#COMETSGIVE17 AMBASSADOR TOOLKIT - COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATION GUIDE

#CometsGive17 is UT Dallas’ inaugural day of giving. By “Calling all Comets,” this 18-hour campaign is a University-wide effort to inspire alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, friends and the larger community to come together to build a better UT Dallas. Through challenges, interactive leaderboards and some good-natured rivalry, you can participate and motivate others to support a favorite UT Dallas school, program or center.

Remember, there are prizes for the ambassadors who bring in the most dollars and donors!

In this toolkit, you’ll find: Timeline for sending communications (page 2) Sample social media posts (pages 3-4) Hashtags for social media posts (page 4) Sample emails (pages 5-6) Instructions to create links to specific projects (page 7)

Feel free to customize the social media posts and emails to better fit the project or cause you are supporting. Also, if you are fundraising for a particular project or cause, you can provide donors a direct link to your project’s page. Just follow the instructions on page 7.

Thank you for answering the call and for helping to make #CometsGive17 a great success!

Questions or concerns? Please contact Brennae Benda at 972-883-6962 or Jill Arredondo.

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TIMELINE

TODAY Read this guide Add #CometsGive17 to your calendar for April 4 Follow our social media channels:

o Facebook: The University of Texas at Dallas and UT Dallas Alumni Relationso Twitter: The University of Texas at Dallas and UT Dallas Alumni Relationso LinkedIn: The University of Texas at Dallas and UT Dallas Alumni Relationso Instagram: The University of Texas at Dallas and UT Dallas Alumni Relations

March 29 Announce #CometsGive17 across your social networks Share the University’s #CometsGive17 social media posts Tag a few friends in your posts Email your personal network (sample email on page 4 below)

April 1-3 Download the official #CometsGive17 images from your ambassador profile on

cometsgive.utdallas.edu Change your social media profile pictures and cover photos Post about #CometsGive17 on your social media channels (samples posts on pages 2-3

below) Tag a few friends in your posts

April 4 Call all of your fellow Comets and friends by emailing a #CometsGive17 reminder to your

personal network (sample email on pages 4-5 below) Post or share on social media throughout the day (sample posts on pages 2-3 below) Tag your friends and encourage them to answer the call If you know someone who made a gift, thank them for participating Make your own gift at cometsgive.utdallas.edu

April 5-7 Thank your followers for participating in #CometsGive17 (sample posts on pages 2-5 below) Share the University’s #IAnsweredtheCall social media posts

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SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS – Facebook or LinkedIn

[Pre-event] The University of Texas at Dallas is calling all Comets and friends to support #CometsGive17, an online giving initiative, on April 4. I plan to give back to the University and hope you will join me as I answer the call. cometsgive.utdallas.edu

UT Dallas’ #CometsGive17 brings together alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends for 18 hours during the University’s first online giving initiative. Help us make a difference by choosing to #AnswertheCall on April 4. cometsgive.utdallas.edu

[Day of] UT Dallas is calling all Comets and friends for #CometsGive17, an 18-hour, online giving initiative. Today, I’m giving back to the University and hope you will join me as I #AnswertheCall. cometsgive.utdallas.edu

It’s time to #AnswertheCall and make a difference to UT Dallas’ future! There are only 18 hours to give. Make your gift now at cometsgive.utdallas.edu. I made my gift. Now it’s your turn to #AnswertheCall! Join me in making an impact today at cometsgive.utdallas.edu.

#IAnsweredtheCall for UT Dallas! Join me today in making an impact with your gift during #CometsGive17. cometsgive.utdallas.edu

I just participated in #CometsGive17. UT Dallas is special to me because______________, and I want to help current students have the same opportunities/experience. Support UTD students by making a gift before midnight today at cometsgive.utdallas.edu.

UT Dallas Alumni & Friends — TODAY you can answer the call! #IAnsweredtheCall and hope you will join me. Donations of any amount make a big difference. See how we are doing and donate at cometsgive.utdallas.edu. #CometsGive17 ends at midnight on April 4!

[Post event] Thank you to everyone who made #CometsGive17 a success. Due to the collective support of alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students, gifts of all sizes will provide valuable support for scholarships, academic and athletic excellence and programs that strengthen UT Dallas’ mission. Thank you! cometsgive.utdallas.edu

Thank you, Comet community! We couldn’t have made #CometsGive17 a success without you. See how we came together to make a difference here cometsgive.utdallas.edu #IAnsweredtheCall #UTD

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SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS – Twitter

[Pre-event] I plan to #AnswertheCall and give back to #UTD Apr 4. Join me! Learn more at cometsgive.utdallas.edu #CometsGive17

@UT_Dallas is calling all Comets on 4.4.17! Please join me in making a donation to support our students! Learn more at cometsgive.utdallas.edu #CometsGive17

[Day of] #CometsGive17 is today! 18 hours. Infinite impact. Join me and make a difference to #UT_Dallas cometsgive.utdallas.edu

@UT_Dallas changed my life, and today I get to help to do that for others. #CometsGive17 cometsgive.utdallas.edu

Participate in #CometsGive17 and support what you love most about #UT_Dallas! cometsgive.utdallas.edu

It’s possible to make a difference in just 18 hours. Join me in answering the call & giving to @UT_Dallas during #CometsGive17 at cometsgive.utdallas.edu

#IAnsweredtheCall and made a difference to #UT_Dallas. Join me! #CometsGive17 cometsgive.utdallas.edu

Learn how to make a difference to UT Dallas at cometsgive.utdallas.edu #CometsGive17

[Post event] Thank you to everyone who made #CometsGive17 a success. See how we came together to make a difference cometsgive.utdallas.edu #UTD

HASHTAGS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS#CometsGive17#IAnsweredtheCall#UTDdonor#UTD#Comets#Whoosh

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SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGES

Copy, paste, and send the email message below to your UT Dallas friends and networks!

March 28Subject Line: Let’s Answer the Call Together

Dear _______:

On April 4, members of the UT Dallas community will join together for 18 hours of giving back. The objective is simple: to inspire Comets and friends of Comets everywhere to come together, demonstrate their pride for UT Dallas and provide essential funding to support UTD students and shape the University’s future.

I am asking you to answer the call by marking your calendar to make a gift at cometsgive.utdallas.edu on April 4. #CometsGive17 ends midnight.

Together, we can influence student experiences that shape tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Your Name

April 4Subject Line: Today: #CometsGive17

Dear _______:

Today is #CometsGive17!

UT Dallas played an important role in my life, so today I will make a gift to support the thousands of students on campus today. Please join me — and the many others in the UT Dallas community — in supporting students, research, scholarships and more. Every gift to the University helps enhance educational experiences for current and future Comets.

Visit cometsgive.utdallas.edu to make a gift that is meaningful to you, be a part of the social media conversation and watch as gifts occur in real time.

Thank you in advance for joining me in and answering the call. There are only 18 hours to give, so don’t delay!

Sincerely,

Your Name

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SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGES CONT.

Copy, paste and send the email message below to your UT Dallas friends and networks.

April 4 – later in the daySubject Line: Only a Few Hours Left to Answer the Call

Dear_______:

There are only a few more hours to give to UT Dallas’ online giving initiative, as #CometsGive17 ends tonight at midnight. Visit cometsgive.utdallas.edu now to give back and invest in the students, scholarships and projects that need your help. No matter the size, every gift helps.

Thank you for answering the call!

Sincerely,

Your Name

April 5-6Subject Line: Thank You

Dear_______:

Thank you for answering the call for UT Dallas! Because of alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students, gifts of all sizes will provide valuable support for scholarships, academic and athletic excellence and programs that strengthen UT Dallas’ mission.

The success of this historic endeavor would not have been possible without your support — thank you!

Sincerely,

Your Name

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How to find your project’s special link

Access your ambassador profile online. Select #CometsGive17 from the menu on the left, and find your project from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. You will then see a link to the project’s page. Use this link in all your communications for #CometsGive17, and you will receive credit for any gifts raised from that link. Remember, there are prizes for the top ambassadors who raise the most money and bring in the most donors, so make sure you use your personal referral link to track your efforts!

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