Who makes a good UConn Gives Champion?
Someone who:
- Truly bleeds blue with a strong passion for UConn
- Has a strong network to engage (think: people who have an active social media presence, are/were highly involved on campus, frequently attend alumni events, etc.)
What does a UConn Gives Champion do?
- Reach out to their network on social media, email, phone, or whatever medium they are most comfortable with
- Prior to UConn Gives: Send save–the–date messages and posts, share why they are choosing to donate, and encourage others to join them
- During UConn Gives: Participate in social media challenges
- Share links to giving pages and encourage people to give on social media
- Send emails to their network encouraging people to give
- Call/text/send a carrier pigeon (whatever their preferred method!)
How many UConn Gives Champions should my project have?
At least 10 – but shoot for 15-20 per project. Remember – champions can be students, alums, faculty, staff, or Husky fans!
How do I find them?
- Think: Who is frequently commenting on your social media posts? Who do you email frequently and is invested in the success of your program? Who are your most involved students? Reach out to them!
- Talk to faculty and staff members in your departments – they may know of current and former students, friends, and fans that would like to rally behind your cause
- Work with your Foundation liaison to identify people who are highly engaged with alumni and Foundation-related efforts
- Reach out to your personal network
- Suggestion: Keep a running list of champions and their email addresses/contact information
How to recruit champions:
- Start with an initial message (make sure the first time they are hearing from you is NOT when they receive their automated email from Community Funded!) Does not necessarily need to be email – use whatever platform works best for communicating with the individual champion.
- Inform them about the goal of your project for UConn Gives this year and describe how they can get involved.
- Once they’ve expressed interest in being a champion for you cause, let them know that they can expect an email from [email protected] (make sure they check their spam if they don’t receive it!) with a sign-up link.
Steps for signing up champions:
- They can sign-up by inputting their email under the “Become a Champion” section
- Note: You cannot sign up champions until your giving page is complete.
If someone championed a cause last year, their email may already be registered with Community Funded. - Encourage them to hit the “forgot my password” button if they have issues logging in.
Who communicates with them?
- Both the Foundation and your team should communicate with your UConn Gives Champions.
- The Foundation will send emails with general reminders and instructions to all champions, but you should send them specific links to articles or giving pages, updates on the fund you’re raising money for, and keep them involved with your day-of outreach plan.
Champion Communication Timeline:
One week before UConn Gives: Check in with your champions reminding them to complete their sign-up if they have not done so already
- Send them the link to the social media challenges they can participate in to unlock additional funds
Encourage them to recruit additional champions for this cause by having them send the link to your project’s page to their personal networks - Share the suggested peer-to-peer outreach templates
Two days before UConn Gives: Final reminder and check-in with champions, reiterating information mentioned above
- Get them excited for any fundraising goals your project has identified, remind them of social media and match challenges
- Encourage them to recruit additional champions
Day of UConn Gives: Kick off the day with a strong, empowering message!
- Remind them to use their unique link in their champion dashboard and continue to reach out to their personal networks
- Remind them of the timing of social media challenges
- Throughout UConn Gives: Provide updates on how your project is doing with its goals, as well as how UConn Gives is doing overall.
- Encourage them to keep sharing their links and participate in social media challenges
After UConn Gives: Share overall totals and thank them for their support.
Suggested Champion Recruitment Email
Dear [recipient’s preferred name],
I hope that you’re doing well! [Insert a relevant or personal anecdote].
UConn Gives, the fourth-ever giving day for UConn, will be taking place on April 17-18, 2024. For 36 hours, all of UConn Nation will be coming together to support the university we love – and we need your help!
During those 36 hours, we will be raising money for [Insert project name]. [Explain why you’re raising funds for this project— What impact does it have on UConn students, communities, etc.?]
We need a group of people to help champion this cause. Can we count on you to encourage your personal network to participate in UConn Gives? We know you bleed blue and have a passion for UConn. This is your chance to activate your personal network on April 17-18 to support [Insert statement on impact of project]
If so, I can send you additional information on officially signing up as a champion.
Best,
[Your name]