NC State Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving is seeking projects with a minimum fundraising goal of $1,000. Crowdfunding campaigns have a set timeframe ranging from 30 to 45 days. Applications are considered on a rolling basis.
Apply for Crowdfunding
All project teams must complete a thoughtful application. Start by submitting a crowdfunding application, and a member of the Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving team will contact you.
Crowdfunding Requirements
Crowdfunding gifts are treated as gifts to NC State University and are tax-deductible. Gifts go through the NC State University Foundation’s giving, gift-processing, receipting and recording protocols. Therefore, use of the NC State Crowdfunding platform is restricted to projects that meet certain eligibility criteria.
- Gifts must go into an NC State University Foundation fund. If you do not know what fund you are eligible to use, contact crowdfunding@ncsu.edu.
- Projects must have an NC State University employee as a sponsor (such as a faculty or staff member in a college or unit).
- To complete the application, you must identify at least five project team members.
- Funds raised must be used under the supervision of the project sponsor. Campaigns that raise money for other nonprofits are not eligible to use crowdfunding.
- Projects must be current-use. They may not have the goal of establishing an endowment — that is a separate process, and you may contact University Development. If you have questions about your project’s eligibility for crowdfunding, please reach out to us at crowdfunding@ncsu.edu.
- Projects must be approved by the ranking development officer of your college or unit. Not sure who this is for your area? Contact us at annual_giving@ncsu.edu.
- Projects that do not meet all of these criteria are not eligible.
Project Team
Project teams must have at least five people in leadership or ambassador roles. The larger the project goal, the larger the project team should be. All project team members will complete crowdfunding training before launch. Three key roles make up each project team.
Fundraising leader
- Serves as the point of contact between Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving and the project team
- Responsible for overseeing project progress and submitting project requirements
- Tasked with writing campaign updates, creating a campaign video and sending thank-you notes
- Tasks can be delegated to other team members.
- Remember, it is the fundraising leader’s responsibility to make sure tasks are completed.
Project sponsor
- Must be an NC State faculty or staff member
- Acts as a liaison between the project team and Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving staff
- Responsible for providing fund account information
- Advises the project’s long-term fundraising and stewardship strategy
Project ambassadors
- Volunteers committed to fundraising on behalf of the project
- Must complete our communications training and identify at least 10 personal contacts to reach out to for support
- Must send at least five emails to their contact list during the campaign, including pre-launch announcements, campaign updates and donor thank-yous
- Can also support the project leader with other aspects of the campaign, such as writing campaign updates, appearing in a video or sending thank-you notes