Spirit Captain Communication Guide
Social Media
Click one of the social media icons above to see tips, tricks, and sample posts to get you well on your way to mastering being a social Ambassador
Instagram Tips
Looking to harness the power of visual communication? Take advantage of the ability to communicate with potential supporters with impactful images and catchy captions.
Follow @GivingDay on Instagram.
Connect your Instagram and Facebook accounts. Make sure that your Instagram posts are automatically posted on Facebook. Connecting Facebook and Instagram harnesses the power of both social media platforms at once and allows you to reach a wider audience.
Find powerful images. People-centric, positive images will help you draw in new followers. Focus on sharing images that speak to your organization’s mission and your target audience. Canva.com is a great way to take your own photographs or a stock image to the next level. If you want to include important dates, statistics, or quotes, Canva lets you add text right on top of the image as well as provides you with a suite of photo editing tools.
Socialize! Like other supporters’ posts, and consider re-sharing posts that stand out and speak to your cause. Showcasing the stories and individuals that propel the mission of Wheeler's Day of Giving will help you gain more followers, recognition, and traction in advance of Wheeler's Day of Giving.
Use #WheelerDayofGiving, in addition to other creative hashtags. 2-3 hashtags per post is the sweet spot. Start with a branded or specific hashtag - like a tagline or fun phrase. Follow this with the name of the area that you support, then a broader hashtag tied to the cause (i.e., #spreadingthelove). Having a succession of hashtags helps with branding!
Create a regular schedule for posting. We recommend posting at least 2-3 times per week to stay in your followers' feeds! If you integrate your Instagram posts with Facebook, you’ll want to consider how your Instagram posts will fit in with your other scheduled Facebook posts. Consider making posts that show a chronological history of The Wheeler School, if applicable.
Have fun! Instagram is a really playful platform, and the perfect opportunity to let the unique personalities, humor, and convictions of The Wheeler School shine through your photos, captions, and hashtags! Instagram is a fantastic opportunity to relate to your supporters, showing them who you are and what you stand for.
Twitter Tips
Want to quickly engage donors and share information about your fundraising efforts? Twitter is instant and efficient!
Below you will find a few tips to help you have success.
Follow @GivingDay’s Twitter account.
Tell your followers that you are fundraising for Wheeler's Day of Giving. Tell your followers about the specific area that you support and begin to build a story around that. Use some of the suggested tweets provided below.
Use #hashtags and @handles. Whenever you share information include the @GivingDay handle and #WheelerDayofGiving to further spread the word. Show that you are a part of Wheeler's Day of Giving by using the hashtag in all of your tweets.
Don’t just follow! Become a part of the conversation. Let people know that you are out there and engaged. Respond to tweets like you are holding a conversation. You never know where this may lead.
Share pictures, videos and interesting content. Twitter is not just about your ‘words’. Pictures and videos draw people in, and sharing interesting articles about what you and others are doing shows that you are part of a community.
Tweet, retweet and tweet again (especially during Wheeler's Day of Giving)!
Sample Twitter Posts
- Are you ready to be a part of Wheeler's Day of Giving? It’s a day to celebrate all the good going on for The Wheeler School! #WheelerDayofGiving
- Mark your calendars for May 10th. It will be a day for everyone to support Wheeler's Day of Giving. You can find my fundraiser page at [LINK TO FUNDRAISER PAGE]! #WheelerDayofGiving
- On May 10th, help us celebrate Wheeler's Day of Giving by supporting my fundraiser at [LINK TO FUNDRAISER PAGE]! #WheelerDayofGiving
- Get pumped for Wheeler's Day of Giving! Join the conversation by following @GivingDay and retweeting any #WheelerDayofGiving posts!
- Get ready to get up and give for Wheeler's Day of Giving on May 10th! Follow @GivingDay to stay updated on the giving movement!
- A little can go a long way when we get together and give together on May 10th for Wheeler's Day of Giving! [LINK TO FUNDRAISER PAGE] #WheelerDayofGiving
Facebook Tips
Looking to get the word out with Facebook? This guide will help you get started and on the road to creating a successful strategy.
Below is a list of ways you can begin engaging your community for Wheeler's Day of Giving!
Talk it up! Post interesting information about the area that you are supporting and share success stories and photos. Ask your followers questions to engage them in dialogue. Remember to keep posts brief! You don’t want to lose your audience by presenting lengthy updates.
Tell everyone that the area that you are supporting is a part of Wheeler's Day of Giving. Be sure to tell people what it is all about. Let them know how they can donate and ask them to spread the word as well.
Create a Facebook event. Invite your constituents to be part of Wheeler's Day of Giving so that they can be reminded as the day gets closer AND see who else is participating. Also, tell people to invite others. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are hosting an event onsite; the whole event is worth celebration!
Sample Facebook Posts
- Save the date: Wheeler's Day of Giving is May 10th! You can be part of the celebration by giving to your favorite area. Visit dayofgiving.wheelerschool.org to find out more.
- The real success of Wheeler's Day of Giving will not be how much money we raise but the tremendous impact those dollars will have when The Wheeler School puts them to work! Join the giving on May 10th at dayofgiving.wheelerschool.org.
- Let’s show The Wheeler School that we are full of generosity! On May 10th, help us celebrate Wheeler's Day of Giving and continue [EXPLANATION OF MISSION]
- I'm so excited to support Wheeler's Day of Giving! You can support our area by visiting my fundraiser page at [LINK TO FUNDRAISER PAGE] and donating on May 10th.
- On May 10th, give where your heart is! To support my fundraiser for Wheeler's Day of Giving, go to [LINK TO FUNDRAISER PAGE].
Email Templates
See templates ▼
Click the icon above to see sample emails to send to your network before, during, and after Wheeler's Day of Giving
Feel free to use these email templates as a guide, just copy and paste the text below into your email, fill in the placeholders, and add some personal flair to make it your own!
Before Wheeler's Day of Giving
TO BE SENT ON MAY 5 OR MAY 6
Subject: Did you see Mary C. Wheeler?!
Hi [XX Grade Parents and Guardians],
We all know Wheeler is a magical place - now we have proof! I LOVE this movie developed by Wheeler students and our Day of Giving team, and hope you do too! Definitely worth 2 minutes to watch.
Your early gift also gives a head start on the friendly Gold vs.Purple competition and on earning fun prizes for our kids:
- We will bring back last year’s favorite, the Del’s Lemonade Truck, when our grade reaches 50% participation! Can we be the first to get there?!
- Every gift also counts toward this year’s Grand Participation Challenge! Every 100 donors will unlock an increasingly larger amount of money until we unlock $50,000 when we reach 900 donors!
I am excited to see our grade’s progress and will be updating you frequently on Tuesday, May 10!
Thank you!
Spirit Captain Name
On Wheeler's Day of Giving
DAY OF GIVING MORNING EMAIL
Subject: Wheeler's Day of Giving is here!
Hi [XX Grade Parents and Guardians],
TODAY is the day! It’s May 10, so it is time to make sure our kids earn their Del’s Lemonade and other fun prizes throughout the day! Please join me in making your gift today, and together, our class can demonstrate our support for our students and Wheeler’s faculty and staff. I know we can do this!! dayofgiving.wheelerschool.org/
If you’ve already donated over the last few days, thank you so much for your support! We are currently at XXX% toward our first goal - 50% participation! Every gift, no matter the size, helps us get there!
Team Gold versus Team Purple competition is underway, you can follow the progress here and cheer for your team!
Go Purple! Go Gold! Go Wheeler!!!
Spirit Captain Name
P.S. We hope you will also spread the word about Wheeler’s Day of Giving with your Wheeler friends and family network directly and on social media. Let them know the difference they can make if they join you in supporting the Wheeler community!
DAY OF GIVING AFTERNOON EMAIL
Subject: Lemonade unlock! Next Challenge is open!
Hi [XX Grade Parents and Guardians],
If you’ve already donated today, thank you so much for your support! We have earned the Del’s Lemonade prize for our students. But the fun does not stop there. We are now [XXX%] toward our second goal - 80% participation to unlock fun Wheeler Summer Swag for our students.
Every gift, no matter the size, helps us get there!
Make your gift here!
(Team Gold or Team Purple) is currently in the lead! Follow the progress here and help your team keep or take the lead!
Go Purple! Go Gold! Go Wheeler!!!
Spirit Captain Name
DAY OF GIVING AFTERNOON EMAIL
Subject: We are almost there!
Hi [XX Grade Parents and Guardians],
Thank you to [XXX%] of you who have already participated today, an amazing show of support for our students and for Wheeler!
We are SO CLOSE to 80% participation! Can you help us unlock the Wheeler Summer Swag items for our students? Join us by making a gift at dayofgiving.wheelerschool.org/
OR
We’ve unlocked the 80% participation level for our students - they will all get a Wheeler Summer Swag prize! However, we are still in the running for that top participation spot in our Division, which will earn our students a Pizza Party! We are currently in [XXX] place, but there is still time to participate at dayofgiving.wheelerschool.org/
Go Purple! Go Gold! Go Wheeler!!!
Spirit Captain Name
After Wheeler's Day of Giving
DAY OF GIVING EVENING EMAIL
Subject: Thank you
Thank you so much for all of your support during Wheeler's Day of Giving. Because of you, we raised more than [XX$] over just 24 hours to support the students of Wheeler. Together, we made a difference. difference.
You rock!