Create a UCrowdfund campaign
Raise funds for your innovative project, program or research initiative
How it works
Teams amplify their campaigns across their networks, online through emails and social media, in person, and through traditional channels — encouraging individuals to donate with further encouragement to donate through social sharing.
Submit a project
You’ve got an inspiring vision and a passion for your project. You’ve assembled a take-charge team ready to amplify your story and build a community of dedicated supporters. It sounds like you’re ready to get started!
Groups and individuals directly affiliated with the University of Calgary including students, alumni, faculty and staff are eligible to use UCrowdfund. Initiatives should support the university’s mission by improving our community — on campus and beyond. Successful initiatives have an identified leader and a team of five to 10 ambassadors willing to promote the project to their own networks.
To get started, submit an application. Applications are reviewed by the UCrowdfund committee. If your campaign is accepted, it will be added to the UCrowdfund calendar and you will be contacted by the liaison assigned to your project.
Please note, a limited number of UCrowdfund projects will be approved per year.
UCrowdfund empowers you and your team to leverage your network in support of your initiative. To be successful, your campaign should be peer-to-peer.
Outreach to your family, friends and colleagues via email and social media will help build awareness. It’s best to bring your own “crowd.” If you and your team do not have a pre-existing audience, then crowdfunding might not be the best method to raise money for your project.
Each project will be given a landing page with a unique URL to share.
Typical crowdfunding projects attract between $500 and $25,000. Of course, this number will depend entirely on the scope of your project, the size of your potential donor pool, your personal contacts and the amount of personal effort devoted to the project. It is best to set modest, attainable and realistic goals — and transcend them. Your donors will be inspired to support a project if it reflects success and momentum. Your liaison will help you figure out your ideal goal.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni who wish to use crowdfunding as a means of supporting their UCalgary-related projects should use UCrowdfund. This will ensure that your project is branded with the university’s name and collateral, gifts to the project are tax-deductible, and the university is equipped to recognize and steward donors.
A well-told story, creative video and a compelling case for support are critical. The Digital Media Commons at the Taylor Family Digital Library (third floor) has a range of loanable equipment, including cameras. The Commons’ One Button Studio, a room streamlined for creating video content, allows users with no technical background to save videos to a USB memory stick with the push of a single button. The room is also equipped with green-screen technology.
Projects are posted and active for 30 days. However, plan on your project requiring 10 to 12 weeks of focused, intense work, before and after the campaign. The project creator will need to provide updates and remain actively engaged (new videos, social media, campus events and email). It is recommended that the project creator commit one hour per day, and each team member commit 30 to 60 minutes per day, for the length of the active campaign.
Our crowdfunding platform has many advantages over other sites. Unlike outside sites, teams working with UCrowdfund will not be liable for any tax associated with the money that is raised. There are no fees associated with using our platform, and every dollar raised is made available to you, regardless of whether or not your campaign reached its stated goal. Additionally, your team will be supported by a UCrowdfund liaison who will provide training and guidance to help you reach your goal.
The approval process can take up to three weeks. Please include your contact details in your submission, as we will need additional details before we can green-light your project.
Yes. All gifts made through UCrowdfund are tax-deductible. Donors will receive a tax receipt within a month of their online transaction.
One hundred per cent of your gift goes directly to the project you are supporting.
Help spread the word! Pick a project that is important to you and help them get the word out both on social media and throughout your networks. The more people know about a project, the higher the chance it will reach its fundraising goal.