Raise Your Pick UTEP Giving Day
SAVE THE DATE!
Raise Your Pick Giving Day is a community-wide giving day. This campaign will raise support for approximately 50 priority areas on campus, including UTEP scholarships, programs, research, and student support services. With both online and in-person engagement opportunities, Raise Your Pick Giving Day will help UTEP build its donor base and retain a higher portion of renewing donors on a yearly basis.
RYP Giving Day starts April 21, 12 p.m. MT - April 22, 8 p.m. MT
Crowdfunding: All emails and social media will drive traffic to our Raise Your Pick Giving Day crowdfunding website: givingday.utep.edu
- 2/11/2026 - RYP Giving Day Website Launches
- 4/21/2026 @ 12 p.m. MT - Website begins accepting gifts
- 4/22/2026 @ 8 p.m. MT - Website stops accepting gifts
Theme and Tagline: Our tagline for Raise Your Pick Giving Day is “Every Gift Counts”, and “Raise Your Pick for ____________” or “I Raise My Pick for ______________” will be utilized as themes throughout marketing and communications pieces.
Email: The first email for Giving Day will be sent on 2/12/2025 and will encourage people to save the date. Click here for communications calendar.
Social Media: Social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) will ramp up on 2/13/2025. UTEP Alumni Association and the main UTEP accounts will serve as the primary social media channels. A social media toolkit will be provided for schools/units and ambassadors. Use the hashtag #RaiseYourPick for social media posts to appear on the Giving Day website's tag board.
Texting: Student leaders, Alumni Board Members, and Alumni Network leaders, as well as UTEP staff, will act as “Miner Messengers” and send out texts to approximately 50,000 constituents via our volunteer texting platform. Click here for communications calendar.
Direct Mail: Annual Giving will mail a save-the-date piece to ~5,000 recent donors to the University. Donors may make their gifts, postmarked by April 22, for their mailed gift to count for Raise Your Pick Giving Day. Click here for communications calendar.
Major and Leadership Giving: Development Officers will secure major and leadership level gifts for matches and giving challenges. Development Officer resources are located here.
Block Party - An On-Campus Event: The Block Party will be hosted in Centennial Plaza on Wednesday, April 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. MT. This event will educate our campus community and alumni about the impact of philanthropy and provide opportunities to participate in donor stewardship activities. It will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the kickoff of early giving in-person. It will also provide an opportunity to learn more about areas in need of funding and donate in-person. For more information, click here.
Volunteers & Ambassadors: Faculty, staff, alumni leaders, and students will be engaged as campaign ambassadors, Block Party volunteers, and Miner Messengers. Ambassadors will be equipped with Ambassador Marketing Packs at the in-person Ambassador training or if they request them by March 20. (Contact Azucena Lozano halozano@utep.edu for details about training registration.) Block Party Volunteers and Miner Messengers will receive event t-shirts.
Assets and Resources: RYP Toolkit for Campus Partners
Toolkit: Assets and Resources
Social Media and Marketing Best Practices
The Social Media and Marketing Best Practices is a comprehensive guide that includes all the need-to-know information for UTEP units, faculty/staff, and campus partners as they plan to promote and support Raise Your Pick Giving Day.
COMING SOON!
Toolkit
Access timelines, assets, images, printouts, social media frames and more to support Giving Day promotions.
FAQ
What is Raise Your Pick Giving Day?
Raise Your Pick Giving Day is a community-wide giving day. This campaign will raise support for approximately 50 priority areas on campus, including UTEP scholarships, programs, research, and student support services. With both online and in-person engagement opportunities, Raise Your Pick Giving Day will help UTEP build its donor base and retain a higher portion of renewing donors on a yearly basis.
RYP Giving Day starts April 21, 12 p.m. MT - April 22, 8 p.m. MT
Why is my participation important?
On April 21-22, 2025, Miner Nation will unite for good as we launch Raise Your Pick Giving Day! With almost 50 different programs, scholarships, campus improvements, and student resources to support, you’ll have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the area that means the most to you. Leading up to the event, we hope you'll peruse the various areas in need of support, and the matches and challenges that will amplify your impact. Get ready to raise your pick! Every gift counts!
Which gifts count for Raise Your Pick Giving Day?
|
Gift Type |
Timeframe Specifics |
Details |
|
Online |
12:00 p.m. MT on April 21 through |
Made online through Giving Day website - givingday.utep.edu |
|
By Mail |
Postmarked by April 22 |
Received in response to the Giving Day Mailer OR |
|
Other outright gifts |
Executed by 8:00 p.m. (MT) April 22 |
Includes memo* indicating the intention to count for Giving Day
If a donor is interested in making an outright gift of securities, please contact Gift Processing at giftprocessing@utep.edu |
In the case of recurring gifts, only the first installment will be counted toward Giving Day totals.
*What counts as a “memo” indicating the intention of a gift?
- A donor may include RYP or Giving Day on the memo line of a check.
- Emails or other written communications from the donor that indicate the intention will also be accepted.
Is there a minimum gift amount?
Are international gifts accepted?
Yes. We accept gifts made internationally via credit card. Please note that payments with international credit cards are only possible if the donor's bank has authorized the card for international transactions.
Do pledges or company matching gifts count toward Raise Your Pick Giving Day?
- No, pledges and company matching gifts cannot be counted toward fundraising totals or to unlock Giving Day matches and giving challenges.
- Only outright cash or cash equivalent gifts that adhere to the guidelines above will be counted.
If a donor drops off a check for Raise Your Pick Giving Day, what do I do?
- If yes, please contact the appropriate Development Officer and Cc Lori Cook at lkcook@utep.edu for assistance to ensure gift is properly filed.
- If no, please deliver the check to Institutional Advancement with a note that states the gift is for Giving Day and email Sydney Bertram sabertram@utep.edu and Lori Cook lkcook@utep.edu with the following information:
First Name, Last Name, Gift Amount, Fund Designation, State of Preferred Address, Constituency (e.g. Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Student, Friend) - REID, if you have it.
*Institutional Advancement is in the Mike Loya Building, Room 223- turn to the left as you exit the elevator.
How can a donor give to fund that is not featured on the Raise Your Pick Giving Day website?
- Click the “Give Now” button and the donor will be directed to the giving form
- Select “Other” from the drop-down menu of designations
- Enter the gift fund they would like to donate to.
Please note: Gifts to “Other” funds won’t count toward school or unit-specific matches and challenges, but they will be included in the overall gift and dollar counts for the Giving Day campaign.
A donor may be interested in contributing a matching or challenge gift. What do I do?
- Please connect the applicable Development Officer with the donor or contact Lori Cook, Associate Vice President for Development at lkcook@utep.edu for assistance.
- If you are the DO, please refer to the Development Officers resources here: Matches and Challenges - DOs ONLY
Check the Date! Is it April 21 or 22?
- If yes, kindly ask your donor to wait. To avoid “double counting” through the online gift tracker, make sure your donor does NOT make their match/challenge payment on April 21 or April 22.
- If no, please direct them to make their match/challenge payment at https://raise.utep.edu/RYPmatchchall
Yes, a member of the Advancement Services team will send you gift reports after Giving Day totals have been finalized.
Please note: This will take several weeks due to reconciliation of gifts from multiple channels. You should receive your campaign reports by the end of May.
How should I thank the donors of my campaign?
-
Faculty or staff members who are champions for your school or unit’s priority fundraising areas.
-
Students, faculty, staff or alumni with a strong social media presence.
-
Alumni who are actively engaged with your school or department through volunteering, mentoring, etc.
How can I become an ambassador?
Starting February 12, Ambassadors can register on the Giving Day platform. An in-person Ambassador training will be held in March; faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners are welcome to attend. For more information about registering for the training, please contact Azucena Lozano at halozano@utep.edu. We will also be providing Ambassador Marketing Packs to those who request them by March 20. These packs will include branded items to assist with social media and awareness building.
I have a question but I don’t see the answer. Who should I contact?
Email: sabertram@utep.edu | Cell Phone: 937-206-0550
Contact for:
- General Campaign Information
- Campaign Funds
- Matches and Challenges
- Timelines and Setup Processes
- Social Media and Marketing Resources
Mandy Barraza, Advancement Programs and Event Officer
Email: adbarraza5@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Block Party
- School/Unit Tabling
- Stewardship
Kelsey Hjalmquist, Executive Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications
Email: kthjalmquist@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Urgent School/Unit Email Changes or Issues (please Cc Azucena Lozano halozano@utep.edu)
- Global Campaign Communications
Azucena Lozano, Assistant Director of Advancement Programs
Email: halozano@utep.edu
- School/Unit Liaison
- Timelines and Setup Processes
- Campaign Prep
- Campaign and Email Content Review
- Campaign Content and Webpage Updates
- School/Unit Thank You Card Requests
- Giving Day Website Functions
- Ambassador Resources & Training
Alejandra Lopez, Assistant Director of Communications Operations
Email: alopez63@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Troubleshooting Access to Social Media and Marketing Resources
- Communications Calendar
Mallory Payan
Email: mpayan12@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Volunteer Management and Scheduling
Adriana Villegas
Email: asvillegas2@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Student Programming
- Miner Messenger Texting
