Raise Your Pick Â鶹¹ÙÍø 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍø scholarships, programs, research, and student support services. With both online and in-person engagement opportunities, Raise Your Pick Giving Day will help Â鶹¹ÙÍø build its donor base and retain a higher portion of renewing donors on a yearly basis.
RYP Giving Day starts April 22, 12 p.m. MT - April 23, 8 p.m. MT
Crowdfunding: All emails and social media will drive traffic to our Raise Your Pick Giving Day crowdfunding website:
- 2/13/2025 - RYP Giving Day Website Launches
- 4/22/2025 @ 12 p.m. MT - Website begins accepting gifts
- 4/23/2025 @ 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 2/13/2025 and will encourage people to save the date.
Social Media: Social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) will ramp up on 2/13/2025. Â鶹¹ÙÍø Alumni Association and the main Â鶹¹ÙÍø 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍø staff, will act as “Miner Messengers” and send out texts to approximately 50,000 constituents via our volunteer texting platform.
Direct Mail: Annual Giving will mail a save-the-date piece to ~5,000 recent donors to the University on 3/11/2025. Donors may make their gifts, postmarked by April 23, for their mailed gift to count for Raise Your Pick Giving Day.
Major and Leadership Giving: Development Officers will secure major and leadership level gifts for matches and giving challenges.
Block Party - An On-Campus Event: The Block Party will be hosted in Centennial Plaza on Wednesday, April 12 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 if they sign up with their Advancement contacts or on the Giving Day website () before March 22, and will be highly encouraged to complete Ambassador training on Wednesday, March 26,11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. MT. Block Party Volunteers and Miner Messengers will receive event t-shirts.
Assets and Resources:
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 units, faculty/staff, and ambassadors as they plan to promote and support Â鶹¹ÙÍø's Raise Your Pick 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. This campaign will raise support for approximately 50 priority areas on campus, including Â鶹¹ÙÍø scholarships, programs, research, and student support services. With both online and in-person engagement opportunities, Raise Your Pick Giving Day will help Â鶹¹ÙÍø build its donor base and retain a higher portion of renewing donors on a yearly basis.
RYP Giving Day starts April 22, 12 p.m. MT - April2, 8 p.m. MT
Why is my participation important?
On April 22-23, 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 |
Â鶹¹ÙÍø |
12:00 p.m. MT on April 22 through |
Made online through Giving Day website - |
By Mail |
Postmarked by April 23 |
Received in response to the Giving Day Mailer OR |
Other outright gifts |
Executed by 8:00 p.m. (MST) April 23 |
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.
-
In the case of recurring gifts, only the first installment will be counted toward Giving Day totals.
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 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:
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 22 or 23?
- 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 22 or April 23.
- If no, please direct them to make their match/challenge payment at
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 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?
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Faculty or staff members who are champions for your school or unit’s priority fundraising areas.
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Students, faculty, staff or alumni with a strong social media presence.
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Alumni who are actively engaged with your school or department through volunteering, mentoring, etc.
How can I become an ambassador?
Starting February 13, Ambassadors can register on the Giving Day platform and set up their account for access to the Ambassador Dashboard and series of Ambassadors training webinars for those who have signed up (segmented for ambassador type). We will also be providing “Ambassador Marketing Packs” to those who request them by March 22. These packs will include branded items to assist with social media and awareness building activity, like t-shirts and stickers.
In the Ambassador training, 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?
Sydney Bertram, Interim Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications
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, Senior Annual Giving Communications Officer
Email: jlheffner@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Campaign Content Updates
- Email Communications
- Campaign Gift Reports
- Giving Day Direct Mail
- Gift Acknowledgements
Valerie Herrera, Annual Giving Campaigns Officer
Email: vrherrera@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Campaign Content Updates
- Ambassador Dashboard and Resources
- Volunteer Texting Session
Alejandra Lopez, Assistant Director of Communications Operations
alopez63@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Toolkit Guide
- Assets, frame images, logos, etc.
- Social media and resources questions
Iris Maraboto, Director of Events and Recognition
Email: imaraboto2@utep.edu
Contact for:
- Block Party
- Post-event School/Unit Thank You Cards