Crowdfunding

Projects must support Jacksonville University’s overall mission by supporting our on- and off-campus community. We assist faculty, staff, and students in raising awareness about causes and achieving their fundraising goals. Crowdfunding works best for projects and campaigns with clear and specific goals and a timeline rather than for general, unrestricted fundraising. The following projects will be for consideration: Scholarships, Student Groups, Travel (supplies/costs), Athletics, Faculty Research, and Supply Drives. Additional projects will be considered by the project selection committee on a case-by-case basis.

• Capital projects (i.e. building construction or renovation)
• Independent business or charity ventures
• Fundraising for personal gain (student fees, personal travel, etc.)
• Projects for which the funds will be given to a non-JU-affiliated nonprofit

The best crowdfunding projects have a specific deadline that creates a sense of urgency to encourage donations during the 30-day active period, during which a project is live and collecting donations. They are managed by a passionate leader and a core team that will usher the project from pre-planning through post-project wrap up, which typically will take a semester to accomplish. Well-designed projects are narrowly focused, have a built-in audience, set realistic funding goals, and are non-profit in nature.

All projects will need at least six people identified to help make the project a success. Projects must be submitted for approval at least 12 weeks in advance (see timeline below). After your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the crowdfunding committee. You will be notified if the project has been accepted or denied within two weeks.

Week 1

Submit an application for a campaign and allow two weeks for the application to be processed and reviewed by the committee

Week 3

Receive a response from University Advancement and schedule a meeting to discuss next steps

Week 4

Meet with University Advancement and gather materials necessary to launch the campaign, assign campaign roles, work on video and webpage content, create a communications plan and create email lists

Week 5-6

Submit all materials (see below)

Week 7

University Advancement to create GiveCampus fundraising page

Week 8-11

Campaign goes live

Week 12

Campaign wrap/thank donors

The success of the campaign is driven by your outreach! Once your campaign is approved, you’ll need to submit a detailed communications plan. Successful communication plans includes both social media and personal email outreach.

There should be seven or more participants in your campaign:

1. Project leader: One project leader will serve as the primary liaison between University Advancement and the group or organization managing the campaign. The project leader will manage the two collaborators to ensure that all information is collected and shared with the group within set deadlines.
2. Collaborators (2): Two collaborators will assist the project leader in developing content for the campaign helping spread the word about the campaign to ambassadors and other internal and external audiences.
3. Ambassadors (3+): At least three ambassadors are necessary to share the campaign on their social networks and encourage supporters to participate in the campaign.
4. Sponsor: Projects must have a Jacksonville University employee as a sponsor. Funds raised will be used under the supervision of the sponsor.

A specific dollar or donor goal must be identified to submit a campaign. Crowdfunding campaigns are typically most successful with a specific and reasonable goal. Fundraising through a crowdfunding campaign is typically most successful for campaigns with a goal under $10,000. It’s important to be able to articulate the impact of the project and begin fundraising before the campaign goes live.

Projects are approved on a first-come, first-served basis taking into consideration the standing solicitation calendar.

• Projects must have a Jacksonville University employee as a sponsor (college/unit faculty or staff member and be approved by the unit's dean).
• Funds raised must be used under the supervision of the sponsor.
• Projects are subject to review by their unit prior to acceptance or rejection.
• Before you can begin a crowdfunding project using GiveCampus, the project leader will need to acknowledge that the full team is aware of the expectations of launching a crowdfunding project.

Once a project is accepted, groups will be asked to submit the following within two weeks:

• 30-90 second promotional video explaining the project and impact,
• Detailed description of project,
• Draft solicitation,
• Thank you message from the project sponsor.

You may receive promotional assistance from University Advancement to support your campaign.

• Video and content support may be available in your unit — check with your unit’s communications professional for details or contact marketing@ju.edu.
• Once the majority of active projects have reached 30% of their goals, projects will be shared across select University-sponsored social media channels to help expand your reach.

Successful crowdfunding campaigns have proven that email outreach is most effective at converting donations to your cause.

Note: To protect the privacy of our graduates, University Advancement does not provide alumni and donor contact information directly. Please consult University Advancement to determine if your project is eligible for alumni outreach and we can help coordinate a message.

• Submit a detailed communication plan outlining what will be sent before, during and after the campaign
• Create a 30-90 second video for the campaign
• Recruit ambassadors and collaborators to help carry out the communication plan
• Submit a stewardship plan outlining how you will stay in touch with donors throughout the life of the project and after project completion
• Identify one person on your team to send timely thank-you updates throughout the campaign
• If you have early donors, you can request that the platform be opened up for a limited time for them; this allows for starting off the launch with donations already moving the needle