Welcome to Western Washington University's Crowdfunding platform, VikingFunder! This is where Western students, alumni, faculty and staff can raise money to turn projects into reality.
If you're ready to make a fundraising campaign, read the criteria below, and then apply to get set up with a VikingFunder project.
If you run into any bumps or questions, contact me at Justene.Merriman@wwu.edu. I'm the VikingFunder platform manager, and I'm here for you!
Gift minimum and processing fees
The VikingFunder platform comes with a $10 minimum donation amount for any gift. This platform is run through ScaleFunder/Encoura, and managed by WWU University Advancement. Gifts made on this platform are processed by The Foundation for Western Washington University. There is a 5% fee applied to all gifts processed through the Foundation. However, the entire gift is tax deductible thanks to the Foundation's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. The other 95% of each gift goes directly to the project.
VikingFunder Campaign criteria
Campaigns (projects) on VikingFunder can go for 30-45 days or less
The first 48 hours of a campaign make the most difference toward achieving the campaign goal. 30 day campaigns perform strongly because they drive urgency and leave time for the word to spread to people who care. Beyond 45 days, donor engagement tends to drop off dramatically.
Campaigns are limited to:
- Student clubs
- Sport clubs
- Memorial or honorarium funds
If your project doesn't fall into any of these categories, you can contact me at Justene.Merriman@wwu.edu, or you may apply for an exception. Include a note in your application that describes why you want to use VikingFunder for your project. I'll review that with my team to determine whether VikingFunder or a different fundraising solution fits best for your project.
Eligibility
Read the VikingFunder rules before submitting an application for your project.
Long-term fundraising options
Continuous or evergreen projects (projects with no end date) are no longer supported. A short campaign, and the options below work better. Current evergreen projects are gradually being phased out in favor of these better solutions.
Get a permanent, direct link to donate to your fund.
Anyone who manages a fund can get one!
You can share this link anywhere, any time! Follow these instructions, or contact me to get a link. I will need the fund designation number if you have it, and/or the official name of the fund to look it up.
Great places to share this link include: as a button on your website or web page, in an outreach email or email newsletter, in social media posts, on printed materials used in fundraising events and outreach.
Re-open a past VikingFunder campaign
If you have already done a VikingFunder campaign, we can re-open that campaign and update it after a break of at least 30 days, for another period of up to 30-45 days. This can be done multiple times. Contact me, or leave a note in your application if this is what you want to do.
Western Washington University FAQ
Making a gift to a VikingFunder project
How can I check if my company will match my gift?
Go to foundation.wwu.edu/matching-gifts and search for your company. If they have a gift matching program with us, everything you need to know about how to make a matched gift will come up there. It's a few extra steps, but they're easy steps!
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes! Your gift is a charitable contribution, so it can be deducted from your federal income taxes.
Will I receive a receipt?
Yes, your gift is processed immediately and you will receive an official receipt via email. You can use this receipt to deduct your gift when you do your federal income taxes.
When will my credit card be charged?
Your credit card will be charged immediately upon finalizing your gift on VikingFunder.
What if I have a different question?
For general questions about your gift, please call (360) 650-3027 or email forwestern@wwu.edu
Fundraising on VikingFunder
What does it take to have a successful project?
- Have a realistic goal. Figure out how much you aim to raise, and a date to raise it by. Next think about how likely you are to reach that. Use this to adjust your goal to be realistic.
- Invest your time and effort into planning, creating, and sharing your fundraising campaign. The more work you put into it, especially in the beginning, the more results you'll get in the end!
- Tell a story! Share a personal experience (yours, someone else's, or a group's) that describes what this fundraiser is for, and how a donor's gift will make a difference. A 1-2 minute video helps a lot.
- Make a communications plan. Plan how you're going to share your project through email, social media, and in-person. Make a schedule and gather people to help share your messages.
- Share it! Reach out to your community and anyone who may be interested in your project. Ask your closest network and supporters to share it too. There may be more people interested than you think, but they can't make a gift if they don't know about it!
What doesn't qualify for a VikingFunder project?
- Personal profit or compensation (salaries, money for tuition or other expenses - funding student scholarships is OK though). VikingFunder is for fully non-profit projects only.
- Fundraisers for organizations besides WWU, including other non-profit organizations. VikingFunder is exclusively for Western Washington University fundraising projects.
- "Give to get" projects where donors receive a perk, reward, purchase or compensation in return for their gift (bake sales, games with prizes, raffles, etc.). These fundraisers go against the laws and policies we have to follow through The Foundation for WWU & Alumni (where gifts are processed).
- Anything else that does not fit within the VikingFunder rules.
How does the selection process work?
- When you submit an application for a project, you'll receive an automatic confirmation that we got it.
- WWU University Advancement will review your project idea. Our VikingFunder team is very small and has many other kinds of projects, so this may take a business day or two while we manage other priorities. If we have any questions, we'll follow up with you and any others listed as leaders on the project.
- When the application is approved, you'll receive an automated email from ScaleFunder (the name of the VikingFunder platform) inviting you to log in to your project. You may also receive a similar, personal email from our VikingFunder team.
- We will provide training resources for creating your project in VikingFunder, and further training or consultation by request. We want to help you succeed!
My application got approved! How do I get started?
- Log in to the platform using the invitation you got from ScaleFunder.
- Here's a couple quick-start resources (use your universal WWU log in to view):
- Please reach out for any more training you need. We're happy to help!
Other Questions?
Please reach out to the VikingFunder platform manager Justene.Merriman@wwu.edu for:
- An update if you haven't gotten a response from a person about your application after 2 business days.
- Technical questions or training on the VikingFunder platform.
- Consultation about your project idea, whether before or after submitting an application.
- Advice, ideas, tips and tricks on how to successfully fundraise for your project.
- Any other questions about fundraising on VikingFunder.
