accounts to help spread the word. When using your personal accounts, tagging folks is also a great way to get their attention!

K’s Social Media

Facebook: @kalamazoocollege
Instagram: @kalamazoocollege
LinkedIn: Kalamazoo College 

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Awareness Post

Post sometime between April 2-April 29

Option 1

Join me in helping make K a place where every student feels at home. Save the date for the Day of Gracious Giving on May 6! [insert one orange and one black heart emojis]

Option 2

Mark your calendars for May 6, the Day of Gracious Giving. Together, let’s support students as they explore and find their way at K.

Reminder Post

 Post on Tuesday, May 5

Option 1 

Tomorrow’s the Day of Gracious Giving! Support the opportunities at K that give every student a strong foundation and a place to call home. [insert house emoji]

Option 2

Show your support for K! Tomorrow is The Day of Gracious Giving! 

Morning Post

Option 1 

Let’s help keep K a place where every student feels at home. Join me in making a gift today on the Day of Gracious Giving!

Option 2

Today is your chance to show up for K’s students! Your gift funds programs and opportunities that support students on their paths at K.

Option 3

It’s the Day of Gracious Giving! It’s time to represent the Class of XXXX and make your gift today. [insert honeybee emoji]

Afternoon/Evening Posts

Option 1

Don’t miss out! Invest in K’s students and the opportunities that help them find who they are. The Day of Gracious Giving ends at midnight.

Option 2

The Day of Gracious Giving isn’t over yet! Make your gift by midnight and make an immediate impact in the lives of K’s students. 

Thank You Posts

Post on Thursday, May 7 after the final giving total are released. 

Important Note: The campaign will officially close at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Please wait until the campaign closes to share class totals and overall final giving totals as displayed on the campaign page.

Option 1

What a day! The Day of Gracious Giving was powered by YOU and the results are inspiring. Thank you for investing in K’s students and being a part of their community.

Option 2

Thanks to you, XXXX donors came together for K’s students! Because of our support more students can build their future at K. 

Option 3

Thank you to the Class of XXXX who helped raise $XXXX on the Day of Gracious Giving! Together, our gifts are creating opportunities and support for students at K. 

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Sample Email Messages

The sample email messages below can be copied, pasted and personalized. You are also invited to craft your own message that centers on how your K experiences will always “feel like home”. 

General Awareness Email

Subject: Our home: K 

K has always been more than a place to us. It’s home. It’s where we found our people, discovered our talents and passions, and were shaped into who we are today.

On May 6, the Day of Gracious Giving, we have the chance to help make sure that same experience is possible for today’s students. 

I invest in K because every student deserves the opportunity to find their path within a community that supports them. 

Join me on this Giving Day—gifts of all sizes make a difference. (Add your personal link.) Be a part of creating a home for K’s students today. 

In gratitude, 

[your name]

Day of Email

Subject: Today is the Day of Gracious Giving    

The Day of Gracious Giving is here.

It’s time to rally in support of K! The place where we explored, the place where we found our way. The place that will always be our home. 

I am offering a match for everyone in the Class of XXXX, up to $1,0000. This means double the impact and support for K’s life-changing student programs and experiences.

Join me and make your gift before midnight to help strengthen the Hornet community. (Add your personal link.)

Lux esto,

[your name]

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Graphics for Download

Instagram Post or Profile Pictures

Facebook and Twitter Icons