By Aislinn Keely
Fordham has partnered with GiveCampus, a university based crowdfunding platform, to connect the community with projects centered on improving the community. After using the platform on a more limited scale last academic year, the Fordham Fund has expanded access to GiveCampus to all members of the Fordham community through an application pool.
GiveCampus operates similarly to other crowdfunding websites by providing a direct way to donate to campaigns. Campaigns advertise their monetary goals and plans for the money on the site.
Currently, 282 people have signed up with GiveCampus for the opportunity to donate to Fordham causes. On the site, users make profiles that display campaigns they have donated to, how many donations they have made and how many followers they have.
Only one campaign is currently live on the Fordham GiveCampus page, the Emergency Disaster Relief fund. In a matter of days, the campaign raised $25,061 with the help of 108 donors for natural disaster aid. This exceeds its goal of $23,000 by eight percent.
In the past academic year, GiveCampus was used to support campaigns including GO projects, crew events and the transition to solar panels. The platform was initially used as a way to host Fordham’s giving days according to Elaine Ezrapour, Assistant Director of Fordham Fund, Affinity Giving.
“We just wanted to get our feet wet with being able to manage it in late spring, and now that we’ve got a sense of how this platform works we’re really excited to open this platform to everyone,” she said.
After the success of those projects, the Fordham Fund decided to expand access for this academic year. Projects receive more attention and consequently receive more funding and gain more traction during the academic year, according to Ezrapour. “This academic year we really want to invite the entire Fordham community to utilize this for their projects,” she said.
Groups apply to have their campaign displayed on the Fordham GiveCampus page through a button on Fordham.edu or at Fordham.edu/crowdfunding. They are considered on a rolling basis, according to a university wide email. A project must come from a Fordham group, serve the Fordham community in some capacity and have a goal that is reasonable but challenging according to Connor Donnelly, Fordham Fund Officer.
“If any students who are looking for something that’s going to benefit the Fordham community, at least come to us first and go through the application process, and we can see if it’s something we can do for them,” said Donnelly.
Ezrapour and Donnelly recommend GiveCampus over other crowdfunding platforms because unlike other companies like GoFundMe and Kickstarter, 100 percent of donations go to the campaign. Kickstarter takes a five percent fee if a project is successful, according to their website. GoFundMe also takes a five percent fee.
“If they [clubs and activities] used another platform a lot of their efforts would be taken off the top in an administrative fee would be taken off the top, but here that is not the case,” said Ezrapour.
GiveCampus provides exposure to campaigns as well. “Another measure of success for crowdfunding campaigns like these is the awareness that’s brought to the campaign,” said Ezrapour. Campaigns can be shared across social media platforms to increase interest.
Challenge donations and matching donations are functions of the site as well. In a challenge donation, a user donates an amount contingent on certain friends donating as well, while a matching donation matches an amount dollar for dollar. “That’s really been a great mechanism, to gameify … the success of a campaign,” said Ezrapour.
The Disaster Relief campaign included matching gifts of $5,000 and $500.
Fundraising is moving towards more transparent crowdfunding platforms, according to Ezrapour and Donnelly. “I think in general fundraising is kind of moving towards a platform like this where people can feel a part of something bigger and see what they’re giving to and go towards a goal,” said Donnelly.
