Day of Giving Toolkit
Your Champion toolkit to help spread the word!
Every gift matters! 2025 goal: 400 donors
What cause is close to your heart? With over 800 funds supporting the school, your gift can assist areas such as:
• Your immediate department, division, or office
• Cancer research
• Patient support: pediatric patients, cancer patients, and others
• Medical student wellness and support
• Medical student, MEDPREP, or PA scholarships
• Resident education and training
And so many more!
Remember to give your gift and share Forward Funder. You can give your gift now until February 26 – just mark it for Day of Giving when you check out!
2 weeks before Day of Giving (February 10-24)
- Announce that Day of Giving is coming up on your social channels. Download a photo below to share on social media! Use the hashtag #SIUSOM Day of Giving.
- Like and share the SIU Medicine Facebook posts, and be sure to tag your friends.
- Text and/or email friends and family to let them know Day of Giving is coming up.
A few days before Day of Giving (February 24-26)
- Change your Facebook profile pictures and cover photo to one of the Day of Giving images below.
- Continue posting about SIU School of Medicine Day of Giving on your social media channels and tagging friends. Use our social media photos to make it easy.
- Email or text your personal and work network.
- Lead by example, and make your gift early at Forward Funder.
Day of Day of Giving – February 26
- Email your personal network that today’s the day! See sample emails below.
- Post/share on social media throughout the day and tag your friends.
Social post
- TODAY is the day! Join me in supporting the #SIUSOM Day of Giving. We have over 800 funds to support and making a gift is easy; go to forwardfunder.siumed.edu and choose the area where you feel most passionate. Every gift matters.
- Today is #SIUSOM Day of Giving! Together we can make a difference in our community. Your gift supports our learners, doctors, care providers and patients. Thank you for being our champions and helping us in our mission toward better health for all. To see a full list of the areas that you can support, visit forwardfunder.siumed.edu.
- We are only 1 day away from the SIU School of Medicine Day of Giving. Your donation of any amount can help provide scholarships for students, fund groundbreaking research, and provide patient care or support. No amount is too small; each gift allows us to move forward together. To see a full list of the areas that you can support, visit forwardfunder.siumed.edu. #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- We are only 2 days away from this year’s SIU School of Medicine Day of Giving. Join us for this 24-hour fundraising event that has a great impact on the health of our communities. To see a full list of the areas that you can support, visit forwardfunder.siumed.edu. #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- There is still time to donate in support of #SIUSOM Day of Giving. To make a gift to uplift our patients, learners and programs, visit forwardfunder.siumed.edu.
- Has Simmons Cancer Institute made an impact in your life or in the life of a loved one? Today, on SIUSOM Day of Giving, we ask that you please consider donating to touch the lives of our patients and members of our community. Learn more at forwardfunder.siumed.edu. #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- Join me in supporting the SIU School of Medicine in an area close to your heart. We have over 800 funds to choose and making a gift is easy; just go to forwardfunder.siumed.edu and choose the area where you feel most passionate. Every gift matters. Thank you! #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- Are you grateful for the care you received at SIU Medicine? In one week during this year’s Day of Giving, please consider a gift to the department of your choice as a way to honor your medical provider. Every gift matters. Give at forwardfunder.siumed.edu. #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- How do I plan to participate in #SIUSOM’s Day of Giving? I donated to The Smith Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment. My grandma lived with Alzheimer’s for 10+ years, and we didn’t have access to many of the resources that are available at SIU Medicine today. Every gift matters. Give at forwardfunder.siumed.edu
- The next generation of physicians are training in the classrooms, corridors and clinics of SIU School of Medicine to make medical care stronger. In addition to the stress and long hours, they will graduate with nearly $250,000 in total student debt. Help support our students’ journeys by donating on forwardfunder.siumed.edu this Day of Giving! #SIUSOM Day of Giving
- Your Day of Giving gift can help lighten that load. Learn how your gift can make a difference at forwardfunder.siumed.edu. #SIUSOM Day of Giving
Social stories
Subject Line: Be an #SIUDay of Giving Champion
Hello, (Name),
On February 26, I want to encourage you to join me in being a Champion of Better Health for All by supporting SIU Medicine. For 24 hours, you can give a gift to the area where you are most passionate. From our research labs and clinics to our library and study rooms, SIU Medicine needs your help to provide the best possible opportunities to our students and dedicated faculty.
Making a gift is easy; just go to Forward Funder. I made my gift early, and I hope that you will join me now or on February 26. Donate today at Forward Funder.
Thank you for supporting SIU Medicine’s mission!
(Your Name)
Subject Line: Be a CHAMPION for better health today!
Hello, (Name),
Today is #SIUSOM Day of Giving, a 24-hour effort to raise 400 gifts to support SIU Medicine! For 24 hours, you can give a gift to the area where you are most passionate. From our research labs and clinics to our library and study rooms, SIU Medicine needs your help to provide the best possible opportunities to our students and dedicated faculty.
Making a gift is easy; just go to Forward Funder and choose the area you feel most passionate about supporting. Every gift matters.
Thank you for supporting my work, our community’s health and the education of our future doctors. Donate today at Forward Funder.
Other opportunities
Offer a match or challenge gift to help us rally others to give.
Offering a match or challenge gift can mean a couple things. It could mean that you’re willing to give a number of dollars for each dollar (or for each donor) that the campaign receives up to your specified maximum gift amount. You can restrict both matches and challenges to apply to donors from a group affiliation i.e. Faculty/Staff, your class year, to the fund of your choice, or to specific people.
For example, we would share: “John Smith will donate $1 to SIU Pediatrics for every donor who gives to the Pediatrics on Day of Giving.” Or, “Dr. Jane Jones will give match dollar for dollar all gifts given by SIU physicians.”
Or maybe your department collectively wants to challenge others to donate to a certain fund: “100% of the Department of Pediatrics will donate if we can raise $5,000 for On Par for Pediatrics.”
Create a video or story and share it with us and/or on your social channels.
By sharing a personal plea as to why you’re excited about Day of Giving or why you support a certain fund, others will want to get involved. Shooting a short video on your cell phone is all you need to do to add your story to the campaign!
Tips and Tricks
1. Don't Overthink It – Just Talk to People
Posting online is great, but most donations will also come from one-on-one communication (conversation, text, phone call).
2. When and How to Communicate
We encourage you to start posting at least once a week starting on February 10. Then post more frequently on the days leading up to and on February 26 - #SIUSOM Day of Giving. This timeframe allows your social posts to act as a sort of primer, meaning the folks you ask on February 14 and 25 will likely need less education on what you're doing assuming they've seen one of your posts. As folks react to your posts, it also gives a good short list of who may be more likely to give on the day itself.
3. Hashtag
If you post, use #SIUSOM Day of Giving so the community can see your post. This hashtag allows us to see how loud our collective voice is!
4. Use Your Own Words
We provided you with several examples of things to post. However, it's important that you say it in your own words. Make it personal! The people who will be seeing your posts want to donate because of you (their peer) more than they want to hear from us (the organization).
Communication plan
This is where you introduce Day of Giving to all of your audience, your role as a SIU School of Medicine Champion , and let them know that you're excited about your role.
Personally let your network know that you're a Day of Giving Champion and why what your supporting is important to you. Your conversations will determine if you reach back out to them later.
Personally let your network know that you're a Day of Giving Champion, why what your supporting is important to you, and that you hope they'll support you. Your conversations will determine if you reach back out to them later.
Go into a little more depth than you did on February 12. Show and tell your audience why this is important to you.
Just three more days! Let them know that you're excited for the chance to support your students and how they can help (financially, but also by sharing info)
Tomorrow's the big day! Talk about why you support SIU School of Medicine during SIU School of Medicine Day of Giving.
Tomorrow's the big day! Talk about why you are giving. Share the Foward Funder link and encourage others to share on their social.
Today is the day! Provide the link to donate - forwardfunder.siumed.edu. Say thank you. Ask to share.
Today is the day! Provide the link to donate - forwardfunder.siumed.edu. Say thank you. Ask to share.
Thank you
We'd like to take a moment to show our appreciation for your time and effort to help students at SIU School of Medicine. #SIUSOM Day of Giving stands as a powerful reminder that every contribution, no matter the size, plays a vital role in shaping the future.
Thank you for investing in our students and in SIU School of Medicine.