A compilation of the 20 best crowdfunding initiatives at colleges and universities across the USA.

2. WHAT IS CROWDFUNDING?
By definition, crowdfunding is the process of funding a project or cause
by raising small amounts from a large number of people.
Usually carried out online, it has become an innovative new way to
fundraise by harnessing the power of peer-to-peer relationships and
social media.
Businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individuals all over the world
now use platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowdrise to
jumpstart new ventures, raise funds for personal purposes, solicit
charitable donations, and pursue their passions.

3. Higher education has
stepped into the world of
crowdfunding, too.
In the past few years, advancement
offices at colleges and universities
across the nation have developed
their own crowdfunding programs,
allowing alumni, students, faculty, and
friends to donate to specific funds or
causes that they are passionate
about. Many campaigns even feature
student-led projects.

4. In fact, crowdfunding has
already begun to
revolutionize the way that
schools fundraise.
So who are the leaders of the
crowdfunding craze? Here at EverTrue,
we analyzed the initiatives of higher-ed
institutions across the USA and present
to you:
*Schools listed in alphabetical order.
The 20 Best Higher-Ed
Crowdfunding Programs*

5. Launched in 2013, ASU’s crowdsourcing
program provides a platform on which
students and faculty can raise funds for
their organizations and passion projects.
From funding research, to service trips, to
Forgiveness Tree Ceremonies (one of
their most successful projects!), these
campaigns have spurred hundreds of gifts
across campus and beyond.
According to the team, PitchFunder has
also played a role in increasing ASU’s
donor base. The majority of gifts have
come from people who haven’t previously
been tied to the institution, about 10% has
come from faculty, and about 10% from
students.
Arizona State University
PitchFunder

6. – Tiffany Antor, Associate Director of Annual Giving Programs at
Arizona State University
“
via Wikimedia Commons

7. With the understanding that a personal
connection to a cause can inspire giving
like no other, CMU kicked off its
crowdfunding program this past
November as a tool exclusively for
students. Over a 30-day period,
students were tasked with advertising
their campaigns through social media,
email, and other outreach methods in
order to achieve their fundraising goals.
The first round of projects was so
successful—drawing both first-time and
consecutive donors—that CMU is
looking to expand the program to see
the impact it would have for alumni and
faculty-run projects as well!
Carnegie Mellon University
CMU Crowdfunding

8. – Mary Ann McCollough, Director of Constituent Insights and Business
Operations at Carnegie Mellon University
“
via Wikimedia Commons

9. The history of Cornell’s crowdfunding
efforts began in 2013 with seven pilot
projects—each of which was fully funded
(and even overfunded!). Due to the
success of the program’s initial launch,
the Alumni Affairs and Development team
has since unrolled several new sets of
projects, one in tandem with Cornell’s
Sesquicentennial campaign.
According to a blog post from Andrew
Gossen, the Senior Director for Social
Media Strategy at Cornell, young alumni
have made up 45% of alumni donors for
crowdfunding projects. Clearly, Cornell
has figured out what makes their
millennial constituents tick!
Cornell University
Cornell Crowdfunding

10. Lehigh students have a fantastic tool at
their disposal with Ignite LU, the
university’s official crowdfunding
platform. Whether students are looking
to raise money for their campus
organizations, research projects, or
athletic endeavors, they can submit a
proposal for a chance to be featured on
the site.
One of the most interesting ways that
Lehigh has been using the platform,
however, is to raise money for the
Lehigh Fund—merging crowdfunding
and the annual fund. The project, still
going strong, has already raised over
$8 million from over 14k donors!
Lehigh University
Ignite LU

11. When you land on the MiddSTART
homepage, you’ll see the phrase “A
network of microphilanthropy that
supports Middlebury students.” From the
dozens of funded projects listed under
the Success Stories tab, there is no doubt
that MiddSTART has been living up to its
mission of enabling students’ passions.
Besides funding student initiatives,
alumni can contribute to a scholarship
fund to help a high school student attend
Middlebury. A creative use of
crowdfunding, this has allowed alumni to
truly make a difference in a student’s life!
Middlebury College
MiddSTART

12. For the Penn State Schreyer Honors
College (SHC), no gift is too small when it
comes to crowdfunding. (The STOP
Hunger campaign, which was 100%
funded in August 2014, emphasized that
“just 25 cents is enough to give a meal to
a family in need”!) A great feature of the
program is that, when you navigate to a
project page, you can find the specific
impact that every donation level will
make. This approach has worked
wonders for encouraging alumni to give;
SHC has been able to fund scholarships,
research grants, service projects, and
more with the generosity of their
constituents.
Pennsylvania State University
Schreyer Honors College Crowdfunding

13. Given the decline in effectiveness of
traditional fundraising outreach methods
—like direct mail and phonathons—
Pepperdine has been testing out
crowdfunding as a way to appeal to the
younger generation and to inspire a
culture of philanthropy in students and
alumni.
The latest round of campaigns revolves
around the theme “Project Serve,” with
the funds enabling student teams to
embark on community service projects
across the world. The first fully-funded
project of the pack raised over 13k and
will send a team to Costa Rica to aid the
Abraham Project!
Pepperdine University
Waves of Impact

14. – Cynthia Ware, Director of the Pepperdine Fund
“
via Wikimedia Commons

15. Temple has framed its crowdfunding
initiative, launched in August 2013 under
the moniker OwlCrowd, around a
commitment to supporting grassroots
projects that otherwise wouldn’t have
the opportunity to see funding.
With four campaigns complete and a
fifth on its way, the team at Temple has
already found OwlCrowd to be useful
for prospect research and for
uncovering new donors. In fact,
according to the team, about 40% of
OwlCrowd donors are new to the
university!
Temple University
OwlCrowd

16. – Alysea McDonald, Associate Director of Annual Campaigns at
Temple University
“
via Temple University

17. Realizing that their giving office was not
structured in a way that could help student
groups and faculty raise money for
university-affiliated projects, the Haas
School decided to create an internal
platform, linked to the Haas foundation, to
make this possible. (The team has also
launched an external platform on Indiegogo
for students, faculty, and alumni who are
looking to fund their private ventures.)
So far, professors and students have
succeeded in pooling thousands of dollars
for their projects through leveraging their
social networks. This has attracted several
first-time donors who are interested in
supporting specific initiatives!
University of California, Berkeley
Haas School of Business Crowdfunding

18. – Laurent “Lo” de Janvry, Director of Annual Giving at Berkeley-Haas
“
via Wikimedia Commons

19. Striving to “fuel ideas that change the
world,” UCLA Spark has been a wildly
successful platform on which students,
faculty, and other university entities can
solicit funds for their ambitious
undertakings—from social initiatives, to
research on diversity in the
entertainment industry.
For example, in a project called
“Beethoven Spectacular!”, the UCLA
Chorale was able to raise over $25k
(168% of their original goal) to hold two
concerts in honor of conductor and
professor Donald Neuen.
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA Spark
via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commonsvia Antioch College

20. Instead of hosting just any type of
project, the UCSF crowdfunding
platform is unique in that it focuses
solely on advancing the fields of science
and health care. Every initiative on the
page is dedicated to furthering scientific
innovation—no doubt helping to
enhance the university’s reputation as a
leader in the discipline.
The top-funded project currently on
view is titled “Let’s Race With Jennifer,”
having raised $282k from 1,110 donors
to support research on pancreatic
cancer. Truly an incredible achievement!
University of California, San Francisco
UCSF Crowdfunding

21. There’s nothing like a little competition to
inspire giving; at UConn, their widely
acclaimed crowdfunding competition,
known as Ignite, has proven no less.
The annual event, which runs for eight
weeks, allows student groups to compete
for a challenge grant—this year, a $20k
sum—plus the amount of money they
raise during the course of the
competition. The student groups are
encouraged to be creative with how they
reach out to their networks and market
their campaigns, which has been integral
in building a culture of philanthropy
among UConn students and young
alumni!
University of Connecticut
Ignite
via UConn

22. – Karen LaMalva, Director of Annual Giving at the University of
Connecticut
“
via Wikimedia Commons

23. The main idea behind the founding of
LAUNCH UMD was to give alumni new
ways to engage with the university
philanthropically. The program aims to
connect alumni with projects on campus
while tapping into their affinities and
relationships with university departments.
So, have they been successful in meeting
these goals? All sources point to ‘yes.’
The UMD team has seen that 30% of
donors who give through the platform are
alumni, including a high percentage of
new and lapsed donors. On top of that,
they’ve raised nearly $200k total in less
than a year!
University of Maryland
LAUNCH UMD

24. – Nora Pittman, Manager of New Donor Strategies in the UMD Office
of Annual Giving
“
via Wikimedia Commons

25. After an inaugural crowdfunding
campaign in which Ole Miss fans chipped
in to fund the damages of a destroyed
football field (described as “a perfect
storm” by the team), the university’s
crowdfunding platform has taken off; it
now features a variety of new
campaigns. While most of the projects
currently on the site are athletics-
focused, the team is looking to get more
student-driven projects on the platform in
the near future. Already, though, Ignite
Ole Miss has proven to be a valuable
donor acquisition tool, with several cases
of people giving to the university for the
first time.
University of Mississippi
Ignite Ole Miss

26. – Suzanne Thigpen, Director of Annual Giving at the University of
Mississippi
“
via Ken Lund, Flickr Creative Commons

27. Launched in 2014, Ignite USC was
created to foster the initiatives of faculty,
staff, and students—anything from
establishing a scholarship fund to
raising money for an exciting campus-
wide event. The program has run
smoothly alongside the school’s $6
billion capital campaign, which is set to
conclude in 2018.
In just a few months, Ignite USC has
already acted as a vehicle for change
and innovation. One of the first projects,
for example, raised over $5k to replace
water fountains on campus with water
bottle filling “hydration” stations. Keep it
up, USC!
University of Southern California
Ignite USC

28. With an excellently branded homepage—
complete with a fun, informative video
explaining the platform—VOLstarter should
be a model to any school looking to dive
into crowdfunding. How it works: UT
students, staff, and faculty can apply to have
their projects featured, and once accepted,
they have 30-45 days to reach their
fundraising goal.
The VOLstarter page is brimming with neat
projects, giving UT alumni and friends ample
opportunity to support the initiatives they’re
most interested in. Another nice touch on
the site is a “Testimonials” page, where past
project leaders have written letters
expressing their gratitude. It’s a great way to
follow up with donors who helped make
these projects possible!
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
VOLstarter

29. UTSA has done a phenomenal job with
its crowdfunding program, turning the
platform into a fantastic resource for not
just the giving office, but also for the
entirety of the Roadrunner community. As
the website header states, the mission
behind Launch UTSA is to “fuel top-tier
progress”; they’ve done just that by
helping fund research, service-oriented,
and social justice projects.
The team even held an Alumni City Race
on the platform, pitting a handful of cities
against each other in a quest to increase
the alumni participation rate by raising
$30k in 31 days. It was a resounding
success thanks to the ease of donating
on the platform!
University of Texas at San Antonio
Launch UTSA

30. The University of Virginia’s crowdfunding
program is unique in that it operates
exclusively to facilitate research and
development projects. Overseen by U.Va.
Innovation, USEED@U.Va. allows alumni
and friends to support university-led
research by making targeted donations
towards early-stage projects.
The three projects currently on the page—
each with a goal of raising $10k or higher—
are important, high-impact initiatives that,
when funded, will doubtlessly contribute to
the public good and put the university on
the frontline of research innovation. Best of
luck to the UVA team!
University of Virginia
USEED at U.Va.

31. The history of crowdfunding at UW began
back in 2011, making UW one of the earliest
schools to experiment with peer-to-peer
fundraising. However, it wasn’t until May
2014 that the team launched USEED@UW, a
central platform on which students could
promote their unique projects and causes.
Since its inception, the program has helped
fund six projects, raising over $100k from
900 donors—and there are five more
projects on the horizon.
The UW program is a shining example of
micro-stewardship. Donors are able to see
the immediate impact that their gifts are
making, encouraging many members of the
UW community to give for the first time!
University of Washington
USEED@UW

32. – Ben Morris, Manager of Gift Acceptance in the Office of University
Advancement at UW
“
via Wikimedia Commons

33. The story behind WPI’s crowdfunding effort
is a little different from the rest of the
schools on this list. Working with the vendor
AlumniFund, the WPI team built their
platform for the specific purpose of raising
money to construct an Innovation Studio on
campus. They’ve netted over $215k so far,
bringing them closer to building a hub of
collaboration for engineering, business, and
entrepreneurship.
A unique feature of the platform is that it
allows donors to indicate what campus
groups they’re affiliated with, such as Greek
organizations or sports teams. This
information feeds into a “Top Donors”
ranking on the homepage that shows which
campus groups and class years have risen
to the challenge!
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The Robert A. Foisie ‘56 Innovation Studio

34. – Scott Hadley, Manager of Integrated Media in the WPI
Office of University Advancement
“
via Wikimedia Commons

35. About EverTrue
Since 2010, EverTrue has been empowering fundraising
teams with intuitive web and mobile software. Today,
300+ nonprofit institutions, with a combined $17 billion of
giving data (and counting!), rely on EverTrue to identify,
prioritize, and manage their prospects.
With EverTrue, fundraisers spend less time and effort
getting the answers they need. We surface insights from
your database as well as from our powerful integrations
with Google Maps, LinkedIn, Facebook, Zillow, and more.
And instead of waiting days for information and reports,
fundraisers equipped with EverTrue can find prospects in
milliseconds, whether for portfolio-building, moves
management, trips, campaigns, or events—all in one
intuitive platform. EverTrue is headquartered in Boston,
MA and is a Bain Capital Ventures-backed company.

36. About EverTrue
Since 2010, EverTrue has been empowering fundraising
teams with intuitive web and mobile software. Today,
300+ nonprofit institutions, with a combined $17 billion of
giving data (and counting!), rely on EverTrue to identify,
prioritize, and manage their prospects.
With EverTrue, fundraisers spend less time and effort
getting the answers they need. We surface insights from
your database as well as from our powerful integrations
with Google Maps, LinkedIn, Facebook, Zillow, and more.
And instead of waiting days for information and reports,
fundraisers equipped with EverTrue can find prospects in
milliseconds, whether for portfolio-building, moves
management, trips, campaigns, or events—all in one
intuitive platform. EverTrue is headquartered in Boston,
MA and is a Bain Capital Ventures-backed company.