Raise Your Pick UTEP Giving Day
SAVE THE DATE!
Raise Your Pick Giving Day is a community-wide giving day occurring on April 12, 2023, with early giving opening at 4 pm (MST) on April 11. 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.
Crowdfunding: All emails and social media will drive traffic to our Raise Your Pick Giving Day crowdfunding website (givingday.utep.edu). This website will go public on 3/6/2023 and will begin accepting gifts at 4 pm MST on 4/11/2023. The platform will stop accepting gifts at 11:59 pm MST on April 12.
Motif 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 a motif throughout marketing and communications pieces.
Email: The first email for Giving Day will be sent on 3/8/2023 and will encourage people to save the date. A full communications calendar can be found in the marketing toolkit.
Social Media: Social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) will ramp up on 3/8/2023. 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 and units, student leaders, and ambassadors. Use the hashtag #RaiseYourPick for social media posts to appear on the Giving Day tag board.
Texting: Student leaders, Alumni Board Members, and Alumni Network leaders, as well as IA staff, will act as “Miner Messengers” and send out texts to approximately 10,000 constituents via our volunteer texting platform. Texting dates can be found in the marketing toolkit.
Direct Mail: Annual Giving will mail a save-the-date piece to ~5,000 recent donors to the University on 3/8/2023. Donors may make their Giving Day gifts in response to this piece.
Major and Leadership Giving: Development Officers will secure major and leadership-level gifts for matches and giving challenges.
On-Campus Event: The UTEP Alumni Association will be hosting a Block Party in Centennial Plaza on April 12, 11 am– 2 pm. This event will educate our campus community about the impact of philanthropy and provide opportunities to participate in donor stewardship activities.
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 Packs if they sign up with their Advancement contacts or on the Giving Day website (givingday.utep.edu) before March 23 and will be highly encouraged to attend or view a recording of an ambassador webinar.
Toolkit: Assets and Resources

Toolkit Guide
This comprehensive guide includes all the need-to-know information for units, faculty/staff, and ambassadors as they plan to promote and support Giving Day.

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 occurring on April 12, 2023, with early giving opening at 4 pm (MST) on April 11. 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.
Why is my participation important?
On April 12, 2023, 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 April 12, 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 |
4pm on April 11 through |
Made online through Giving Day website - givingday.utep.edu |
By Mail |
Postmarked by April 12 |
Received in response to the Giving Day Mailer OR |
Other outright gifts |
Executed by 11:59 pm (MST) April 12 |
Includes memo* indicating the intention to count for Giving Day
If a donor is interested in making an outright gift of securities, please contact Sonia Blacksmith at svazquez4@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 my 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
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?
- Ask the Donor: Is the check to fulfill a match or challenge pledge?
- If yes, please contact your Development Officer or Joshua McCoy at jdmccoy@utep.edu for assistance.
- If no, please deliver the check to Institutional Advancement.*
- Notify Sydney Bertram at sabertram@utep.edu to manually add to the totals on the Raise Your Pick Giving Day website and apply applicable matches or giving challenges. Provide 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 Kelly Hall, 6th Floor - turn to the right 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?
Your Development Officer will walk you through the process and provide the proper giving forms.
If you are not currently working with a Development Officer, please reach out to Joshua McCoy at jdmccoy@utep.edu for assistance.
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.
I have a matching or challenge donor who previously completed a Giving Day pledge form and would like to fulfill their pledge. What should I do?
Check the Date! Is it April 11 or 12?
- 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 11 or April 12.
- If no, please direct them to make their match/challenge payment at https://givingto.utep.edu/match_chall23.
If your donor would prefer to mail a check or make a wire transfer, please reach out to Joshua McCoy at jdmccoy@utep.edu for information. Payments via check should be submitted with the paper Match/Challenge giving form.
Will I receive a report of all Giving Day donors for my school or unit after Raise Your Pick Giving Day?
Yes, a member of the Annual Giving team will send you gift reports after Giving Day totals have been finalized.
Please note: This will take several days due to reconciliation of gifts from multiple channels. You should receive your campaign reports by the end of April.
How should I thank the donors of my campaign?
You and your team are welcome to write thank you notes to your donors. Please contact Sandra Serio at silopezserio3@utep.edu for cards and envelopes.
Please note: All donors who make gifts via the Giving Day platform will receive a thank you video via email, and donors via other channels will receive standard gift acknowledgements.
The Ambassador strategy is very important for the success of our campaign. Ambassadors spread the word about Giving Day on social media and with their personal networks. They will help us build event awareness and the impact fundraising events like this have on our university, students lives and their families, and our community.
People can self-identify and sign up to be an ambassador or a unit can invite key faculty, staff, students or alumni to be our "influencers" by becoming an ambassador.
Other ambassador characteristics:
- 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.
How can I become an ambassador?
After March 8, Ambassadors can register on the Giving Day platform and set up their account for access to the Ambassador Dashboard. We’ll be hosting a series of Ambassadors training webinars the week of March 20 for those who have signed up (segmented for ambassador type), and will be providing “Ambassador Packs” to those who request them by March 23. These packs will include branded items to assist with social media and awareness building activity, like t-shirts, mustaches on sticks, tech stickers, window clings for cars and office windows.
In the Ambassador webinars, we’ll review the resources available in the Ambassador dashboard on the Giving Day website, like the handbooks and various social images, and we’ll review how to be an effective Ambassador.
I have a question but I don’t see the answer. Who should I contact?
DONOR PROGRAMS CONTACTS
Sydney Bertram, Sr. Director of Donor Programs
Email: sabertram@utep.edu | Cell Phone: 937-206-0550
Contact for:
- General Campaign Information
- Campaign Content Updates & Funds
- Matches and Challenges
- Giving Day Website Functions
- Timelines and Setup Processes
Jennifer Heffner, Sr. Annual Giving Communications Officer
Email: jlheffner@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Campaign Content Updates
- Email Communications
- Campaign Gift Reports
- Giving Day Direct Mail
Valerie Herrera, Annual Giving Campaigns Officer
Email: vrherrera@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Campaign Content Updates
- Ambassador Dashboard and Resources
- Volunteer Texting Session
Sandra Serio, Director of Donor Relations
Email: silopezserio3@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Gift Acknowledgements
- ThankView Emails
- Post-event School/Unit Thank You Cards
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS CONTACTS
Cesar Campa, Senior Director for Advancement Marketing and Communications
cmcampa@utep.edu
OR
Alejandra Lopez, Senior Strategic Communications Officer
alopez63@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Toolkit, assets, images, logos, social media and resources questions