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First UB TAG Day to teach about giving back
Published February 20, 2014 This content is archived.
By MARY COCHRANE
TAG, you’re it!
That’s the message the UB community will see this month as a part of the first TAG Day—Thank and Give Day—being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 27.
UB will be one of many colleges and universities nationwide hosting such events, designed to educate students about philanthropy. They are part of National Student Engagement and Philanthropy Day, sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
To learn more about TAG Day, the UB Reporter talked to Nancy Wells, vice president of development and alumni relations.
What is TAG Day?
NW: TAG Day is UB’s version of the national effort to get students thinking about philanthropy and what it means to them. We want to tell them how philanthropy can change lives, show them the effect that others’ giving has had on them here at UB and, finally, ask them to thank those givers and think about becoming givers themselves someday.
Why TAG?
NW: We will put “tags” on items at the 11 TAG day stations located across the North and South campuses to demonstrate how private gifts help cover the cost for so many things at UB, from microscopes and computers to special lectures to named spaces and even entire buildings. Private gifts also support scholarships, so we’ll “tag” scholarship recipients with special buttons.
These tags won’t list the actual dollar value of these items because we want students to become aware of the importance of private philanthropy at UB and about how every gift, large and small, can make a difference.
Does the TAG acronym—Thank and Give — means you’ll ask students to give?
NW: We will ask them only to give thanks to the many generous donors to UB. Raising awareness is our objective, not raising money.
They can do this in several ways: by signing thank-you cards and banners for donors, taking photos of themselves to be posted on social media sites and sending video messages.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just send all students an email or text message?
NW: Actually, they’ll receive all sorts of notices in relation to TAG Day via text, email, Facebook, Twitter and so on. We’ve engaged UB communications staff across the university to help us spread the word about TAG Day through various media to let students know what’s happening and where.
However, we want students to look up from their smartphones and directly see all the great things that private giving has done for them at UB. So the TAG Day stations will offer them a break from their screens to talk with others, to write and to take “selfies.” By the way, we’ll have some fun props on hand for use in the photos.
Anything else we should know about TAG Day?
NW: Yes, we will mail buttons to UB faculty and staff who have given to the university this past year; the buttons say “I Give. TAG, you’re it!” We want them to know how important their gifts are to UB and to our students. I encourage all faculty and staff donors to wear their buttons next Thursday to help us raise awareness about philanthropy. If we spot them with a button, they might even get a special surprise!
For more information about UB TAG Day, including a list of the TAG Day station locations, visit the Giving to UB website.