Crowdfunding

Is my contribution tax-deductible?

Yes! All philanthropic contributions to Fresno State are tax-deductible as prescribed by law.

Will I receive a receipt for my contribution?

Yes! Fresno State will send you a receipt for your contribution shortly after you make your gift.

When will my credit card be charged?

Your credit card is charged immediately upon finalizing your gift on the site.

Can checks be mailed in if donors would not like to give online?

Yes, make checks payable to: Fresno State Foundation.

Mail to: Fresno State, 5241 N Maple Ave M/S TA45, Fresno, CA 93740-0001.

What happens if a project is overfunded?

If a campaign raises more than its stated funding goal, we will work with the project team to determine whether the surplus should be used to expand or enhance the project, or reserved for use by similar projects in the future.

What if the project I am supporting does not meet its funding goal?

If the campaign falls short of its funding goal, the funds raised will still be released to the project’s respective campus area. In the event that a project cannot be undertaken because of the shortfall, the money raised will be retained by the sponsoring college, school or program for use on a project with similar goals.

Is there a gift assessment associated with the donations my project receives?

To partially defray the costs of the Crowdfunding program there is a 5% assessment on the funds you raise. Please take into account this deduction before spending your funds.

Application - Prior to Project Launch

Here's an example of the quiet phase timeline/checklist that you can use to keep track of important tasks prior to your project launch.

Download the checklist

Day of Launch - Campaign Ending

24 Hours Before Launch

• Hold a pre-launch and send the link to the pre-committed donors you gathered during the quiet phase, giving your project momentum right out of the gate.

Day 1

• Project team post on all personal and team social media accounts. Send emails and make phone calls to your list of contacts. *This should be done DAILY.

After 72 Hours

• Post first project update to campaign page so all donors can see through the crowdfunding website.
• Post a project update on your social media accounts as well. Include total raised so far, thank them for their support and encourage them to help share your project. (Depending on success of campaign, this date can vary).

After Week 1

• Send out reminder e-mails to your contact list that have not yet donated and post on your social media accounts.
• Monitor donor walls and personally thank any donors you know that gave (call, email, text, etc.).
• Send a weekly update through platform to send out to your current donors.
• Have a weekly team meeting to review donor outreach plans and team member efforts.

After Week 2

• Send out reminder e-mails to your contact list that have not yet donated and post on your social media accounts.
• If campaign is not at 50% to goal – work with Amanda on a revised strategy.
• Monitor donor walls and personally thank any donors you know that gave (call, email, text, etc.).
• Send a weekly update through platform to send out to your current donors.
• Have a weekly team meeting to review donor outreach plans and team member efforts.

After Week 3

• Send out reminder e-mails to your contact list that have not yet donated and post on your social media accounts.
• Monitor donor walls and personally thank any donors you know that gave (call, email, text, etc.).
• Send a weekly update through platform to send out to your current donors.
• Have a weekly team meeting to review donor outreach plans and team member efforts.

After Week 4 – End of Campaign

• Send a final “Thank you” update to Amanda to send out to your donors through the site and post on your social media accounts.
• Remember to send a final update after the funds have been spent with a photo showing their dollars in action.

Up to 1 Year After Campaign

• Utilize the updates tool in the post-campaign phase to take the donor on a journey with you as the money they donated is used to benefit your specific mission. Use specific milestones to keep donors engaged year-round.
• An update answers questions such as “how has the money I donated made a difference?” “What were the results of your research?” “What did you learn from your service trip and how did that community benefit?”

1-2 people, effort level: ultimate responsibility. They are the identified head(s) of the project, often president or co-presidents of an organization or leaders of a particular project. As a Project Creator, you are the one with ultimate responsibility for the success of the campaign. It is your job to create a team to execute the goals. You will work with the team to try and ensure that success.

Project Creator responsibilities include:

• Dedicate an hour per day in the quiet and active phases.
• Delegate responsibility for content creation among team (yourself included).
• Create list of all names/personal e-mails consisting of close contacts that have a potential giving capacity of $25 and above. (Email list should be a combined effort from the project team member’s connections. # of contactable emails = $ goal for campaign).
• The prospect list of donors should be people from your personal network. *Fresno State is not allowed to release donor/alumni information to students.
• Schedule and run meetings to check in with champion group 1x per week during quiet phase, at least twice during active phase (total), and one once your campaign is over.
• Recruit two core groups of volunteers that you will assist with the project to ensure its success.

3-5 people (minimum), effort level: fully engaged. They are beneficiaries of money being raised or directly connected to the organization. Responsibilities will be collaborating with Project Creators, assisting with content creation and promoting the project. These champions need to be able to dedicate 45 minutes every day in quiet and active phases.

Project Champion(s) Responsibilities Include:

• Assist/Collaborate with Project Creators.
• Create content for the project page.
• Main project page video (1-2 minute video explaining project, not over-produced, can be made on an iPhone).
• Create Content – Project Title, Short Description, Long description, Suggested Donation Levels, Campaign Creator Bios.
• Design and Execute marketing schedule of e-mail blasts, updates, and potential offline events through end of campaign.
• 6-8 updates throughout campaign. We recommend three to four 30 second video updates, which can be pre-shot. The video updates often include educational facts pertaining to your project or testimonials by people impacted by your project that will intrigue the viewer and compel them to share. Your other 3-4 updates can be used for major funding milestones (50%, reached goal, stretch goals, thank you, etc.) Always be sure to make ask the donor to share the project in these updates.
• E-mail blast to core group committed to donate at project opening, e- mail blast to all e-mails collected the day of official project launch.
• Schedule potential offline events to bring in offline donations during the third week, the typical lull in fundraising for a 30 day campaign.
• Put together list of at least 100 names/personal e-mails of close contacts that have a potential giving capacity of $50 or above.
• Gather pre-commitments from donors to ensure momentum in the first days of your campaign. Acquire these through personal e-mails and face-to-face asks. The team should aim for 20-30% of the overall goal prior to your launch date. If you get less than 20% pre-committed or much more than 30% pre-committed, this is a good time to recalibrate your fundraising goal accordingly.
• Outreach to affinity groups. Reach out to organizations that have a similar mission to the work your project is doing. This can be other similar student groups, academic depts, or non-profit organizations that can help spread the message about your project.

(OPTIONAL) 8-10 people (minimum), effort level: minor – moderate. They are close to project but not direct beneficiaries, often have channels into school media, large social networks. Responsibilities are to promote the project in any way they can. Ability to dedicate 30 minutes per day during quiet and active phases.

Project Amplifiers(s) Responsibilities Include:

• Put together a list of at least 25 names/personal e-mails of close contacts that have a potential giving capacity of $50 or above.
• Make personal e-mail or face-to-face asks on behalf of project.
• Use channels into large social media networks, local media to amplify message to a larger community.

• Provide assistance/guidance to projects.
• Make sure all rules are being followed.
• Make sure all donations earned for crowdfunding are used correctly according to donor intent.
• Communicate all project team efforts to the appropriate Dean’s office(s).