In 2021, the NIU Foundation launched its crowdfunding program: NIU Impact. Since then, we have been able to work with campus partners and stakeholders to conduct targeted and time-sensitive campaigns that harness the power of volunteers and their individual networks. To date, we have raised over $340,000 from more than 2,300 donations, and have partnered with units in every division of campus.
For FY24, the annual giving team crafted an internal marketing plan to help grow the number of crowdfunding projects, as well as increase the number of donors and dollars raised. The result? Our fall 2023 cohort of projects was the largest to date, with donors making over 450 gifts totaling more than $50,000, and we are on track to have the highest number of donors and dollars raised in a fiscal year.
In addition, for FY24 we shifted from group-based training sessions for crowdfunding partners, to a collection of asynchronous training videos. This change resulted in time-savings for both our staff and participants, and can be used again for futures cohorts.