BU Giving Day
Every year, thousands of Terriers come together for BU Giving Day, the University’s global, 24-hour fundraising campaign. As the biggest philanthropic event of the year, Giving Day raises money for some of the most important programs, initiatives, and causes at BU.
BU needs advocates—like you.
The driving force behind Giving Day is you—our advocates. You help build excitement and encourage others to give to the BU causes you care about. Sign up using this form.
And don’t forget to…
- Rally support by sharing info about Giving Day with friends and family
- Lead by example by giving to a BU cause they care about
- Spread the word on social about Giving Day causes, challenges, and goals
- Track gifts made through your unique GiveCampus account
- Watch the Advocates Training to learn how to maximize your impact as an advocate
- Use these three images below when spreading the word—whether you’re emailing, texting friends, or posting on social media
Right-click and select “Save As” to download individual photos, or click the button below to download them all at once as a ZIP file. On a phone? Press and hold the image to save it.
Download Giving Day images (ZIP)
How to encourage giving
As an advocate, you can increase support for
Giving Day by asking your friends and family to participate. Here’s the five-step process we recommend.
Step 1: Make your gift. It’s much easier to ask others to give once you’ve given yourself.
Step 2: Build your list. Look through your contacts on social media and write down the names of people, groups, and organizations you’d like to approach with a direct ask. This brainstorming exercise can also help you identify people in your network.
Step 3: Reach out with the right message. When approaching someone, it’s helpful to use this formula for your message: belief statement + you statement + opportunity statement.
For example, let’s say you want to raise money for the BU Professional Clothing Closet. You might frame your ask as:
On BU Giving Day, the Professional Clothing Closet (PCC) is raising funds to provide professional clothing to BU students in need. Like the PCC, I believe all students should have access to professional attire, regardless of their financial circumstances. By supporting the PCC, you can help BU students look their best for job interviews, networking events, internships, and more. Will you join me in making a gift of $100?
Step 4: Ask again—with urgency. When making your second or third ask, remind your friends and family they have a limited time to make their gift. If your favorite cause has a Giving Day challenge (some, but not all, do), this is a great time to mention it!
Step 5: Send thanks and progress updates. If someone you’ve approached makes a gift (you’ll see their name appear on the Giving Day donor roll), thank them! As a courtesy, keep them in the loop on fundraising progress. Remember: On Giving Day, fundraising totals are updated in real time.
Sample outreach
Sample emails
Save-the-date email (to send now)
Hi, [name]!
I’m an advocate for BU Giving Day this year, which means I’m helping to raise funds for my favorite [cause/team/program/area] at BU: [name of cause]. [Sentence about why this cause matters to you.]
I’ve already made my gift through this link [your link] and invite you to do the same.
Just so you know: All gifts made before midnight on April 9 count towards Giving Day totals.
Thanks for your consideration!
[Your name].
P.S. If you make your gift early, BU will send you a VIP Giving sticker. 😀
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Day-before email (to send on April 8)
Hi, [name]!
As an advocate for BU Giving Day, I’m reaching out with a friendly reminder that tomorrow is Giving Day!
If you can, please consider making a gift to [your cause/team/program/area] through this link [your link]. I’ll get credit as an advocate, and you’ll get props for supporting a worthy cause! 😀
Thanks for your consideration!
[Your name].
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Day-of email (to send on April 9)
Hi, [name]!
It’s BU Giving Day, which means I’m in the home stretch to raise money for [your favorite cause/team/program/area]!
If you’d like to chip in, please use [your link] any time before midnight.
Just to keep you in the loop: So far, we’ve raised [$X] for [your cause/team/program/area] from [number] donors. [If applicable, add details about your cause’s challenge. For example: If we raise $X, we’ll unlock an additional $X in bonus funds.]
I’ll keep you posted on where we land!
[Your name].
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Thank-you email (to send after Giving Day)
Hi, [name]!
Thank you so much for making a gift on BU Giving Day! I sincerely appreciate it.
The results are in, and we raised a total of [$X] for [your BU cause/program/area] on April 9. [If your cause met a Giving Day challenge, mention that here.]
With these funds, [name of your cause/program/area] can [briefly describe its mission or purpose].
Thanks for making this possible!
[Your name].
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Sample text message
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Hi [name]! I signed up to be a BU Giving Day advocate this year, which means I’m trying to raise funds for [name of your cause/program/area] before midnight on April 9. Here’s my unique giving link in case you’d like to chip in. Thanks!
[Paste your giving link]
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Sample social media post
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Today is BU Giving Day! For the next 24 hours, I’m trying to raise money for my favorite [cause/program/area] at BU, [name of cause/program/area]. It really matters to me because [explain why you care about this].
I’ve just made my gift. If you’d like to join me, here’s the link to use. [Mention challenge details, if applicable.] Thanks, everyone!
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Advocate challenges
Me + Three Challenge
- How: Make your gift and recruit three others to make a gift through your GiveCampus link.
- When: By 11:59 PM on April 9, 2025 (Giving Day)
- Why: Everyone wins! Complete this challenge and we’ll send you a BU Giving Day stainless steel vacuum tumbler.
Advocate All-Stars Challenge
- How: Recruit the most donors to make a gift through your GiveCampus account. The top five advocates will be crowned as all-stars.
- When: By 11:59 PM on April 9, 2025 (Giving Day)
- Why: Win bonus funds up to $2,500 for your favorite BU area. This is on top of bonus funds available through Giving Day challenges.
Plea Video Challenge
- How: Make a video (like this) on GiveCampus to share with the BU community. Find tips for filming below!
- When: Save your video to your GiveCampus account before April 7, 2025. We’ll select our favorite video on April 8, 2025.
- Why: The winning video will appear on BU’s official social media pages for all BU alumni to see.
Tips for filming
Equipment
- Use a smartphone or laptop camera.
- Film horizontally so you fill the frame.
- Position your device about 3-4 feet away from you, either on a tripod or on a stack of books.
- Alternately, film yourself selfie-style, or have a friend record you if they can hold your device steady.
Location
- Avoid recording outside. Wind, traffic, and pedestrians can obscure your audio.
- Choose a location that has a lot of natural light.
- If you’re near a window, position yourself so the window is facing you. If the window is behind you, you will appear shadowed.
- Avoid sparse spaces with glass walls (think: conference rooms), as they can create echoes.
Wardrobe
- Wear your BU best! Sport some scarlet or BU apparel, if you have it.
Content and structure
- Aim for a video length of 30 seconds.
- Start by greeting your audience and introducing yourself.
- Mention that you’re a Giving Day advocate.
- Explain the cause you’re supporting, why you’re supporting it, and why you encourage others to do the same.
- If your cause has a challenge, mention it and explain how you can win extra money for your cause if they donate.
- Encourage your viewer to use the link you sent to make a gift. That way, you get credit for their click and gift.
- Thank them for their support.
- That said: The content of your video is ultimately up to you! Make it funny, sweet, informative—whatever feels authentic to you. Be yourself and have fun!
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Keep the FUN in FUNdraising
Rock out to our curated Spotify playlist, download coloring pages, and solve some BU-themed digital puzzles to get into the BU spirit! Want to add a song to our Giving Day 2025 playlist? Send @bualumni a direct message on Instagram.
Sign up to become an advocate by completing this form
